Women are pretty bad about scaring each other with tall tales and horror stories, when it seems we should be a little more supportive.

From 1988 to 1994, I was either pregnant or toting an infant virtually all of that time, and I think I’ve heard every possible rendition of the terrors of labor and childbirth, not making it to the hospital in time, etc. From my experience, it’s not nearly as traumatic as the storytellers painted it (although I do have a friend who delivered her third child in the bathtub, quite by accident. Mom and baby were both fine.).

Although everyone’s experience is unique, for me, childbirth was not even close to the worst thing on the pain scale. It wasn’t as bad as a migraine, and I’ve survived a number of those.

This morning, I went in for my first mammogram, and the technician seemed very anxious to dispel the myths and stories to put me at ease. No need really; I wasn’t worried. In retrospect, it’s nothing to fear — it’s less of an issue than getting your teeth cleaned.

The only bad part is that the machine is cold — but that’s not a big deal.

* * *

BTW, I’ve earned two gold stars this week for another healthy endeavor… Daco knows, RealtorChick knows, but I’m keeping it quiet for a bit longer for the sake of good luck. It just seems unfair that just about the time I finally get around to healthy self-improvement, I caught that awful cold that’s going around.

Life is full of lessons, and I learned many from the two wise and caring people to whom I was born. Some were easy, and some were hard — but the hard ones were usually those I learned on my own.

My father taught me that pouring kerosene in a yellowjacket nest after dark will kill the hive by morning. However, I extrapolated from this (being expected to mow the lawn before nightfall) that pouring gasoline down that hole on a hot summer day, then tossing a match into it, would work just as well.

Explaining the burned grass and the enlarged hole in the ground was not one of my more pleasant learning experiences. However, I still maintain that it wasn’t as bad as hitting a yellowjacket nest with the lawnmower.

* * *

My dad taught me from the time I was very young that we have power as consumers, and we should exercise that power judiciously. That includes the right to support with my dollars the people whom I believe to be assets to the community, and the right to deny my dollars to those who detract from the same. Similarly, we have the opportunity to share our experiences with others – I’ve referred many people to local businesses whose owners are good stewards of responsibility, and have shared my refusal to do business with a few as well.

Since Dad worked for Union Carbide, we never bought any batteries except those made by Union Carbide. It mattered not that K-25 didn’t make batteries — it was company loyalty, pure and simple. It didn’t matter if it was Christmas night and the company store was closed; we simply didn’t buy batteries until they could be purchased from the right company.

On an individual level, it’s a very small impact, but small impacts add up over time. I’ll never hesitate to recommend my favorite hardware store, not only for the superb customer service, but also because the proprietor of that business is well known for giving back to the community. I’ve often recommended my favorite car dealer for his honesty and integrity, but also because he’s the partner in education for the elementary school that my children attended.

And though it happens much less often, there are a very few folks with whom I just won’t do business, or recommend such.

That is my right, and yours as well.

70 degrees in January is never a good omen… but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts, in a summer-weight t-shirt and with the door open for some fresh air.

After church this morning, I stopped by the hospital to visit Bos, Eaves, and Newbaby; he’s just beautiful, with perfect little features that rival any Anne Geddes print. It is joyous to celebrate new life, but I admit to fighting off tears as I walked in, thinking that GAC should have been there before me.

Perhaps she was.

I saw AT and the boys as I left, having been turned away by the hospital’s “no kids except siblings” policy (which I shouldn’t argue, except that I believe that hospitals have much worse germs than children). I could feel how hard it was for them to go there.

And, on the lower level of the parking garage, MushroomCloud was holding court in a very loud voice. That was incentive enough for me to hop in the truck and waste no time getting gone.

* * *

At church this morning, a friend expressed dismay about the letter to the editor in Friday’s paper; I simply told her which remodeling contractor to be sure NOT to use.

* * *

Now, to take advantage of this sunny day and help eliminate the woodpile that most likely houses the snake’s nest. Of course, my better sense tells me that this would be a better activity for a 20-degree day (when snakes are dormant), but I don’t like to be out in the cold either, unless I’m skiing.

There has been some discussion over at the forums I used to visit about this site, and the content thereof.

Let me be perfectly clear: this is my personal weblog, not one affiliated with my work nor my public service. Certainly, I do include items of information that relate to both, along with my opinions on those items, but all of the content contained herein is at my own discretion.

As noted by the Creative Commons insignia at the top of the sidebar, yes, this content is copyrighted. There’s been a bit of a problem with some folks lifting not only my words, but those in the comment sections, and misusing them elsewhere. You’re welcome to link, and welcome to copy verbatim with proper quotation and attribution.

I do include a lot of education news on these pages, and will continue to do so, as it is a subject of great interest to me. Likewise for local politics, and even state politics or federal policy from time to time — usually when it relates to education or local government. Some days, I may write simply about a nice place to visit, or anything else that’s on my mind.

Rest assured, I do hold back, knowing that any mute donkey can easily discern who I am, where I live and work, and what I do.

That’s been a challenge today, but I’ve met it head on. However, the license now stands as official warning to those who would copy and paste (that’s you, MushroomCloud, Geese and AAC) without attribution, precise quotation, or permission.

In the coming weeks, another site will be launched with a more professional tone containing information related to the Oak Ridge Board of Education. However, this one will remain as it is and has been — strictly personal.

Happy Friday!

Breakfast: Coffee and unraveling an IT tangle

If you own a business and your internet/e-mail/website was set up by one of your employees, you might want to be sure you have the necessary information (service provider, user name, password, etc.) filed away in a safe place. Should that person leave your employ for any reason, it will undoubtedly save you some time — and possibly expense — later on.

This happened to an associate, who asked if I could help. I did.

It wasn’t a hard problem to fix really, just a matter of finding the right password, finding the control panel on the web host to change a couple of things, and set up e-mail forwarding on the departed employee’s account so that clients who had his address on file wouldn’t be left lingering on the server until his mailbox was full. Still, those are things that any business owner should have in his or her possession.

Seems like a no-brainer, but many people just don’t want to think about how this stuff works.

Lunch: Carrot soup!

(Disclaimer: I’m a “pinch of this” and “some of that” cook… all measurements are approximate.)

2.5 C chicken broth, 2 C chopped carrots, a small chopped onion, teaspoon of curry and a pat of butter; simmer about 20 minutes until the carrots are soft. Puree in blender; add a little milk. It should probably be about a cup, but I didn’t have that much on hand… “some” will do. A dash of salt and pepper to taste, and a little sprinkle of cilantro.

It’s low fat, low calorie, low cost, and high in the “warm food on a cold day” factor.

Reading about Daco’s success in the first ten days of the new year made me feel plumb guilty about my eating habits… I need to drink more water, less coffee, eat more colorful things (carrots, broccoli, squash) and fewer white things (potatoes, pasta, bagels). Most of all, I need to go back to my weight training, just in case it ever snows for real and there might be skiing opportunities.

Afternoon snack: finish caulking around the new tile, buy some stain and marble wax. Maybe some brownies for the kids, depending on how enthusiastically they tackle their homework.

Supper: Spaghetti!! That doesn’t count as “white food,” BTW — it’s whole wheat pasta.