I miss it already

There is so much about Taiwan that I love. I love the people and the language and the culture and the food. I love their love of things American.










I don't love the jetlag or the exhaustion brought on by the arduous journey.

I'm already wondering when I will return.

Another day, another adventure

This link will take you to an overview of some of the terrain I traversed in today's adventures. My first foray was south of the circle (shown bottom center) where I saw no fewer than 4 7-11's in the space of about 6 blocks. One of those was directly across from what appears to be a Taipei version of Circle K. Two of the 7-11's were within a stones throw of each other. If you look closely at the picture with the 7'11 banner, you'll see across the street and down just a little ways another 7-11.

At one of the 7-11's, I stopped in for yogurt and a power drink (something/anything like Gatoraid). I couldn't find any brands I recognized. I skipped over the beer flavored tea and bought the "Pro-Sweat." Yum.

Later I ventured west. With just a bit of a hike I got to the lake (for which City Lake Hotel is named? Probably.) and walked around the lake and a third of the way up the mountain. I did see a butter-yellow slug bug (tag!) and I spent a few minutes visiting with a chatty local, but once I got to the lake I was resoundly ignored. I was the only non-local hanging out there today.

There is a two-story structure that allowed for a pleasant passing of time. It helped me to reclaim some of the wind I'd lost. Little did I know.

After resting a bit and meditating on "things" I was back in motion. I set off to finish the loop of the lake. On the far side of the lake, there is a mountain. I'm not sure how tall it is, but after hiking a ways I realized the distance to the top was marked along the way. I was about 1/3 of the way up when I decided I'd had enough. Out of nowhere I'd developed a deep straight-from-the-lungs nasty cough. Maybe it was the altitude. So, with only 1200 meters to go, I bailed on the mountain climbing and headed back to the hotel.

Considering I rode the stationary bike for ~25 minutes this morning, my legs have gotten quite a work-out today.

I think I'll call it a day a wee bit early tonight.

I am here

The trip was relatively uneventful. I hope to see some sights this weekend, but I came early to make sure I'm well rested for a busy week. When I get back home, I am going to be very busy as well. Part of that busyness is stemming from:

I hope we're past the last of the freezes, although history says "probably not." The pond is under re-construction, I'm putting new beds for my grandmother's irises, something needs to be done to bolster the elephant ears...and I'm halfway around the world! Spring Break is still 3 weeks away.

Preparing for another trip to Taiwan

I've lost count of how many times I've made this trip. The first trip was in '99. While on that remarkable trip I made a lot of life changing decisions. One was to upgrade my commuter vehicle from our '88 Nova (purchased new in '88) to a '99 Mustang Convertible. I'll save that story for another post. The trip was also memorable because I didn't keep food down until my last day in Taiwan. This problem has plagued me for most of my trips to Asia. With each trip, I pick up new tricks for keeping on my feet.

For this next trip I'm breaking out of habits - that seems to be the theme of my life these days. I've always flown American. I've always stayed at the Hyatt. I know what to expect. I know my way around that part of Taipei. I have comfort and confidence in the known, even though I'm surrounded by the unknown. I've been studying Mandarin but "I am not Chinese" and "I don't understand a word you are saying" are my most useful expressions.

Thursday I will fly to LA, then experience my first trip on EVA air. I'm flying "economy" which is the expectation in today's economy. I'm staying at a hotel close to my new employer's headquarters. I'm not familiar with this part of Taipei so I don't know where I'll find corn soup or buy Pringles when/if my tummy gives me trouble. I've learned lots of tips for traveling sans barfing - hopefully all will carry me through this new adventure.

Then Sings My Soul

This song became very precious to me about a year ago when I realized that my husband, my friends, my family - all could be counted on to fall short of expectations if I was looking to them to fill the role of Christ in my life. For the full story, read this post.

Should I or shouldn't I?

It seems to me that what they are saying is NOT "give peace a chance."

What I'm reading is: "Our products are safe and if you don't believe us, don't buy 'em."

So there.

Then Sings My Soul

I ran across a site that celebrates music as a form of worship. After a little thought I decided to start with Rich Mullins singing "Creed." This is one of the first music videos of a Christian song that I listened to over and over again.

