Sidelined

It's pretty hard to call myself a blogger given that I haven't blogged in about 3 weeks. But it's not without good -- but painful -- reason. Somehow, I've done something to my shoulder. Well, if you ask the physical therapist, I've done something to my neck, but it's my shoulder that's bearing the brunt of the pain.

Sitting at a desk all day, working on the computer has been killer on my wherever-it-is injury. So by the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is sit down at the computer longer -- hence my long absence from the blogosphere.

I wish I had talk-to-type software because I've written plenty of blog posts in my head. Maybe I'll get them written soon.

The whole pain in the whatever started in April. I went to the chiropractor and her massage therapist and got some decent relief. But when it came back just a few weeks later my boss, who is a physical therapist, suggested that if I wanted to get more permanent relief, I should see a physical therapist.

First I had to go to my doctor, who ordered an x-ray of my shoulder. When that came back fine, she write me the PT order. I've been seeing the PT for about 3 weeks. I'll admit that the physical therapy is making progress....S-L-O-O-O-O-W progress. I'm not in debilitating pain anymore, which is good. But discomfort and I becoming too comfortable with each other.

My arm feels heavy as it hangs at my side, like the rubber bands of muscle are stretching long out of the socket. The PT fixed me up with some tape that helps tremendously. You know, the kind the Olympic volleyball players wear. Except my tape is white and flesh-colored and the only Olympic event I'm worthy to compete in is Olympic whining. Anyway, it seems like I've just traded the crazy pain for another problem. Now instead of just my shoulder hurting, the inside of my whole right arm all the way down to the tip of my thumb just lapses into numbness without much coaxing.

I have been faithfully doing my PT exercises, often in the car because that's where I spend much of my time. So if you drive by and see a plump woman who looks like she has tortocollis driving a minivan, try not to stare. It's just me, working on the neck stretches. Or if you see me and I appear to be serving an imaginary tray of imaginary drinks, I've not lost my marbles. I'm just doing some casual cervical neck flossing.

Of course I've near convinced myself that somewhere in my neckish/shoulderish region there is some tumor crushing my nerves. But in all reality, what Mike says is probably true: You turn 42 and things start going out on you.

I was going post a new blog entry...

on Friday, but I drove about 100 miles within a 15-mile square and without voice-to-blog technology, it didn't happen.

I was going to post a new blog entry on Friday night, but I got a massage at 5:30pm and I was too relaxed to open the computer.

I was going to post a new blog entry on Saturday afternoon, but I ended up trolling a great antique mall instead.

I was going to post a new blog entry on Saturday night, but we started watching Season 1 of "Downton Abbey" on Netflix and Dowager Countess was fretting about fighting with Americans.

I was going to post a new blog entry on Sunday afternoon, but the Turkish ambassador died in Lady Mary's bed, and Mr. Bates was falling in love with Anna, and Mrs. O'Brien and Thomas were too nasty for words.

I was going to post a new blog entry on Sunday evening, but World War I broke out, and Lady Cybil went to work as a nurse, and Downton Abbey became a convalescent home for recovering soldiers and the Earl of Grantham is a really nice man who cares about his servants.

And I probably can't post a new blog entry tonight because Charlie has basketball practice, and we're having company for dinner and straight after, I will have to watch the last two episodes of Downton Abbey so I can see if Lady Mary marries that awful Richard and if Lady Edith finally gets the goodness she deserves and if Mrs. O'Brien gets the awfulness she deserves and if Mr. Bates and Anna can finally be happily together.

So much for posting a new blog entry.

Ideas for 3 a.m.

I know it seems hard to believe, but sometimes I find myself awake in the middle of the night. 3ish in the morning seems to be my favorite witching hour. So last night, while I was awake at 3:41am, I started thinking that maybe I should make a list of things that can be done in the wee hours of the morning.

1. Pack lunches.
2. Move the stuff in the washing machine to the dryer.
3. Fold the stuff you just took out of the dryer.
4. Blog.
5. Bake chicken.
6. Catch up on DVR'd episodes of "Chopped" and "Drop Dead Diva."
7. Count how many hours of actual sleep you got and fret about how many more hours are left until you have to wake up -- again.
8. E-mail your co-workers so they can be uber-impressed with the hour at which you were up working.
9. Pray.
10. Hang out on Facebook and see which of your friends are insomniacs, too.
11. Play online Scrabble.
12. Check your work e-mail and calendar to see if you can call in "exhausted."
13. Catch up on your blog reading.
14. Check the kids' backpacks that you forgot to go through before bedtime.
15. Pay bills.
16. Initiate an amorous encounter -- unless the reason why you're awake at 3am is that there are kids sleeping in your bed, which kind of automatically kills the mood.

It seems like I'm forgetting something. I know there is at least one more thing you can do at 3am...

Oh yeah. Sleep.

The girl cracks me up!

Remember last July that I told you my daughter Annie started her own blog? It's been a really fun experience to read what's on her mind -- sometimes things that she might not come right out and tell me in a conversation.

This recent entry gave me such a laugh, that I had to share it here (in purple, just as it is on her blog:)

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Wow.

THIS. IS. AMAZING. i have a B+ in math. my WORST subject. well not any more!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *gasp for air* HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! so friday was the end of the quarter. so mrs. boyll made figuring out our grade an in-class assignment. when she told us this i was thinking " great. im gonna have like an F! well at least no one else will see it." so i began adding and multiplying and subtracting and dividing on my little calculator. honestly i thought my calculator would explode with all the numbers i was putting in. finally i just had to add in my test score then i would be done. when i added in the 86% (a low B. i know i was amazed too.) from my test i couldn't believe my eyes. the little calculator said i had a 89.71% . i started rechecking my work to make sure i hadn't screwed something up during all my cal-cu-la-tions. (inside joke haha) i didn't. i really had a B+ in math. so when is Jesus coming?

Posted by Annie at 12:44 PM 1 comments

Dumb phone

Yesterday, I was one of three speakers on a blogger's panel at a social media meeting. Before it was time for the panel to begin, I was sitting in the audience listening to a Twitter presentation by @jamesburnes (if you tweet, you should follow him).

My phone began to vibrate (I'd turned the sound off for the presentation). I reached into my bag and pulled out my very not-smart Motorola Razor phone.

It was Mike calling. I couldn't really talk, so I let the call go to voice mail and then texted him that I was in a meeting. He immediately texted back a question I needed to answer. As I was multi-tapping my way through my response (you know, tap three times for the letter "c," twice for "e," etc.) I looked around at the other folks at the table who were using their "smart" phones to tweet some of what James was saying, to check e-mail and to answer text messages.

Like a kid wearing knock-off tennis shoes in a room full of kids wearing Nike and Adidas, I was embarrassed and tried to hide the phone a bit under the tablecloth as I carried on my text chat with Mike. I mean, here I was, supposedly an "expert" on this panel, clunking my way through a social media meeting with a dumb phone.

Typically, I'm not one of those people who has to have the latest and the greatest. I think I've had my red Razor phone for 3 or 4 years. And while I still love the red, I think it's time for a smart phone. Not only for texting and tweeting, but for things that will help me be more efficient -- like being able to keep our family calendar handy at all times. And, ok, for the occasional Scrabble game while I'm waiting in a doctor's office somewhere.

The contract isn't up on my phone until December. But I'm kind of thinking that maybe for my birthday next month, I can get an iPhone. Maybe a Blackberry. (I hope Mike is reading this!)

Do you use a smart phone? Which one? What do you love about? What don't you love?

Not too far from the lily pad...

It's been almost a year since I started blogging as the 4th Frog. Well, the tadpole doesn't leap too far from the lily pad. Yesterday, with our permission, Annie started her own blog.

We've set it up as a private blog so that only people we invite can read the blog. But she's got several readers already. It's been fun seeing how excited she is about this endeavor. She writes the way she talks and already has logged four entries. I got a kick out of her profile description:

I'm in 7th grade, a true chocoholic, and a devoted lover of "Twilight". I have glasses and brown hair and I enjoy shopping with my friends and making people laugh. I am also DEATHLY afraid of spiders. Have fun reading my blog! <3

Her opening entry made me chuckle, too:

New to the game
OK. So I'm starting this blog, right? And here I am trying to think of a way to start it. See my mom is the woman who started the "amazing" 4th Frog Blog. I'm the "tadpole". So how am I supposed to live up to that? And now I'm asking my "amazing" mother what to write next, and all she has to say is, "Robbie! If you spill water you are responsible to clean it up!" Anyway, wish me luck on my new blogging experience.

Blog on, daughter o'mine, blog on...

A story problem

The Question: Robbie is a 6-year-old boy who weighs 58 pounds and is 48 inches tall. His mom is a 38-year old woman who weighs X pounds, is 62 inches tall and has 95% heartburn. If Robbie climbs in his mom's bed, which is 76 inches wide, and proceeds to sleep at a 90 degree angle to the top of the bed approximately 1/3 of the way from the edge of the bed, where does that leave his mom?

