I love North Carolina Mountains!!!

We're in the mountains this week since H is in DC on a school trip. I love the off-season. Nobody is here, so it's easy to get reservations and the traffic is almost non-existent. The lake is so beautiful, it's crystal clear and the sun makes it look like sparkling diamonds. Rosie (our black lab who needs to lose weight due to arthritis at the young age of 3), was so excited, and even though the weather is pretty cold (snow last night), she jumped in the lake and swam like crazy. We bought new chaise lounges for the deck and watched the sun set and listened to ... nothing, really. Some ducks and the sound of the wind chimes on the deck.



I miss my daughter. I wish she was with us, but she is having a great time with her class in DC. This place is so perfect, it makes missing her a little bit easier.

Nicole Kidman does yoga!!

I used to be in sales. So I had a lot of practice making small talk with people I didn't know. I'm actually pretty good at it. I can go to a party with a bunch of strangers and usually meet a few people and converse without totally sticking my foot in my mouth or saying something stupid.

But introduce me to a celebrity and I become a stuttering, bumbling, embarrassing mess.

Living in Nashville, I actually do cross paths with a few singers, songwriters, NFL football players, etc. When we have kids that go to the same school, or play on the same basketball team, I can usually have a regular conversation, and use real words and everything. But put me somewhere where I don't expect to see them, and I can't even speak English.

A few years ago, Eddie George (ex-Titan's running back and gorgeous specimen of a man/athlete) was on an airplane with us, flying to LA. Even though we'd never met, J's trainer also taught Eddie yoga, so J felt like he knew him. J pointed him out to me and before I could register that he was sitting right in front of us, J walked over and shook his hand. He introduced himself, said he was a big fan, shared yoga stories, and pointed at me, introduced me as a huge fan. I reached over to shake his hand, opened my mouth and said, "Nahaiel kssld ijflk djsl". Eddie nodded like he totally understood what I was saying and was very nice. That kind of thing happens to me a lot.

So yesterday, I went to yoga, and when I got there I realized it was a different teacher. I almost left, but then thought, "What the heck, I'm already here." So I nabbed the only space left in the back row next to an empty mat. Class started and a couple of women snuck in to the empty mats on my left. I glanced over to see if it was someone I knew, and it was Nicole Kidman! She and Keith just bought a big house in a development close by, and I've heard people say they've seen her at Starbucks or whole foods, but I would never have expected to see her in a yoga class. Seems like she'd want to have someone come over and privately teach her in her home. So I'm trying to act all cool, like I see her everyday. I tried not to look at her, which is very difficult, because she's so tall and beautiful, with this luminous skin that's hard to believe. I don't know how far along her pregnancy is, but it's hard to even tell that she has a little bump. I spent more time trying to keep my eyes straight ahead, so that I wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable by looking at her, than I did thinking about the yoga class. She stayed for the whole class, and did almost every pose (modifying for the baby). I made it through the class without getting caught sneaking a glance, didn't try to talk to her (what a disaster that would have been), and left before she did.

She's probably wondering who the stuck up weird woman was next to her.

Blogging 201...I need advanced lessons!

Now that I've been doing this blogging thing kind of regularly for a few months, I realize how much I don't know about blogging. Every time I figure one thing out, it changes.

Like blog subscriptions. It took me hours to figure out how to get an RSS feed, and let people subscribe to my blog. I think I have like two people who subscribe to my blog. I'm burning up the blogosphere, I tell ya! Seems some people think that's too old school. There are a few aggregators that are making it easier to scan the top headlines from a whole lot of blogs. I found out about one of them from Soapbox Mom, called Alltop...from the blog expert, Guy Kowasaki. There are nine categories, work, living, cultures, geekery, etc., and the top stories from the top blogs. (Mine's not there...yet) I also like Nashville is Talking, produced and hosted by WKRN-TV in Nashville, and it covers blogs and what people are talking about in and around Middle Tennessee.

Oh, and the name of my blog. I don't think I'm any busier than any other mom out there, and I would have loved to have a really great, catchy name, but now that I've registered it on more sites than I even know about, I have NO IDEA how to change it. Plus, there's another "Busy Mom" who has a blog that's about a million times better and well written than mine, and she's had the name a lot longer than me. So, with great apologies to the original Busy Mom, if anyone has any suggestions on how to change the name of my blog and not lose the two regular readers (or a few more on a good day), I'd love to have it.

And another thing...how do you make the comments automatically show up under each post? I'm guessing I would have to really learn html language or something and use something other than blogger to get that, but I like going to other blogs and reading their comments without having to open another window.

Other things I've learned that probably don't need a solution, or a solution doesn't really exist, is that blogging has added to my procrastination problem. I need to study my bridge lesson, or fold clothes, or get some sleep, or go for a run, but I have to look at a few blogs and before I know it I've spent hours at the computer. Biking season has started which will put a dent in my blogging frequency, I'm guessing, because it takes a lot longer to bike than it does to run. That is, assuming I manage to bike before I sit down at the computer. Come to think of it, writing the blog has exacerbated my 'busy mom-ness', so maybe it's a good name after all!

O.K. I sat down here 64 minutes ago on my way to study for bridge tomorrow. I really need to go do that. Just want to check out one more thing before I go....

Jason Castro before Dreds

The itunes version of Jason Castro's "Travelin thru" is out, and it is phenomenal!

I think I've figured out why I have such an emotional connection to Jason. Here's a before-dreds picture of him at 16. Looks just like a boy I had a huge crush on in high school. I joined the track team because of him...and I was the slowest hurdler in McGavock history!



And I'm always a sucker for a guitar-playing singer.

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: