Where Are My Friends?

The question may seem to be an odd one at this point in my life but, it is one that I find myself asking quite a bit recently. You might ask why. I ask myself that very question...I do think that it stems from recent events that have taken place at work, the problems there seem to be cyclic. but the theme is the same. I really have recently come to the conclusion that I don't have friends there, not real ones anyway...I used to, in my old department, but it seems that we drifted apart quite early in the process and that was a long time ago. There are real regrets there. No fault.

I had friends in school, but no one really remains from early on. There is one from college, but even there, there is very little contact and we have drifted apart. I could call, but after a while one feels as though it is one sided and when the call is made, it is never a good time so...

I volunteer tirelessly for Susan G Komen for the Cure and so there are a lot of friends there also, but it is rare that we see each other that it is not related to an event. I enjoy the company of these men and women very much, and I admire each and every one of them for all of their efforts in this huge fight against breast cancer. The organization that we are associated with leaves 75% of all of the monies earned at the local level to be used in the communities in which it is raised and we are proud of that. Of the other 25%, none is used for overhead or business costs it is put toward breast cancer research and so, in our case a lot of that comes right back here as we have a few huge research institutions right here in our back yard...but I digress...

As I said, it is unusual for me to see any of those friends anywhere that is not related to a Komen event, although once in a while it does happen. I have a wicked sense of humor...sometimes I wonder if it is not always appreciated...because I do hear of others getting together...oh well...

I have a lot of cyber friends, we have a good time. I guess I am happy enough. I am really a home body kind of person. I still work full time and rotate weekends, my hours are 7am to 3:30 pm and 6am on weekends so I do get up early and so need my sleep. Maybe that's it.

Am I just being sensitive? I just don't seem to have any real girlfriends. I think I am supposed to. My daughter just graduated from HS and I wasn't involved with the school because I am so involved with Komen, so is my daughter. My daughter was involved in dance and not school related activities, so school parents were not the thing...

I read a lot which is a solitary activity...

What do you think, should I be worried? Am I lacking? Do I need to go out and find me a girlfriend to call my own?

Staying Pink!

Friendship!

Friendship ~ I like this one - None of that Sissy Stuff..

1. When you are sad ~ I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue ~ I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
3. When you smile ~ I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.
4. When you are scared ~ I will rag on you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.
5. When you are worried ~ I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.
6.. When you are confused ~ I will try to use only little words.
7.. When you are sick ~ Stay the hell away from me until you are well again.. I don't want whatever you have.
8. When you fall ~ I will laugh at your clumsy ass, but I'll help you up.
9. This is my oath .... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask ~ because you are my friend.

The Gingham Dress

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston , and walked timidly without an appointment in to the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge 'We'd like to see the president,' the man said softly. 'He'll be busy all day,' the secretary snapped 'We'll wait,' the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go a way. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted. 'Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,' she said to him! He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted to ward the couple. The lady told him, 'We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.' The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. 'Madam,' he said, gruffly, 'we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.' 'Oh, no,' the lady explained quickly. 'We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.' The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, 'A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.' For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, 'Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?' Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto , California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about. Stanford University Campus. You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.

.......A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes

'People will forget what you said

People will forget what you did.

But people will never forget how you made them feel'.

Hi there,

Just a quick little post to send you over to another pink blogger. She is running a little contest and you might be interested...It is a giveaway really of a fabulous bag!! I am posting the link here for you pleasure!

Enjoy!

Stay Pink!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RkGEaXEOe6twBXgrO1jiK9bPzMWGK-GWnHXHcbh8Er0LVTd5TBYKSxrO5xWhOupwrrC77K96WkmDQkEowxPfm1DlpdVkw1z9iJpmbviloJtmPwhFtuv3Wqq7opWEuHIprTjrUzV6vVaq/s1600/crop.jpg

The Art of Procrastination

Hi There,

Today was supposed to be a day for me to get some things done. Some things that need doing. Some things that, you might say I have been putting off. So I actually wrote on my electronic calender that today would be the day that I would do them.

I awoke at 0730 and to my dismay could not seem to fall back to sleep. So, I thought maybe to get an early start on my Saturday. I walked out to the living room and was immediately taken by the site of my lily sprawled (as only an Eskie can sprawl) on the couch among my nap quilt and squishy pillow. Even with my BB battery dangerously low, I knew I had to have that picture! Snap! OK, on to the kitchen to pour the obligatory cup of coffee...The pot is hot and waiting...DH is already up...Into the living room to persuade Lily to give me at least part of the couch...Grudgingly, she allows me to obtain a corner...Next, I try to upload the a fore mentioned photo. No go, not gonna happen, the wireless has turned itself off due to the fact that the battery is beyond dangerously low now! Sheesh! OK, I plug the battery in and snap another picture of Lily, this time I force her to look at me. She is disgusted at this cruel interruption of her free time...She is usually so busy, you see..The resultant pictures are above...