The Answer: Blogging on the couch at 3:40am

Look Ma, three blogs!

I've been at this blogging thing for about eight months and I really enjoy it. Blogging gives me a chance to write in a different way than I spend my days at work writing. Even in my "darker" posts -- and I know there have been several of them lately -- I try to infuse a little humor.

One unexpected benefit of joining the blogosphere is that I have gotten to know a handful of people I probably never would have encountered in real life. Liz, Shannon, Momza and Joanie come immediately to mind.

I also never expected that blogging would net me so much free stuff. Since July, I have been given or won:

• Tickets to 2 (soon to be 3) plays at the Indiana Repertory Theater
• 7 packs of Peeps + 1 plush Peep (thanks Joanie!)
• 5 Ridemakerz cars (total value $450)
• 2 sets of magnets, six in each set (won in a blog giveaway from at Junior Mints & Reese's, which sadly, is no more)
• 6 packs of Energizer lithium batteries
• 1 book by Bob Harper of the Biggest Loser (won in a blog giveaway at Shrinking Sisters)

Soon after I started blogging here at the 4th Frog, I began to feel it wasn't enough. So I started a blog at work last November. I haven't mentioned it here before, but thought I would now.

All Things Aging is about, well, duh, aging. My role is to edit and publish the blog. Entries are written by various members of the faculty and staff at the University of Indianapolis Center for Aging & Community. Because several of them are a academic types I had to implement rules like "no footnotes in the blog." I think we offer a nice mix of aging in the news, promotion of our online graduate programs and personal experience stories. Do me a favor and check it out!

Next week, I'll be adding a third blog to my repertoire as a regular contributor to the Visit Indiana blog. I'm excited about this opportunity because I'm getting paid to do it and because I love Indiana. Sure, we don't have much in the way of beaches (though we have a few -- none connected with an ocean). But we do have plenty of affordable family fun and Hoosier hospitality to go around. I have some ideas of what I plan to cover in my Visit Indiana entries, but if you know of something terrific to do in Indiana, I'm all ears.

If (when!) you wander over to one of my other blogs, be sure to leave me a note and say hi!

I totally rock!

So Spring has sprung and I was getting tired of seeing my little frog fellow with his stocking cap and scarf jumping all over a page of snowflakes.

Know what I did? I changed it myself! I went into the Blogger layout page and figured out how to upload my old, non-winterized, header. Then -- here's the tricky part -- I had to go into the Edit HTML tab and figure out what to remove and what to insert to get my "ordinary time" background back.

And I did it! With no help from anybody! Yep. I am geek. Hear me type!

In short, I totally rock!

This self-indulgent moment was brought to you by Geeks-in-Training. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Why first-born Catholic Leos should not blog

When I first started this blog almost seven months ago, it was really to give myself a space to write more often. Honestly.

Figuring that if I am going to take the time to write, it would be nice if a few people read my blog, I sent the link to a few family and friends. From time to time, someone would comment on something I'd written -- and that was fun.

Then I figured out that I could publicize my blog on my Facebook page and in a couple of internet communities where I hang out. About the same time, I learned about "followers" and how to give folks the opportunity to subscribe to the 4th Frog.

That's where the egotistical craziness began. I started keeping an eye on the number of followers my blog has. I was over them moon when that number hit double digits.

Shortly after, I found out about Google Analytics, which allows me to tell on a daily basis how many visits I've had to my blog on any given day (not by whom, just how many). And the prideful Leo in me started fluffing its mane.

Then the other day, I noticed that I had inched up to 43 followers! Certainly 50 cannot be far away. However, the next day my bubble burst when I opened the page and saw only 42 followers.

Immediately the people pleasing first-born in me teamed up with the easily guilted Catholic in me and began to wonder "what did I do wrong?" Why did someone decide to unfollow me?

Maybe the picture of me in a bathing suit in the Punta Cana post was too much to handle? Perhaps the defector hates Jodi Picoult and anyone who likes her writing? Maybe he or she feels, as I have been lately, that I've gotten away from my humorous voice? What could it have been?

As if I am not awake at night enough, the worry and the guilt just might disrupt my sleep. So, as I see it, I have one of two choices to make.

I can go back to remembering that this blog is, at its root, for me. A place for me to creatively stretch my brain muscles. Or, I can arrogantly suggest that each one of you invite a friend to check out the Fourth Frog and consider joining the ranks of Frog Followers.

What's a people pleasing first-born, guilty feeling Catholic, proud Leo to do?

