Door to Door Magazine Solicitors

Yesterday afternoon, I was in my office and H was upstairs doing her homework and the doorbell rang. I looked out and there was a young man standing there, no car visible anywhere, and I didn't recognize him, so we didn't answer the door. I watched him walk away from our house, up the street and into the neighbor's driveway to ring their doorbell. Didn't think much about it.

Then, last night around 8:45 p.m. (wayyyy past dark) the doorbell rang again, so J answered. This young man started out with a nice introduction, selling magazine subscriptions (4-5 year long subscriptions!), blah, blah, blah. J said he wasn't interested. The guys said, "But it will really help me out, keep me off the streets (where he was, actually), can't you just help me out a little bit?" J said, "No, I'm not interested"
"Well, your neighbor, Bob, said that at first, too, but then he was kind enough to help me out." And so on, back and forth, until J almost had to push him away to close the door. J even suggested the young man call him at his office the next day, because he was always looking for salespeople (really just wanted to get him to go away), but the guy didn't want to do that. Those magazines must really pay a lot of commissions!

I hear stories about these guys all the time. Some company pays them, takes them to neighborhoods, puts them up in cheap hotels and pushes them hard to make sales. Since the "Do Not Call Registry" has taken away one form of revenue for these scumbags, they're starting to venture back into the neighborhoods. Creeps me out.

FYI: The top five lies told by door to door salespeople (I think our guy told four of them)

The Kite Runner

I've always been a bit of a nerd about reading. I read anything I can get my hands on, whenever I have a minute. Newspapers in the morning (New York Times, USA Today, sometimes the Tennessean), art books, cooking magazines, novels, other blogs,...you get the picture. The weird part of this obsession is that I never finish anything before starting on something else. I have partially read books in every room of the house, the kitchen, bedroom, office, bathroom, car, etc. I read while I'm blowing my hair dry, in the bathtub, before I go to bed, while I'm waiting for my daughter at school, doctor's appts, or basketball practice. Usually when I get about halfway through a book I will take it with me wherever I go so that I can finish it. For months I was reading "The Kite Runner" while I dried my hair. That takes about 5 minutes, so I'd read 5 or 6 pages at a time. When I packed for spring break, I put the new Jodi Picoult book, (Change of Heart) in my book bag, and tossed in the Kite Runner. I deliberately put off seeing the movie when it came out because I hate to see a movie before I read the book.

Now I'm not sure I want to see the movie, not because I didn't like the book, but because this book is so heartbreaking. Not just because of Amir's betrayal of his childhood friend, but because of the breathtaking portrayal of the atrocities of the Taliban. It paints a very powerful picture of a country that is in the process of being destroyed, of the power of love, friendship, and betrayal. I will see the movie. I just won't be able to eat popcorn while I'm watching it.



Here's the scoop on Picoult's new book, also a wonderful read.

More Snowmass Skiing...

Well, I don't look as good as H and J, but here's another clip of skiing down green cabin, a spectacular run on the crest of Snowmass...unbelievable views!

P.S. I love my flip video camera...so easy!

Spring skiing in Colorado!

Spring Break in our family means one thing...spring skiing! For many years we went to Beaver Creek, which we love, but last year we thought we'd do something different so we joined friends in Whistler. Whistler has a great village and two mountains with lots of long runs, but spring is NOT the time to go there. The weather is just too iffy. We had rain, fog, ice, and just pretty much miserable conditions. So, this year, we decided to try another new place...Aspen/Snowmass.

So far, Snowmass just might be my favorite resort! It could have something to do with the record snowfalls they’ve had here this year. I don’t know the numbers, but it’s been 25 years since they’ve had this kind of snow. Spring skiing is so unbelievable in Colorado. Sun, powder, and long long runs. I’m amazed at the grooming of these slopes. Even the ones that haven’t been groomed are so nice and soft that it’s not a big deal to venture out and do bumps.

There is an incredible run here called “Longshot” and it’s 5.3 miles from top to bottom. You take a couple of lifts to the very top, then take off your skis and hike for about 20 minutes to the top of the run. It doesn’t get groomed, so there are a lot of bumps and it was the most unbelievable ski run I’ve ever done. I bribed H to go on it by telling her she could have a Snicker’s bar when we were finished. J was the biggest complainer, but he loved it, too. Check it out:

Changing Schools...and leaving friends

My daughter is entering high school next year. She's been at the same school since kindergarten...9 years. It's a wonderful school, and we have had an incredible experience here. It's a private school in an urban setting, very diverse population, the academics are incredible, SAT scores high, college acceptance rates recognized nationally, etc. She decided last fall that she wanted to take a look at another well respected school here in town, an all-girl's school. She's very intrigued by the single sex aspect of the school. She toured and visited classes last fall with a couple of the high school students and fell in love with it. So we applied, thinking she'd still have several months to think about it and if she got in, would then make her choice.