Creed, by Rich Mullins
I believe in God the Father
Almighty maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried
CHORUS: And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man
I believe that He who suffered was crucified, buried, and dead
He descended into hell and on the third day, rose again
He ascended into Heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand
I believe that He's returning to judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men
CHORUS
I believe it, I believe it
I believe it I believe it, I believe it
I believe in God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, Our Lord
I believe in the Holy Spirit, one Holy Church,
The communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins I believe in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends
CHORUS
I believe it, I believe
I believe it, I believe I believe it, I believe it

Alabaster, you're a nut

My cat has been a bit of a flake lately. But that has nothing to do with this post. He has always liked to hang out on the back of the office chair. The top of the chair shows evidence of his rear claws. I've stopped using the leather conditioner on the chair because then he really has to grip with the claws to keep hold - which does even more damage.

He also likes to sit on my lap, and lay on my keyboard, and otherwise pester me endlessly when I'm trying to work.

This was a first. He was waiting for me, anticipating that my next move was going to be a relocation to the office. Silly cat.

Here's a view from the perspective of the doorway:

Home Improvements

I recently finished a lovely microwave cart that is really (in my world) a printer/turntable cart (more on that later). I was charmed that the brush I bought for the urethane was hand made and labeled - with a personal signature from "Hon."

Unfortunately I seem to lack the skillz required to clean urethane out of a brush so the second time I used this brush the bristles were breaking off into the 2nd coat of urethane. I'm sorry "Hon." The replacement brush, made with non-natural bristles and lacking the personal touch, fared worse. After finishing the project and failing to successfully clean all of the urethane out of the brush, I threw the poor thing away.

The cart looks great. I'll save that for another post.

It was a long time ago

There are things that happen in our lives that shape who we are. Things that overcome our genetic code, our DNA. Maybe behavior is trained into our make-up by our parents. Reactions we formulate after repetitive actions and conditioned responses. How we become who we are today is complicated, surely.

I've been vastly moved by some blogs that I read. One is written by a woman who was seriously injured in her young 20's. Badly burned. Both legs amputated below the knees. Another is written by a woman who was abused by her step-mother. Another is written by a woman who was raped. Another is written by a woman who was (I believe) abused and who is now an advocate for abused women.

These women are articulate and compelling in their telling of history and lessons and trials they still endure. They touch my heart. They move my soul. I pray for them. I know what it is like to be tormented by demons. Do we all have a story?

I was a victim of statutory rape when I was 16. My case was prosecuted. After I testified on the stand, the perpetrator changed his plea to guilty. Apparently my testimony was...compelling. He was 18. Good looking. Hard to imagine why he felt the need to force himself on anyone, much less me. The weird thing was that he forced an act without penetration, and that omission messed with my head as much as the rest of it.

How much did that shape me? Would I be different today if I'd refrained from flirting on that sultry summer evening almost 30 years ago? The chain of events that followed had a life of their own. Everything happens for a reason, even if understanding eludes us.

I don't think about it much. It was a long time ago.

I can stop wondering now...

The mystery of why 2008 seemed like such a long year may be explained. Apparently it was 16 months long.

Also, I may need to accept the fact that my office is not an Island Paradise.

My backyard, however.....

This weekend will *hopefully* bring weather conducive to critical Winter activity to ensure the backyard oasis is ready for Spring.

Bringing a little of the oasis into the office

On November 1st I began working for a new employer. For my old employer. In the same old building. In a new lab. Things have been....interesting, to say the least. We're still trying to figure it all out.

On the plus side, we're different and we don't mind showing it. We've spruced up the place a bit. We've created a sitting/lounge area. And we've brought in plants. And pictures. Take a gander, if you will.

What do "lifestyle changes" and "faith" have in common?

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

Three weeks ago I made changes in my life:
1) I quit weighing myself (2-3 times per day!)
2) I quit drinking red wine (I know it's supposed to be good for you, but calories are calories)
3) I started taking the stairs (4 flights) at work - several times a day

A week ago I doubled my work-out routine. I'm now doing a 30-minute aerobic work-out with Richard:
(Stop. Giggling.)

This weekend I picked up a cough that has settled in my chest, but I'm still pushing forward in faith. I don't want to break my new routine. I am not measuring my progress on the scale, but with the intangible of how I feel. At the moment, I feel kinda crappy.

In faith, I pray. I trust God, even when answers are not obvious. Even when changes are not measurable. Even when it would be easier to feel discouraged. I push forward in faith. I pray. I desire to make my faith part of my lifestyle. Faith intertwined, let me live a prayer - in communication with God. Let my life be a testimony of my faith.