Housekeeping

Hey there!

Just a quick and not so interesting entry to point out a few things.

1. If you are here because you received in the mail an actual Christmas card from me directing you to read our Christmas letter online, you can find it here.

2. I did a little housekeeping in the blog roll column to the right. Not that I don't still like some of the blogs that used to be there. But I like to spread the link love a bit and wanted to change the lineup of blogs I think are worth reading. So treat yourself and read a few.

3. Hmmmm....seems like there should be a #3, shouldn't there? Oh! I know. If you're here visiting because you got a link to my blog from the school secretary, WELCOME. The latest Biggest Loser blog is right below this. I promise not to disparage any teachers in the writing of this blog (though I reserve the right to harumph about fundraisers and school projects from time to time).

Operation: Comment!

I know many of you have been wondering what to get me for Christmas. I have a suggestion that is easy, free and way better than a virtual tchotchke on my Facebook page. It wasn't my idea. It actually came from Dad Gone Mad, a guy whose been on my blogroll almost since my first leap into the 4th Frog Blog.

He calls it "Operation: Comment!" Ok, well he actually calls it "Operation: Comment Your B***s/B***s off!" But you know I don't blog quite like that. Nevertheless, Dad's idea is that between now and January 1, we all embark on a bit of a blog love fest, leaving short comments on blogs that we frequent.

I've got about 20 blogs that I try to keep up with, at least once or twice a week. Is it any wonder I don't sleep much?! Visiting and commenting on each one every day would be crazy, even for me. But I could visit three each night.

Why is Operation: Comment so important? Well, it's not. Not important in terms of world security or a solution to end homelessness or even the answer to "what's for dinner?" -- though actually, you can find that information. Especially when Sharon is on top of Menu Plan Monday.

But Operation: Comment is important because it gets at what blogging is really all about -- making connections with people. It's pretty amazing how quickly the world can become smaller when I reach out and connect with someone over something we have in common -- or even something where we have differing opinions. I found Shannon (Gabi's World) through a Wordless Wednesday post. Now I feel like it would be cool to meet her someday, even though I don't have a clue where she actually lives.

Operation: Comment is also a good idea because it strokes the ego of bloggers like me who just want to know that when I hit "publish post," I'm not talking to the digital hand. Helloooo??? Is anybody out there?

I've been pretty lucky that many of the folks who find their way to this blog have been nice enough to leave a note. But you know how sometimes when you eat a potato chip, you can't just stop at one? I'm that way with comments. So I'd love it if you'd keep it up!

But don't just share the love with me. Leave comments on other blogs too. Not sure where to start? Check out the links in my blog roll. Or visit one of these folks:

• Dude...Seriously -- Keepin' it in the family
  

• Rest Stops and Diversions -- She's a brand spankin' new blogger. Let's give her some encouragement.
  
  
• Lynn's Addiction -- This blog will make you go hmmm...and that's a good thing.
  
  
• Eternal Lizdom -- This blogger and I have different opinions on lots of stuff. But I like her. Or at least who she is on her blog, which seems pretty genuine to me.
  

There are plenty of others (I can't list them all here). Click my "Follow Me" faces. Or google something your interested in plus blog, like "Scrabble + Blog." (You'll find this among others.)

Just be sure to let somebody know you're there.

ABCs of Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving Day. Time for the requisite "what I'm thankful for" post. I hope after you have finished reading it, you'll leave a comment of at least one thing you are thankful for.

Amy's ABCs of Thanksgiving

A - An easy start. Annie -- she is bright and funny, helpful and caring and is turning out to be a great kid despite being our first experiment in parenting.

B - Bathtub. When I can navigate around the dinosaurs and sharks, it's a place that offers a few moments of blessed solitude.

C - Charlie, the bringer of much blog fodder. I'm enamored of his competitive drive and his inquisitiveness.

D - Donuts. I know that sounds like a shallow thing, but donuts bring me joy. Specifically, chocolate frosted long-johns with white fluff in middle. Those bring me lots of joy! And, of course Diet Coke.

E - Ellipis... Totally nerdy, I know, but I love those three little dots that let a thought linger...

F - Family. I know there are a lot of messed up families in this world. And I'm thankful that mine is not one of them. Not just our little family of 5, but my immediate family and Mike's. Mostly we're all pretty normal.

G - Grandparents. So, they are included in family, but worth a special mention of their own. I am 38 years old and still have 3 grandparents living. My NaNa has only been gone for a little over a year. Mike's grandmother, Buck, is 89 and very dear to me as well.