It's been an extremely difficult choice for her (and for us). She has a few very close friends at her current school who she will have to leave behind. She's also leaving behind the opportunity to play varsity basketball in 9th grade, since her current school has a very small high school basketball team. She'll have to try out for a much more competitive team at the new school.

When she got the acceptance letter, she was shocked to find out she only had 12 days to decide whether to go or stay. It's been a very emotional, stressful week, as she weighed the pros and cons of making the change, in addition to a very full academic load and her athletic commitments. She made several phone calls, returned for a second "visit" at the new school, suffered a stress induced migraine (we think), begged J and I to make the decision for her, (which we did not do), and in the end, decided the only reason she had for staying was because it was familiar and her friends were there. She feels very lucky to have the chance to experience either school, but decided to think positive and make the leap. She's had a few tearful conversations with her friends, made vows to stay in touch, but on the most part, she is excited, although not a little bit nervous.

There are those who believe in positive thinking, and there are those who may be more realistic. We're in the positive thinking camp. If H thinks this is a positive change, and goes into it with that attitude, then I believe it will be. There may be disappointments along the way. Sure, there's the chance she won't make the basketball team the first year. That's O.K., she is a very hard worker, and if she decides she wants it, she'll work extra hard and try out again the next year. If her friends don't stay in touch as much as she'd like, she will make new friends.

I appreciate the people we know who have supported H in this decision. The admissions director at our old school who shed a tear or two with me and assured me that H would be missed and that we were always welcome back. The parent's of H's friends who were sad she was leaving but understood that we made this decision based on what we felt was right for her. H's friends who have promised that they will stay in touch.

Will things change? Sure they will. They will change whether she stays at the old school or not. I am so proud of her for making this decision. For taking a leap of faith to something she's not familiar with. For taking a chance. If no one ever took chances, where would they be? There might be regrets. But for sure, there will be new experiences, new opportunities, and if she doesn't try them she'll never know what's out there.

For those who have expressed negative opinions. That is your right. You have the right to any viewpoint you have, and decisions you make for your family. But this is our daughter, and our family, and we are making the choice we feel is right for us.

Snow in Nashville...

It's all gone now, but it was pretty while it lasted. Rosie had such a blast playing in it she couldn't get out of bed this morning!

Caffeine causes dehydration...NOT

I LOVE it when research validates my bad habits!!!!

In the New York Times today, the claim that Caffeine causes dehydration was debunked. They reviewed over ten studies comparing caffeine with water or placebo and seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume.

“In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”

So my 8 diet cokes per day are like 8 glasses of water per day. I can live with that.

The FREAK is back!!!

More important than American Idol...Jevon Kearse is coming back to the Titans!!! "The FREAK" and Albert Haynesworth...watch out, here we come. Yayyyyyyy!

Nosy Neighbors

O.K. Tell me if I'm making a big deal out of nothing.

We live in a really great, old neighborhood a few miles from downtown Nashville. The yards are big, and most of the houses are old ranch homes (they started out that way, at least). J and I have lived in this neighborhood since we were married (17 years ago this past Sunday!). This is our third house. The first was a tiny little ranch house on almost 2 acres. The next we lived in for 13 years, all of H's life. Renovated it a few times until we couldn't change anything else. Then we were ready for a new house, but couldn't find one we liked. So we found an empty lot about a mile from the old house. A contractor had actually MOVED the old house (as opposed to the tear-downs that take place around here all the time), and was going to build a spec home on the lot, so we just bought it from him. Serendipitous timing.

Almost three years later we moved in to our dream house, although it probably belongs on about 5 acres in Colorado or somewhere. Somehow we built a contemporary "mountain" home on a flat 1 1/2 acres in Nashville. We love it, but I admit, it is a little bit different from most of the neighborhood.

We moved in almost a year ago. We've gotten used to cars slowing down in front of our house to take a look, and to people we barely know who want to come over and take a look. All well and good.

But what is it with those people who drive into our driveway, get out, walk up to the front door and start taking pictures? Or who park in the grass in the front yard and walk across the yard, up the sidewalk to the front porch and stand there with their friends, pointing and chatting like we invited them?