Amen.

Pluck Wagon

I am now a devoted camera-carrier. I would not want to miss capturing the occasional oddity such as this.

It's a gift, and a curse

I am the first to confess, I am not perfect. As much as typos irk me, I know that I am often guilty of leaving behind evidence of my rush to the finish. Occasionally I neglect to hit the "ABC" spell check before I publish a post, or hit "send" on an e-mail. I cringe when I catch my own typos after they've been published. I feel strongly that the English language should be common if we are to be effective in our communication. We cannot each have our own way of spelling things.

Some words, like "judgment," are so often misspelled that I think the wrong spelling should be adopted. I would go so far as to argue that the correct spelling is wrong because it offends my sensibility that there's no "e" between the "g" and the "m" ... but there's not an "e" and I'm not in charge, so I live with the phonetic aberration. Occasionally, to amuse myself, I pronounce things phonetically so for judgment, the "g" should be hard. But I digress.

This evening, my hubby and I attended a meeting of our home-owner's association. There is a new development going in right behind us. On the other side of our 6-foot (inadequate) privacy fence a road will be going in to support the new development. Part of the new development will be Medical Offices, Condos or something similar.

At the start of the meeting, a big 3'x4' professionally mounted poster showing the land was set up in the front of the room. Spiral bound sets of maps and info were passed out to the dozen+ home-owners in attendance. The cover page matched the poster. We were able to take our time reviewing the information provided. The developers were very helpful and clearly interested in our support.

After a brief presentation they fielded questions. Lots of questions. The meeting lasted about 45 minutes. After they had wrapped up, I asked the head developer the only question I'd pondered for most of the meeting. What does "Comerical" mean? I'm not familiar with that term. His response? Embarrassed confession to a typo they hadn't caught. I'd say that's one heck of a typo. Comerical = Commercial. I'd thought it might, but my goodness...it certainly lends credence to the following claim, even if there aren't enough letters in the jumbled version!

Aoccdrnig to a rsecheearr at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Is it just me or...

...is there something wrong with this picture?

It's a "Weekly Pack," yes?

Marketing "Get a Full Serving of Vegetables Every Day," yes?

There are only 6 cans of V8 in the pack.....

How does this work???

Curse the cedar!

It has begun. The ailment commonly known as cedar fever. I won't bother to describe it myself. Here's a quote "From December through February, many people experience an itchy, runny nose, sneezing, nasal blockage, excess tearing and itchy eyes. Others complain of itching of the palate, throat, or ears, and postnasal drainage. Some have fatigue, mild headache, facial discomfort, sore throat, partial loss of sense of smell, and sensation of ear plugging. If you experience the above symptoms every year during these months, the chance is great that you have Mountain Cedar allergy. "

Articles abound: 1, 2, 3, ... If you're not familiar with this "scourge" all I can say is - it's truly a beating. I woke up from a bad dream at ~4:30a.m. and I could tell immediate there is something in the air and it's not the scent of roses. The antihistamine that keeps the symptoms relatively at bay keeps me up so I take something else at night. The something else only lasts 4 hours. I had put additional doses by the bed for just this situation. I popped a pill and lay back down for some additional shut-eye. Ten minutes later, my brain is in high gear. In part trying to shake the images from my bad dream, in part because I have 999,954 things left on my to-do list and in part because the medicine doesn't offer immediate relief from the maddening sinus-itchiness of this plague.

So I shouted (in my mind) "Curse the cedar!" And it is so. Our house backs onto acres of undeveloped land that is COVERED in cedar trees (when the sun finishes coming up I'll add "Take a picture of cedar," "download picture of cedar from camera," "upload picture of cedar onto 'Curse the cedar!' post" to my list of things to do, bringing the total up to 999,957). An "upscale" development is going in behind our "not so upscale" development and the cedar in my immediate vicinity will be eradicated.

I will miss the trees during the 9 months they don't irritate the snot out of me (literally), but I won't miss them during the December-February trial of powdery pollen. And for the tree-huggers out there - this is NOT a native tree. It is a weed that has come in and caused problems for natives like Live Oaks. It is a water hog - exacerbating our periodic drought conditions. It chokes out flora and fauna alike. It should be eradicated. But I'm sad that with them will go the oaks and other assorted survivors from the acres behind us. My view from my office will be forever altered. Somehow, I suspect my future holds a smaller home, back in Xurbia, back in the woods, surrounded by more of the cursed weed. {sigh}

Peace,

A bloggers gathering

At the end of a fabulous meal - not just the food, but the company. What a delight to get together with friends and share the nourishment of common interests, mutual support, love.