H - My huzzzband. That's my pet name for Mike. And I am his wyfe. For all the eye rolling and sigh heaving he elicits from me, I love him. And his geeky technical prowess.

I - Ice cream. Truthfully, if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be ice cream. Baskin Robbins chocolate peanut butter. Or Maggie Moos dark chocolate and cinnamoo mixed with almonds.

J - I am thankful for my job. After freelancing for many years, I re-joined the workforce 3 years ago. It was the best re-entry I could have hoped for. I have a great job, a terrific boss and wonderful co-workers.

K - Kindness. We live in a world that is busy with work and family obligations. It is easy to find myself wrapped up in things all about me. And so I appreciate it when people take the time to be kind -- holding open a door, making a phone call to say "I'm thinking about you," paying someone a compliment.

L - Love. Schmaltzy-sounding, I know. But I am so grateful that I wake each day knowing that I am loved. And that I have the capacity to give love as well. There are many in our world who don't know love.

M - Motherhood. Even though from time to time I don't want to get off the couch, I am thankful for the blessing of being a mother.

N - Nexium, that little purple pill that will allow me to eat Thanksgiving dinner without heartburn that leaves me panting like a woman in labor.

O - Olive loaf. That baloney-like deli meat studded with green olives. I don't eat it often, but when I do, it takes me back to my childhood.

P - Pigskin, as in football. I really love watching football, especially when its the Indianapolis Colts. And its an activity that our whole family can enjoy.

Q - Questions. I'm thankful for those questions that my kids bring that make me think about the world in a new way.

R - Robbie. Our sweet little cupcake baked by the devil. I always thought those people who treated their youngest like a baby were a little warped. But now I just want to wrap him up and keep him little forever.

S - Small church group, four families who give each other space to be fun and faithful. Once a month we get together to eat, talk a little God, and eat some more.

T - Technology. Even though I don't really know as much as some people think I do, I'm grateful for the technology of e-mail and blogging and online Scrabble and DVRs.

U - Underwear. Not a lot of choices for "u." But seriously, I am grateful for that which keeps me from chafing and uncomfortable wedgies.

V - Vows, as in wedding. We celebrated the 15th anniversary of ours last month. The road has been a bit winding, but -- in good times and in bad -- our vows have kept us on it.

W - Wordless Wednesday. My favorite contribution is "Darkness Follows."

X - Xtreme faith. I'm a faithful person, but not entirely diligent. I am lifted up by those in my life who have what I consider extreme faith, not in the sense that they have extreme views or try to push their beliefs on others. But they have consistent faith that is embedded in who they are and how they live their lives.

Y - Yellow. I love the color yellow. I'm thankful for its bright and cheery glow -- even if sometimes it's a bit too bright.

Z - Zoos. I love them and so does Robbie. When we go on vacation, if there is a zoo, I have to go. I don't know why. I'm not in general a lover of animals -- at least not domestic ones. But seeing wild animals close up is very intriguing to me. Even better when there is some human interaction.

So there you have it. My ABCs of Thanksgiving -- AND -- my 100th blog entry!

If you're new to the 4th Frog, click some of the links above to visit some of my earlier entries. If you've been a Frog follower for a while, click away and re-read some old favorites. If you have a favorite entry that I didn't reference above, please leave a comment and let me know.

Seeking the opposite of me

I was at a meeting with people from Smaller Indiana this morning. It was an energizing discussion that wandered from recognizing "40 Over 40" in the areas of communication, commerce and culture to the innate desire of people to make lasting connections with others. One thing that fellow "Smoosier" (as we Smaller Indiana folks like to call ourselves ) Lalita Amos said about blogging has stayed with me all day.

I can't quote her exactly, but she said something to the effect that as a blogger, she seeks out other bloggers who have different viewpoints than she does. Insert lightbulb emoticon here because, quite frankly, that idea had never occurred to me.

Being pretty new to the blogosphere, I was told that one way to get your blog noticed is to visit others' blogs and leave comments. So, I set out to search for blogs I might find interesting. Using the profile key words in Blogger, I clicked on the blogs of those people who listed key words and phrases that I had listed, including "Scrabble," "Catholic" and "Steel Magnolias." And I did find some blogs I found interesting and worth repeat visits.

But I must admit, having such a limited purview might get old after a while -- kind of like blogging to the choir, I suppose. So I am looking to expand my blog horizons. If you know of any enlightening blogs by non-white, non-Catholic, non-mothering, non-moderately conservative, non-Scrabble-addicted or non-fat bloggers, please let me know!