This morning J came in and asked me if I was expecting someone. I said, "No." He said, "Well, it looks like someone is visiting." I went to the front door and there they were, just standing there, looking around. I opened the door and asked them if I could help them.

"No, thanks, we're just looking."

Just looking! Like it's a department store!

"She's building a house and we wanted to look at the details of your home."

I felt like they were waiting for me to invite them in.

What is it with people?

Painting a red rose in Watercolor

I've been taking a watercolor class for about six months from Gail McDaniel, a wonderful teacher who magically brings out the best in you. I'm still very much a beginner, and the first time I took her class I almost ran out the door at the end, when she had everyone bring their work up front to critique. Now it's my favorite part, not only to get great constructive criticism, but to see what everyone else is doing. There are beginners in the class ("newbies", as Gail calls us), and people who sell their art, and everyone in between.

Today I finally tried to paint a red rose. I painted from a photo I took last year. I still have to put in a background, but I think I like this one.


She's a very talented artist, and in addition to teaching tons of people in Nashville and all over the world, she does commissions and beautiful work herself. Check out her website...

Gail McDaniel Art/

Bikers vs. Walkers in Percy Warner Park

Today was such an incredible day here...sunny, warm, a little bit windy, but definitely smelled like spring. I decided to dust off my bike and go for a quick 25 miles. I live very close to Percy Warner Park, an incredible park with hundreds of acres and a great road that goes through...11.2 miles of climbs and downhills that are perfect for cycling. Today there were tons of people in the park, walking, jogging, and biking. I'm sure very soon someone will write a letter to the editor of The Tennessean (our daily newspaper) complaining about the bikers. Today, I would estimate that 20% of the people walking on the roads feel like they have every right to walk 5 abreast, all the way across the road. Every year, it's the same thing. I ALWAYS warn people when I come from behind, with a "I'm on your right (or left)". Most of the time they quickly scoot over and thank me for warning them. But there are ALWAYS those few people who refuse to move, or yell at me, for being on the road. Even worse are those folks who walk against traffic, which is fine, but they SEE me coming...from a long way away...and don't move. I never know which way I should go, right or left. You'd think, since I'm riding with traffic, that I would stay right, while they would stay right, so no one gets hurt. I just want to say, "Do you SEE ME COMING?...GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" But they're probably the ones complaining that the bikers are dangerous and should be outlawed from the park.

Why can't we all just coexist, peacefully, and enjoy the park?

French phrases for restaurants...

Since a majority of our time is spent in cafes or restaurants while we're in Paris, we need to brush up on phrases for ordering food, etc.

All you french-speaking readers, feel free to correct me or give suggestions so that we don't totally make fools of ourselves.


In a restaurant:

"L'addition, s'il vous plait?"
Check, please

"Est-ce que le service est compris?"
Is the tip included?

"je voudrais..."
I would like,,,
"...un verre de vin blanc, s'il vous plait?
...a glass of white wine, please

"...une bouteille d'eau plate"
...a bottle of flat water

"...une biere"
...a beer

"...du pain"
...some bread

"...croque-monsieur"
...toasted cheese and ham sandwich

and the one thing J always gets for lunch...

"...frites!"
...fried potatoes, (or as we Americans call them, french fries)

Now, I have to look up the proper way to say "No cheese". I usually say "no fromage, s'il vous plait", and that seems to work, but I'm sure there's a better way to say it.

March Madness

Now that the regular basketball season is over, H is playing on a 7th/8th grade team in a few tournaments between now and summer. This one started Friday night with a warm up game, and the double elimination tournament started yesterday. They played at 8, 12, and 5, then today they played at 1, 3, 4, and 5:30 in the championship game. It would have taken them 4 or five weeks of the regular season to play that many games, so it was an incredible learning experience. Watching our little girls play (and I do mean little...they're by far the shortest team in the tournament), is exhilarating. They don't let their height (or lack of) stop them from playing hard and fast. It is so much different than it was when they started, back in lower school. Those girls dive for the ball or jump up and get knocked into walls, chairs, and each other, like they are rubber. Thank God for their youth, because they just bounce and get right back up.

We ended up in the championship game, and lost to the only team that beat us...an undefeated team from Williamson County. I don't know what they feed those girls, but they have a future in football if the basketball thing doesn't work out. We called them the Jolly Gray Giants!

Now, I've just got to find some kind of bleacher chair to sit on, because sitting on those bleachers for 8 games is NOT fun.