Thank you, my friends, for today's experience.

Fran, Barbara, Jeanette (with J's precious children) at Red Lobster.

UPDATE: I found a better picture than the one in the original post, but since the first picture captures Little Sydney in the act of doing something we talked about (clutching/scratching her mama's throat) I thought I'd leave it up. At least until I have a chance to see Jeanette tomorrow.

Prayer Vigil

I have been praying for a young lady, A, who was injured in a head-on collision ~mid-December. I've been tracking her progress, privileged to be included in the Caring Bridge updates. Initially the site was open to all, but apparently someone left some unkind remarks in his comments and the bridge was closed. Gated and guarded. A's father sent me an e-mail (I'm assuming he poked on anyone who was leaving kind comments) asking "friend or foe." I explained that I only knew of A through her cousin's blog. Thankfully I was let in.

Last night there was a prayer vigil for A, led by an uncle on the west coast. I prayed for A up until bed time and was praying for her when I awoke. What I didn't realize until later was that my waking coincided with her uncle logging off. Praise God for the 2 hour time difference. My 5am was their 3am. God has been listening to our songs of praise and pleas for intervention and healing, words lifted throughout the night without missing a beat.

During the course of the last month I have found my prayer life evolving. Not my one-on-one prayers between myself and God, but my "evangelical" out-there prayers that other people can hear and read. What I now think of as "extroverted prayers." Not so private. I started here, but I can feel this growing within me.

Yesterday I attended "Eucharistic Visitor" training. I'm already trained as a Eucharistic Minister, but now I'm licensed to go to hospitals, homes, wherever I'm needed to visit those who are sick or infirm, to include them in the blessing of Communion. A natural part of this role is praying aloud with people. For people.

It's humbling to know that God has a purpose for me and He is intent on helping me fulfill His purpose even when I'm clueless. I pray for my own obedience. His will be done.

Amen.

This post is dedicated to A and her family.

Rubens' South Beach

I forgot to include Rubens' South Beach. It is worthy of a separate post.

South Beach

I love South Beach Miami. It's a beautiful spot. Fun people. Great weather. The beaches are fabulous! The people are beautiful, exotic, sexy.What's not to like about a place so grand? A place so peaceful and serene..... These are the scenes I'll be keeping in mind. We're back on the South Beach Diet Lifestyle. The first 2 weeks are a strict regimen of no carbs, no fruit, no alcohol. Because we were off to a bumpy start, the marvelous chef I married has decided we should live a hybrid version this week (where he and youngest are not strict) and we'll begin in earnest this coming Monday. When all is said and done, I'll have tee totaled for 3 weeks. Tomorrow ends week 1.

I am honored

Yesterday I was blessed several times, in several ways, but for the sake of brevity I will only mention those blessings that are relevant. First, in compliance with my Obsessive/Compulsive ways I checked my blog first thing in the morning to see if any of the world's blog-fairies had stopped by and left a comment. Lo and behold, I had been blessed. Cha Cha, a lady I truly admire for her positive and resilient attitude, had not only commented, but left me "a little something" at her blog.

THE SUPERIOR SCRIBBLER AWARD
LOVE YOUR BLOG AWARD

I am so honored ... I was rendered speechless. I had to run to get ready for Church but I was sailing on high spirits.

My next blessing was at Church. During announcements our priest asked me stand up and he told the congregation about my Guidepost article. I blushed to my roots and my spirit soared. The double-whammy of recognition. The irony is that I'm blessed all over and I know it. Top to bottom, side to side.

Now...back to the award. This is the important part, so pay attention. The principle is "pay it forward." I'm now responsible for recognizing the bloggers I read regularly and admire for their superior scribbling. I can't give it back to Cha Cha, as much as she deserves it (such as her last post which reminds me that I too share a love of stationary and am obliged to write thank you notes).

So without further ado, or rambling or random comment (too late!) I'd like to acknowledge and reward these bloggers who (whom?) I love:

My lovely sister ADallasDiva, who prompted my initial blogging forays several years ago, then prompted me again back in September when I was whining mentioning my desire to get into the writing habit. As my younger sister she has always been mini-me so it's great to role-reverse. I read her blog regularly, even if she posts irregularly. And, she was published before I was.

My dear friend Jeanette, Mom and advocate - she inspires many. Maybe because I'm not living with a toddler and incredibly energetic pre-schooler, I'm able to laugh and laugh at her children's antics.

And the marvelous Barbara, who shares her knowledge, training, experience and wisdom on life and parenting (not meaning to imply they're separate concepts, but sometimes parenting precludes life, right?).

Barbara has been educating us on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and I'd venture to say that bestowing this award is akin to delivering each of the winners a gold star. Kudos to you, my friends. Pass this forward to those scribblers you love and let them know you care.

Blessings,

A blast to the past

A long, long time ago, in a land on the south side of Lake Travis and on the North Shore of Lake Austin, there lived a young couple. Newlyweds. So proud of their independence. So proud of their first home. A mobile home. A double-wide. Sitting on almost an acre of land. They lived there for many years. Ten years, in fact. Then one day they released that their home sat in a seedy neighborhood filled will illegal aliens (50 were picked up in an INS raid) of low morals and poor hygiene. A creek bed near their home was used as their communal toilet. Their back yard was the commuter trail to the "dumping grounds".

Their home was broken into on several occasions. Not because they had anything worth stealing, although what little they had was taken but because they had air conditioning and cable - a great place to hang out on a hot summer day.

Meanwhile, a pack of stray dogs added to the apparent threat to the safety and well being of their fair-haired children.

The compelling reasons to move compounded and so they were compelled to move. Alas, the home could not be sold at a bargain and it seemed more worthwhile to join the ranks of rental properties in the area. And it was so.

The first tenants lasted about a year, then they moved on. The 2nd tenants lasted about 11 1/2 years. Their occupancy ended with 2008.

Today, my loving hubby and I ventured out to our old stomping grounds. He'd actually gone by yesterday, but dragged me out today to photo-document the condition of our old homestead. Any flash of nostalgia was killed by the horrendous reek of cat urine. It was bazaar to see the curtains I'd sewn over a dozen years ago hanging in a home that seemed vaguely familiar but stank so badly all I wanted was OUT! The pet damage was extensive but admittedly, the home was built in the 70's so its lasted well past its prime (mobile home, remember).

Walking the grounds, I passed the paved walkway that hubby built. I "rediscovered" the ring of rocks from the bonfire celebrating my graduation. I was delighted to see my grandmother's irises (flowers, not creepy eye parts) have survived. My only request is that we salvage those. I know just where I'll plant them.

I don't mourn the pets that were buried there. I don't mourn the memories. I celebrate our growth and maturation that has brought us from those rugged roots. Irises are a fine way to commemorate.

Peace,

Guideposts, continued....

We had just returned from a trip with my parents. I was sitting in my parents' living room when my Dad decided to check their messages. Imagine my surprise when one of the messages was from an old friend (and neighbor) of theirs. Someone who knew me during my teen years. Someone who had just read my Guideposts article and wanted to confirm that the author was, in fact, who she thought it was (moi). I'm moved to tears. Thank you, LORD, that I was here to hear that message first hand. My Dad called her back and we were able to chat. I feel so blessed and so affirmed!

Blessings!!!

UPDATED: Guideposts

Today we received our January issue of Guideposts, as well as 10 copies as part of "the publishing deal." I'll update with the link when the on-line copy is available. Whoohooo! I'm officially published!

Glory, Alleluia!

UPDATED with link to on-line copy of the article.

Getting the Spirit

Last night as part of Family Night we toured the neighborhood to admire our neighbors lights and decorating skills...and to have fun occasionally lambasting their taste. Some houses were very high class and tastefully decorated. Some were a hodgepodge of thoughts and emotions. We saw yards that combined the peanuts gang, multiple Santas and nativity scenes. Since we're not decorating our yard this year (we're leaving town on the 23rd and won't be back until January), I'm not sure if I should completely refrain from judgment or let loose and publish some of the hilarity. OK, I've decided on restraint.

I wasn't going to go there at all, however, my sister posted pictures of her home's decorated interior and asked that we imagine we're hearing "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses. Why imagine it when you can embed it?

This is so much better than anything we had going down in our neighborhood.
Merry Christmas!!!

After all of that....

I completed on-line Defensive Driving 2 1/2 weeks ago to address a ticket I got 3 months ago. I was proud that I took the course in time to avoid having to pay to expedite the certificate of completion. I had that in hand 2 weeks ago. And yet...I still waited until the last possible day to go to the courthouse to turn in the paperwork. {sigh}

Well, it makes for a nice excuse to leave work early today.

Merry Christmas!

Dreams

Like snippets of conversation overheard in passing. Incomplete. Not real. Yet to be fulfilled. Not fully understood because key elements are missing. Nothing to indicate whether my imagination can successfully complete the picture. Nothing to stop me from trying.

Short Story Contest

Today I submitted a short story to the Austin Chronicle's 2008 Short Story Contest.

'nough said.

I love Austin, TX!!!

When I was young, dumb and 18 (redundant?) I spent almost a year traveling with the circus (The Circus - Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey). I was in Austin, newly employed at the local Arena as an usher, when I pulled up my tent stakes and hit the road with The Greatest Show on Earth. I lost count of how many cities we visited, Dallas, Tulsa, Wichita Falls, Kansas City, Detroit, Cleveland, Birmingham, Pensicola...with major stops in Boston and Miami. I caught the flavor of the midwest and the eastern states. In the end, I decided Austin was home. Shortly after my return to Austin, I met my wonderful husband and settled down for a life filled with as much fun, adventure and drama as any 3-ring circus could have offered.

One of the things I love about this town, my town, my home of choice...is the live music scene. From the first time I came here in '82 when I was 17 years old, I have been enamored with the local musicians. Sure, back in my really youthful youth I got to hear Joe Ely, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and other names you may or may not recognize ... enjoyed through slightly illegal entry into Dallas clubs. I got to see the Who and be deafened by ZZ Top in the Dallas music scene. But Austin venues hold a charm not to be outdone. Mostly they are open air and free. Zilker Park is most notable for its free concerts - and I've enjoyed many. When we lived in Lago Vista (just west of Austin), the town of less than 5,000 had 4 (yes, FOUR) live music venues.

Why am I reminiscing? Today, hubby and I dropped in on the Wheatsville Arts Festival. It was truly a blast to the past. Not because the music was retro, but because all of the people who were hanging out at the free concerts 20-something years ago where there. Not that we recognized anyone...it was just that we were all of an era. Austin's gay/lesbian community were well represented. Austin's artistic left were also out in force. Dreadlocks and tie-dye (we bought some of the latter, as well as some home-spun glass art), long skirts and sandals, long hair for men and women, all on folks my age (40+) or older. Very little in the way of piercing and tats.

I'm not sure if there was a memo or what's going on with the UT collegiates. Today's happening was at a park just north of campus. Where were all of the 20-somethings? Has Austin moved on? Have we (hubby and I)? Are we a dying breed? Maybe we just need to get out more.

In the end, I guess I don't need to be hip or cool - I just like knowing that there is good music available for free at Art Festivals. I love Austin, Texas!

Defensive Driving, Part II

I'm back at it. I'm not sure how they have calculated the time required to read each page of text, or if the intent is to motivate me to pay for the

Tired of reading? Listen to the entire course with our audio read-along feature.

This is now being offered at a discounted rate. It was ~$10 for the upgrade. I'm either reading faster or the time allowed per word of text has shifted. The challenge with clicking away from the training and letting my mind wander is that there is also a time limit on how long I can be away.

Something that has added a tremendous amount of entertainment is playing "slug bug" during the videos. My son happened to stop by yesterday for this video (mute the video and put on your favorite tune):

We both caught the slug bug so the game was on!

Today, I got to enjoy this video:

How many slug bugs can you spot? (My son and I do not agree on all of the models. He says 1 or 2, I say 3 or 4) Once I started playing, I couldn't stop. It's kept me vastly entertained. There's a clip with the same aqua-colored sb appearing over and over again - very exciting stuff!

If I learned nothing else, I know that we drivers are not checking our tire pressure often enough. This was mentioned repeatedly, and I'm definitely guilty. Check your tire pressure, people! It's free! It only takes a minute of your time! There is no argument that your vehicle will be safer if your tires are properly inflated.

Before anyone thinks I'm being unduly harsh, I should make clear - this is the BEST DD course I have EVER taken. Ever. I'm a woman who knows her Defensive Driving. www.idrivesafely.com. I strongly recommend it...should you find yourself with a ticket requiring dismissal, or a desire to lower your insurance, or nothing better to do for a couple of evenings or a Saturday.

I, myself, promise to behave on the road in such a way as to avoid this eye-tick inducing exercise. I'm on my last set of lessons (page 3 of 7). I'm confident I can make it through to the end. But it's bedtime, and I am seriously just wishing it were done.

I've saved up lots of fodder for a future recap, but for tonight, I'm hitting publish before I complete the course because honestly, once I successfully complete the final exam (because eventually, I know that this will come to an end) I'm running off to bed. Or stumbling off to bed.

Surviving Defensive Driving

I'm convinced that this is less about educating drivers and more about deterring us ADHD-always-in-a-hurry folks (speed again and we'll make you sit through another round of Defensive Driving!). The people who need to hear this are the slow-pokes who get in the left lane (aka "the fast lane"). There's a statement about "slow down and pull off to the right" when traveling on a 2-lane blacktop and you're plagued by someone on your tale. On a recent trip to Bryan, the speed limit on the 2-lane blacktop was 70 mph. Understandably, a lot of the locals are comfortable doing a lot less than 70. Others were comfortable doing more than 70. I was happy to do 70, but unhappy when trapped behind yokels driving for miles at 55.

Tired of reading? Listen to the entire course with our audio read-along feature.

If you've never taken the on-line course, I can assure you the greatest challenge is the timer. I'm a fast reader so much of the course is focused on counting down 5....4....3....2....1 waiting for the timer to hit 0 so I can click to the next page. I should be embarrassed to admit how many times I've taken Defensive driving. My first time was in an elementary school 20 years ago, taught by a DPS trouper. It's not coincidence that one "took" better than the rest and many years passed before I found myself again in the classroom. I've done the comedy club routine - which was painful. Comedian-wanna-be's teaching unfunny material. I've actually tried this one in various mediums. Then I tried the DD/Dinner specials - which always seemed to be hosted in the local greasy spoons. I've done on-line DD several times. You may be noticing that DD has not cured me of my speeding ways.

It's not that I don't know how to drive safely, defensively, slowly.... I seriously think the gentlemen in blue who patrol the road between here and my old residence in Lago Vista have missed me. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in the years since I moved away until.... I took my Mustang out for a spin one Sunday morning, trying to juggle church services. My wonderful husband was giving witness to his prison ministry at our old church and my wonderful son was running the projector at our new church. I told hubby I'd be there at the 8 am and 10:30 am services, and I told son I'd get him to the 10:30 am service and at some point during the 8 am service I discovered the 10:30 am service began at 10! So, I was hustling to get home sooner rather than later in order to get our son to church and myself back to church...you get the picture?

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I've tried deferred adjudication, and it's not a bad way to go. I can't remember now why I didn't opt for that... oh yeah! it takes longer to process at the court. You have to meet with the DA. I was gearing up for my trip to Asia when I got the ticket, and I'd just returned when I went to the courthouse. I sure didn't anticipate the job change. Now I'm just trying to grind through the mandatory 6 hours of timed spurts of attention. If I let my attention wander too far, I'll time out and have to backtrack. At least the quiz questions for this particular on-line training have been all common-sense and not "are you paying attention?" I hated the last one where they asked things like "what color shirt was the driver wearing?"

One new twist with the course I'm taking now is that they offered (and I accepted) to acquire the copy of my driving record. It seems like they're charging 2.5X the rate I'd pay if I could be bothered to find the office and make the request in person - and it is well worth the cost!

I just read the section on aggressive driving. I don't consider myself aggressive...maybe assertive. Mostly in a hurry. Not hateful. I don't flip the bird, I don't honk, I don't call names (much). But, my goal is that someday people won't flip the bird at me or call me names. That would be good. Of all of the bad behavior listed, texting my sister with slug bug sightings and driving too fast are my primary faults. Text messaging is a new one on the list of road challenges. I don't remember that even being mentioned the last time I took DD.
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Google yielded plenty of data that confirms this is a bad practice.

Tired of reading? Listen to the entire course with our audio read-along feature.

Did I mention that the particular flavor of on-line DD that I've pursued offers a $10 upgrade to the illiterate? I'm amused that I could simply blog and let the course run as background noise.

Part I is over. I'll pick up where I left off tomorrow.

Peace,