I am stealing this idea from Valerie. Except I cant have a baby diary 
because I dont have any children. I havent found any blog software I 
feel really comfortable with so I figured I would just use *this* 
software since I am all used to it. 

Why am putting this in the enigma conference? I dont know ;)

Feel free to comment

160 responses total.

Lynne's top 10 broadway (and off broadway) musicals
Well, here are my faves...



1.Les Miserables

2.The Fantasticks

3.West Side Story

4.The King and I

5.Grease

6.Miss Saigon

7.Man from La Mancha

8.My Fair Lady

9.Annie

10.Hair

Of course, I havent seen *every* musical out there. I found a list at 
http://musicals.net/ which helped jog my memory. I will have to make an 
effort to see more of these. Luckily, I am not too much of a snob about 
seeing only the best productions and community theaters often put on 
these shows. They are cheaper that way :).

Are we allowed to comment on your blog?

Of course. 

There should be a musical about The Great White Mack that ate Ann 
Arbor.

It would have phat tracks with mad bass lines, playa action, freaky 
hos, and lots of funky fun.

This morning I had a weird, but fortunate coincidence. I have a tree in 
my front yard with a lot of dead branches. I know I really need to have 
a tree service come out but I have been short money lately. Anyhow, 
last night, it lost a  branch in the wind. The branch came down right 
where I usually park my car. But, for no particular reason other than I 
took a different way home so I could run an errand, I parked on the 
other side of the street so my car was spared. Ok, the branch probably 
wasnt big enough to do more than put a small dent in it and scratch the 
paint but still

This is the *second* time that has happened. The last time it happened, 
I had a roommate. I dont park in front of my house on trash day because 
sometimes, if the car is parked in front of the trash can, the garbage 
collectors dont see it and then they dont pick up the trash. I parked 
on the other side of the street but my roommate was parked where we 
both would usually park (under the tree). I went inside and asked her 
to move her car. She and I argued about it for a bit but eventually she 
went outside and moved her car. That night, we had an ice storm. And 
that time a *huge* car totaling branch came down right where her car 
had been parked. She, like me, only has liability coverage on her car 
so if that branch had hit it, she would have had no car. Oh yeah, the 
branch crushed the garbage can and since it was under the branch, the 
garbage collectors didnt pick it up. ARGH. ;) 

THAT'S AMAZING!

A few years ago when we lived in a house on the west side of Ann Arbor
a strong wind came through one night and blew down a big tree across
the street from us and our neighbor across the street had her car parked
on the street and the tree fell in the street but it just missed her car
by a little but so I suppose of the wind direction had been a little
different it would have been whammo blammo no more car-ro so maybe
some good fairy was watching over our neighbor just as it seems like
a good fairy is watching out for you although not everybody believes
in fairies but that is their tough luck if they don't because then
no fairy will watch out for you cause you have to believe in them for
that to happen so I guess you believe in fairies huh the end.

Critical, aren't you?

My father's sister never liked regular Christmas trees and she never 
liked fake ones either. So, one year, a branch fell from a tree in her 
yard in the fall. She scooped it up, put in a christmas tree stand and 
hung her christmas ornaments from it along with some lights and stuff. 
It looked pretty cool. Maybe I should do that. I could put the 'tree' 
up at Halloween and put halloween lights and ornaments on it and then, 
I can leave the tree up through Christmas and just change the lights 
and ornaments. I think I will move the branch that fell down into the 
backyard today and then decide if I want to use it or not. I'll have to 
buy a christmas tree stand but maybe I can get one at Value Village or 
something. 

Or maybe at da swap meet.

Ah. I am going to a baby shower this weekend for my friend Andrea. As 
usual, I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I am a little 
jealous. On the other hand, I am really happy that a woman (who I 
happen to think is one of the most wonderful women in the world) is 
going to bring a person into the world who will probably also end up 
being just as wonderful as his/her mother. 

I have always thought it was a shame that this friend of mine didnt 
have kids because she is so awesome. I see all kinds of people who 
abuse their children or neglect them or are creating neurotic blobs or 
whatever and I often look around and see that a whole lot of people who 
have thier shit together (so to speak) have chosen not to have kids and 
I worry about the future. 

Sometimes I wish things could just happen without a lot of complex 
feelings. Oh well. I guess I can focus on how much I really hate the 
concept of a baby shower. There is just something tacky to me about 
having a party for the sole reason of getting gifts. Granted, I am not 
too upset about this because I happen to *want* to give this person a 
gift. Oh well, it is still a party and I have been in desperate need of 
a good party.

Baby Shower

Ok, I went to the baby shower. It luckily wasnt bad at all. Hardly a 
typical one. Yay. Alright, getting there really sucked because it was 
an hour and a half drive in rush hour traffic but my friend had a nice 
glass of merlot waiting for me which calmed me down. There were the 
usual women talking about being pregnant and giving birth but only 
about 1/2 the women there had kids. I dont know why I had forgotten 
about the whole lesbian thing. My friend is bisexual and used to be in 
a long term relationship with another women so she has lots of friends 
who are lesbians. Most of them dont have kids. So I wasnt the childless 
outcast sitting in the corner. There was lots of interesting 
conversation about non kid things. I ended up staying pretty late. I 
needed the socializing too. 

The gifts I brought were big hit too. I called up a friend who has 
recently had her second kid and asked her what she would have wanted 
(that she didnt know she would have wanted) before her first child was 
born. She gave me lots of ideas for hippy natural baby products which 
made shopping really easy for me. I was able to do most of my shopping 
at the co-op that is just a couple of blocks from my house (and the 
rest at a drug store). I bought her special laundry soap, diaper rash 
cream, nipple cream, breast milk pads, dr bronner's baby soap, a 
chocolate bar, advil, and a beeswax candle. I gave her some cash too. 

So, after my class today, I drove home for a sec to let the dogs 
outside because it is a really nice day here. As I was driving, I saw 
this guy waiting to cross the street. I thought to myself, "man, that 
guy looks familiar." About two blocks later I totally did a slap head 
on forehead. It was my DAD! I guess it is just weird to see someone who 
is very familiar out of context. Oh well. I am not sure if I should 
tell him this story or not?

I have been really bad about cleaning my house for the past month or 
so. Actually this really started in the summer. I used to NEVER let it 
get dirty. I dont know what it is. Anyhow, the place is trashed right 
now. There is dog fur everywhere...dirty dishes in the sink...clothes 
all over my bedroom floor. I dont know what it is. Usually I actually 
enjoy cleaning but lately I just cant seem to get motivated. I really 
have to do it though because it is making me depressed. Catch 22 there. 
The house being dirty makes me depressed and being depressed makes me 
not want to clean. 

I really started thinking about this because I have offered to throw a 
party for some friends who are going to come to visit from Hawaii. I 
just got an email from them letting me know what days they will be free 
for the party (12/26 and 12/27) and my *first* gut reaction to their 
email was "I hope I can get the house clean in time!" haha. Yeah, I 
hope I can get the house clean within the next 2 months. Sheesh.

Lynne's 15 minutes of cleaning theory: I have this theory that a person 
always underestimates the amount of cleaning one can do in 15 minutes. 
I used to be in the habit of spending 15 minutes every evening 
cleaning. This is also useful when I let things go. So last night I did 
1/2 hour but I think the rest of the week I will do 15 minutes to a 1/2 
hour and then by friday the house will be at the stage where I wont be 
embarrassed when the water heater people come. Then, if I can keep it 
up, my house will be really clean a few days after that. I might hire a 
friend who is a housewife and often needs extra cash to come and help 
me do a serious deep cleaning. You know, wash the walls, windows, steam 
clean the couches and such. I did so much cleaning in my 1/2 hour that 
I am feeling a lot less overwhelmed by the task. Whew.

I have a 5 minute chore theory that I apply.  When I'm waiting for something
(phone call, microwave, etc) I do a five -minute chore.  Amazes me how much
gets done that way.

I agree with the concept of doing more in little chunks.
I pretty much keep a to-do list going, of pending chores.
They can go from five minutes tasks to those taking an
afternoon.  But having it on a list and getting to cross
it off somehow makes it easier. 

*laugh* do you ever do something, then write it on the list so you can cross
it off?

Never ever.  It's a honor thing.  Set the 
goal *then* meet it. ;-)

I could never have a list like that because looking at all the things I 
havent done would just depress me ;)

I have been reading a lot lately about this Terri Shiavo case in 
Florida and it has gotten me thinking about stuff.

I dont think Ms Shiavo even has the cognitive ability of an infant. 
Seriously. And if I were in a state like her, I have to say, I wouldnt 
care one way or the other what would happen to me. I wouldnt even have 
the cognitive ability to care. I am not married so my parents would 
make choices about my care. I would want them to make whatever choice 
worked best for *them* If I ever get married, I know that means that I 
would be giving that power about medical decisions to my husband. 
Again, I would want him to make whatever choice he felt was best. 
starve me, dont starve me. It wouldnt even matter. 

I have decided that I dont need an advance directive. I probably should 
mention my feelings to my folks though. Just in case. 

Maybe what would work better for you is a living will.
It would make it clear to what extent you want to be
left in a vegetative state.  Then your parents won't
be put in such an agonizing position.

That is the point. If I were left in a vegetative state, I wouldnt care 
if I were left in that state or allowed to die. I have no preference. 

In the absence of a living will, I'm not sure that your caretakers
would be allowed the latter choice.  This has expense implications
for the caretakers.

I think they would be able to make the latter choice unless someone 
else in the family wanted to fight them about it. Which I doubt would 
happen. At least that is what the experts on the show on NPR were 
saying. They said that for a lot of people, instead of leaving specific 
instructions the best thing to do in a general sense is to appoint a 
trusted someone to make the decision. So, I probably should find out 
about *that* paperwork just in case someone like my sister who married 
a republican wanted to fight my folks on whatever decision they 
happened to make. haha. I dont really think she would ever do that 
though. ;) 

I dont know what expense implications this would have for my family. My 
parents and siblings cant be forced to pay my medical bills. I assume 
my health insurance would cover the costs for the most part anyway so 
that isnt a worry for me. I dont have enough assets to be a major 
consideration. And yes, I honestly wouldnt mind if my folks made a 
decision that cost my insurance company tons of money if it made them 
feel better emotionally. Most people feel the same as I do which is a 
big flaw in our health system: the people who make the health care 
decisions (patients and doctors) arent the same people who have to pay 
the bill (insurance companies). 

Michigan's response to the precident setting Nancy Cruzan case was 
to offer it's citizens a free legal document that would give 
individuals a way to control end of life medical care.  If you want 
to have someone else make those decisions should you be unable to 
do so, then you need a living will designating a medical power of 
attorney.  If you want to be specific about what you want and don't 
want, then you need a living will advance directive.  Either will 
do.  Both are free, can be obtained and filed at your doctor's 
office, clinic or hospital.  They are simple to complete and you 
don't need an attorney.  Michigan did good here.

There are two compelling reasons to take the time to fill one out.
First off, if you're dying on a ventilator with flat brain waves, 
your family isn't going to have much trouble at all convincing the 
medical community that you should be allowed to die.  But it gets a 
little cloudy when you're breathing on your own, without oxygen, 
and managing with a feeding tube, but your brain is in a vegetative 
state.  Either of those documents could allow food and water to be 
withheld until you die.  But without those documents, you could be 
laying there, lights off, a very very long time, and there is 
nothing your family could do about.

The second reason to plan ahead is the same reason some folks 
arrange their funeral, having financial wills, etc., - to spare
their family from having to deal with it.  Or not.  Afterall, you 
won't be around to see them struggle with the lingering issues.

s /precedent/precident

Hmm. Well, it cant hurt to fill out the form. I will see if I can 
download one. One thing I wouldnt want would be for some stranger to 
force my body to stay alive if my family didnt want that. Thanks for 
the comments. 

UofM has one:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/umlegal04.htm

You are welcome.

I still need to fill one out too.  Your
comments gave me a push to get it done.

 
Some of my cousins were in town last night for a funeral of their aunt 
(who I am not related to). Since they are all from out of town, they 
stayed at my folks' house. So, I went up there and got to hang out with 
the cousins.  One cousin and his wife are from a suburb of Cincinnati 
(Florence, KY). The other cousin is from Rochester, NY. Anyhow, it was 
a nice dinner with nice wine and nice conversation. I now know the 
history of the "Florence Yall" water tower ;) I know a bit about 
playing tuba in a Rochester orchestra. BTW, that cousin says that even 
though it would have been fun to dot the i, it wouldnt have ever been 
worth going to OSU ;) It is kind of cool to have interesting relatives. 

I am really tired. I woke up at 5:30a because that is the time my cat 
decided she wanted to wake up. 

A few years ago, in my last apartment, my downstairs neighbor started a 
fire in his kitchen. He came home from the bar drunk, started cooking 
something and then went and passed out in his bed. My smoke detector 
never went off. But *before* my apartment filled with smoke too badly, 
the cat jumped onto my pillow and meowed and meowed until I woke up. 
She may have saved my life. The apartment totally filled with smoke and 
FAST. I mean I remember waking up and being able to just kind of smell 
smoke and not see it. By the time I had my pants and shoes on, the 
whole apartment was filled and I had to feel my way out. I was only 
barely able to grab the bird cage and the cat and run outside. I puked 
all over the place because of the smoke and I could barely breathe. 
(Luckily, the dogs were at my parents house). 

Ever since then, whenever the cat tries to wake me up, I JUMP out of 
bed. She has figured this out and often wakes me up if something in her 
world isnt quite right. You know how it is with cats. She will wake me 
up if she doesnt have enough food in her dish or if she is bored or if 
she wants to sleep in the dog bed and the dog isnt responding to her 
demands or *whatever*. 

I am happy that she saved my life and all but I also would like to 
sleep through the night a little more often.

These are the ways I have abused my cat today:

1) When she went outside this morning, it rained on her. In her mind, I 
did this and she isnt happy that I made it rain on her.

2) I fed her dry food instead of the mushy food. I have cans of mushy 
food and she knows it. I withhold them as a form of torture. 

3) I wouldnt let her sleep on the computer keyboard even though, since 
she is a cat, she was born with a right to sleep anyplace she wants

4) I spoke to her in baby talk which insults her dignity. 

5) I showed her that picture of a cat with a lion cut and told her that 
is what happens to cats who annoy me.

This is why I want a dog.

I went to my friend Gary's annual Halloween costume party which he 
always throws on the Sunday before Halloween. It is a photographic 
scavenger hunt so I have lots of pictures. 

We did pretty well with our clues. First we went to Coner O'neil's 
Irish Pub and took a picture of our whole group crammed into a bathroom 
stall. Then it was off to the Real Seafood Company where we took a 
photo of the stopped clock in their bar. Then, we had to take a photo 
of "Arthur" the crocodile that is behind the bar at Louisiana Zydaco. 
We paused to drink a hurricane there. Whew. 

Our group did really well. We found even some of the more obscure clues 
like "the wall of gum" and some very small graffiti that possibly made 
reference to our host, Gary. 

We made up some things though. We were supposed to go to the cube and 
take a picture of us doing cartwheels but we decided to just draw a 
picture of a cube in chalk on the sidewalk and also of cartwheels. :)

Aaron knows that I have been discussing the Terri Shiavo case and also 
partial birth abortion online here so he sent me a link to an editorial 
in the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/articles/A21857-2003Oct26.html. 

Obviously, I agree with this editorial for the most part. However, I 
have to admit that I am particularly aware of what the legislature is 
doing in this case because I happen to disagree with it. I probably 
would be more forgiving of them if they were doing things I do agree 
with. However, it seems to be a commmon thing these days for the 
legislative bodies to pass laws they *know* will be struck down by the 
courts and that feels kind of wrong to me. For one thing, it is a waste 
of everyone's time and energy. For another thing, it is an easy way out 
for them and that bothers me. They get to pass laws that make it look 
like they are doing something but they dont have to actually deal with 
the repercussions of the act. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21857-2003Oct26.html

Oops, that link didnt post too well. 

*chuckles*

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