Sooo...while that is charging, I think I will just grab the ole laptop then and fire her up...Now I must say here in my defense, that most of what I have slated to do today, must be done using said laptop...It must also be said that I have gathered the necessities around me, such as, the kindle, the Zune and the cable for same (need to put that album on that I downloaded the other day), the cable for the BB (need to put same album on there)...I need the laptop for all of those things also...

So, the pink girl whirls and does her thing as I grab the cup and sip...Hmmm, I think, I haven't blogged in a while...a lot going on too...hmm, well first things first...I open zune and get Craig Chaquico going through the Bose speaker I have hooked up to the computer, now we are getting somewhere!

I open Zune all the way and go ahead and load the album and then do the same for the phone. I go ahead and back up and then load and then send the Lily pictures to FB


I then open firefox, my preferred browser. I see all of the tabs I had open last night reappear. OK, hotmail first...I go through all of the emails, then on to the facebook, this takes quite a while, then on to VN, then back to FB, then to work email, where hotmail is forwarded for while I am at work and then back to VN and then FB and round and round we go...I check on a few other blogs, make a donation, request a couple VN friends to be FB friends, start chatting, etc, etc...Oh and there may have been a tad bit of shopping in there...

During this time I am thinking, OK, well, I do have all weekend to get these things accomplished...I can work on these things tonight during the baseball games or even tomorrow. I deserve a day of rest. Now I have to tell you that none of the tasks that I have laid out for myself will take any time at all to do really once I sit down and actually do them. It is just that I have been busy getting Caitlin off and with the work thing, and the grant review deadline. Now, though, it is time.

The tasks are things that I need to take care of as the chair of the Survivor committee. I just have a few things that I need to get done before our next meeting that I really want to get off of my plate. I will do them this weekend and I will do them well. It is now 3:10 in the afternoon. I have made 2 new friends on face book, chatted with my daughter via blackberry messenger, she is at the beach with friends today...what a life. Her father wants to know if the text books went with her...Puhlease!!! I have made a donation to help save a friends puppy. Please see the links I have posted previously if you are reading this at my blog post. I have done a lot of things...just not what I wrote down that I had to do...see, maybe I shouldn't have written it down...

I have, finally typed up a blog. I even drove myself a little crazy this morning...What? I failed to mention this? Oh, well, I am a fan of the author Clive Cussler. He posted a link on FB to his new page...I visited...sometime later, while listening to CC on the computer and typing etc. I kept hearing what I finally realized was not part of the album...no matter what I did the sound of the sea and a buoy dinging kept coming through. Neither I nor my husband could figure out where this was coming from. Having listened to this album many times, I knew it was not a part of the music. I even went so far as to restart the computer! For a few minutes all was well. Then DH says there it is again...Finally I realized that I still had Clives web page up as a tab and that he has the background noise of the sea and a buoy to get you in the mood...Yikes!! I guess when I brought the page up it blended in with the music and so I never associated it with his web page...It's enough to make you drink...Thanks Clive...

So anyway, there you have it! The art of procrastination, I have it down to a science! Am I good or what!! I think I feel a nap coming on...yawn...

Have I mentioned that I do my best work under pressure?

Stay pink! and forgive me my rambling!

Bodacious Boomer » Blog Archive » Please pray for our Gizmo

Bodacious Boomer » Blog Archive » Please pray for our Gizmo

Susan G. Komen for the Cure | Statement on Avastin

Susan G. Komen for the Cure | Statement on Avastin

16 Aug 2010: New Breast Cancer Committee to Establish Federal Research Agenda

16 Aug 2010: New Breast Cancer Committee to Establish Federal Research Agenda

We are Home She is Not!

Or maybe she is...It was a good trip! We had a good time...There was an anxious moment when my daughter got an email the day before move in day, telling her that she did not meet the immunization requirements...I beg your pardon! She has too! and we sent it all in! Would they let her move in? Of course it was too late to do a thing about it at that point...We hung out and then finally, or maybe all too soon, it was time to go! I rode with her and DH rode behind us in his car. It was all very organized. As we drove up to the nice man in the uniform directing the cars as to where to go, she lowered her window and he asked her in his southern accent"yall know where your goin'" "Waccamaw Hall" she said softly..."Oh!" he fired off, "We tore that down yesterday" I laughed...as hot as he had to have been he had a sense of humor, they all did, and all of them were very helpful, in great humor, and very organized!

In no time at all we had everything off loaded and the cars parked and everything up to the room. We met the two very cute, friendly roommates and their equally friendly parents. There were some anxious moments when it didn't seem as though there would be room for Caitlin's things with all of the girls and boxes and parents there...then everyone but she and I cleared out and we got to work. When all was said and done, the room meant for two and actually being used for three, worked very well. This is in large part due to the thoughtfulness of the other two and their parents. One bed is lofted and the roommate using that one made a closet underneath by using a suspension bar, thereby leaving the closet space to be used for two as it is meant to be...nice...and then there is the refrigerator, microwave, flat screen, and on and on...The room and the girls are adorable!

Caitlin was feeling much better by the time we left and so was Mom...Of course it helped that she was able to fit all of the clothes that she brought with her!!

That happened Saturday, they had activities and meetings all weekend and we BBM'd and I got good vibes...it seemed she was having a good time and fitting in! She said we could come and take her to lunch on Sunday before we left...What fun...We did...I had some fun joking with the girls...before we left for lunch. took her a couple more supplies...they are all avid Ravens fans...I saw several jerseys being unpacked! Game nights should be fun!

So we said our goodbyes and it did my heart good to see the big grin when we arrived for lunch...It was a quiet ride home...she sounds good, we have skped a tiny bit. She is busy, this is good...I am too...this is good...we got home around 4:00pm today...I had a conference call...I was a little sad as I unpacked and put the stuff away in the bathroom and realized that Caitlin's isn't there anymore...

So I have had an empty nest now for about 3.5 hours...hmmm...not terrible so far...different though...I am so glad she is happy...

I do know this...I have left her in a good place. She has chosen well. Coastal Carolina University is a good place and she seems at home there already...This, I know is good...

Stay Pink!

PS...Oh, the email? We called today, it was a mistake, they sent that to everyone by mistake...she is fine! Of course, I knew that...

An exciting few days!

Hi There,

I must say it has been a rather exciting few days off so far, what with trying to get my daughter's act together with packing for school, we take her down tomorrow, and a host of other things...In fact, it hasn't seemed too relaxing at all. I must say, however, that at least I have been away from work! Seems I do not have the power to dial in on the VPN any more...just like that...no notice...do I really need to be able to dial in to the system? No...but, there you go, communication at it's best! yesterday morning, I could, yesterday afternoon, I could not! C'est la vie...I have no idea if I spelled that right, but I didn't get the little red squiggly line so maybe I did...lol...

Yesterday I had a meeting with several MD/PHDs at Johns Hopkins in my capacity as a breast cancer advocate to see if we would suit each other. Turns out we did indeed suit each other! They are an impressive group and a very friendly and down to earth one also, who's reputation in the advocate world proceeds them. I had already met two of them and corresponded with another. It was a good meeting even after wandering around in the 100+ heat trying to find the correct building...Dr. Sukamar even got me my own personal fan...How could you not like that!!

I am now the advocate for the Johns Hopkins Breast SPORE(special program of research excellence) and TBCR(translational breast cancer research) consortium. This is very exciting for both parties, for me for obvious reasons, and for them because they were the only ones up until now without their own personal advocate at the table...now we have each other. It will be a lot of work, but worth it. I can't wait to get started! Oh, did I mention that this is all voluntary...just need to be clear that this is not a job opportunity...lol...

Oh and all of you ladies out there....I had on the most fabulous pair of shoes ever...! A brand new pair of Berry colored Brighton sandals, which I got for...are you ready for this?...70% off!!! Yes that's right!! We call that a Nani bargain in my house...I am so proud...I have to call her and let her know about that...but I digress...where was I...Oh yes...another step along in my advocacy journey.

Let's see what else has been happening around here? Well, I have been watching a lot of baseball. I just love baseball and with the Orioles new manager, Buck Showalter, we seem to be winning again...I have a new book on Kindle called "Is this a great game or what?" by Tim Kurkjian. What a fun book about baseball by someone who loves the game. For a few days there, the Orioles were on at the regular time, then the Nats came on after that because they were in the Mid West and then there was the late ESPN game...Boy I was in Baseball hog Heaven!

I have to tell you that I am having all kinds of fun rambling on here, but I am sure some of you have stopped reading or are getting bored, so I'll stop here...

Stay pink!

P.S. I am looking for a picture of those shoes to share...There it is I found it...upper left!!

My magic backyard...

Hi There,
For the first time in a week and a half I find myself sitting here very relaxed and maybe even (dare I say it) happy. I am sitting at the table in our backyard. Ostensibly, I am working on 18 grant reviews that are due in less than 2 weeks. But if I am honest, with you and myself, I have to say that I have been out here for a good hour and a half and have not clicked on that tab yet...

You see I have this ritual when I sit down with the computer. (have I mention that it is PINK?) First I go through my email, I am very involved as a volunteer with my local affiliate of the Susan G Komen for the Cure and our Race for the Cure(RFTC) is rapidly approaching, scheduled for October, 3, 2010. If any of you out there will be in the Baltimore area then and would like to stop by we would love to have you. I am chair of Survivor activities and so I am receiving emails with regard to that and many other important things...like, oh, maybe advertisements for MAC cosmetics and ebay searches that must be looked at...

After the emails, which might include VN post responses that lead me on a VN venture...another lovely side trip...I head for Face book...there I check out all of the new posts that have arrived since I was last there and maybe post a few of my own and make a few comments etc...I might even check my work email...although not yet this morning...

Then after all of that and a few sips of coffee, maybe the atmosphere of the lovely weather, the pink of the laptop with the smooth jazz coming from its little speakers, the lovely breeze(helped by the little fan next to me, and the blooming rose of sharon along the perimeters of the yard...and voila!!!My mood is in a happy stress free place...It happened gradually, I didn't even realize it...and here I am...It has been a lousy couple of weeks...could've been worse of course, but you know how it can be...my stomach was in knots, and here I am...One little morning out in my backyard, and there you go...even the thought of all those grants won't bring me down. After all, I did volunteer for that...

Now, I have to tell you a secret, I am off all of next week so work cannot touch me...but that didn't help yesterday...and anyway, I am off and so is my husband, in order that we may get my daughter ready to fly the coop. She is heading down to South Carolina to Coastal Carolina University to begin her college career! She is our one and only so I will have an empty nest!

She had a goodbye party last night back here in the yard...I was not invited...but I got to say Hi to all of the bathroom goers as they paraded by while I watched my favorite baseball and played/worked on my computer...That was fun! Some of the girls actually asked to see me, even better.

So that's the story of my amazing, magical backyard...it isn't anything fancy. Just a porch that runs the length of the house, with a metal awning for shade. But it is an older yard with a lot of trees and green and growth, I guess you could say it has character, and oh, yes! It has this really cute American Eskimo dog named Lily wandering around and a whole lot of bunnies and squirrels and birds too....HAPPY SIGH...

I am Pink, and I am back to happy today!!

Those Born 1920-1979

THOSE BORN 1920-1979

READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH BY JAY LENO. IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED



TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!



First, we survived being born to mothers who


took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.



Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.



We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.



As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.



Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.



We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.



We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.



We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!



We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.



No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.



We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.



We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!



We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.



We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.



We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.



We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!



Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!



The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!



These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!



The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!



If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!



You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good .

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.



Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

I didn't wright it, but I love it!! Stay Pink

Calgon, take me away...

Hi There,

I thought maybe I'd take a few minutes before preparing for bed to blog a little with the hope that maybe I could work off a little stress. Nothing new really. I have to travel to another, bigger lab tomorrow in order to be cleared on a new procedure. I am a little nervous about it just because it is a new lab and I was only there once and that was 3 years ago. I am told that the microscope is different...I have been trying to set this up since last Sunday and today was a study in frustration as I waited all day to find out if I would even be going over there tomorrow, I actually found out after I got home from work..I tell myself to relax, I have faced worse situations than this, just chill...I am mellowing out a little at work, but the main cause of my strife has been off this week and I am off next week.

I am off next week in order that we may get my little one ready to go away to school. I am excited for her, but she is not happy about the fact that she did not get anything that she asked for as far as housing goes so now she is bummed and the excitement isn't there any more...I feel bad for her.

She was so excited about going to Coastal Carolina University and now she is pouting...Maybe she'll get into it next week as we pack.

I had a meeting tonight, I chair the survivor committee for the Maryland Affiliate of the Susan G Komen for the Cure and our race is in October so we had our monthly meeting tonight...A little stress involved there, but the survivor tent is my crowning acheivment on race day, and it all seems to come together somehow.

Right now I also have 18 scientific breast cancer grant proposals in my possession that I am responsible for reviewing...due in 2 weeks...not to mention the ...

OK I am seeing the pattern here...

Calgon, take me away!

Stay Pink

Some Days...

Some time back, maybe a few months now, I purchased a new laptop...it is pink of course and I am having a good time with it. Today, as I sit here in my outdoor "office" I decided that it was time to load a few things onto it. Mainly my music. I had already put my new Jonathan Butler CD on there and also the free download that Dave Koz urged us to go get while listening to him play the other night. Well, I have a slew of music on my Zune that is not on the new computer and so I googled the instructions and sure enough, it looked simple. Hook the Zune to the computer, click on the device icon and drag the music you wish to sync over to the the PC to the collection icon. Well not quite 2 hours later I am still trying and quite frustrated, because if something is so simple it has to mean that I am doing something wrong right?

Now, as you might imagine by this time it is a matter of principle, I must finish this! So back to the drawing board! This time I think carefully, there is no way to have both icons active at the same time, in fact there really isn't a collection icon...so what happens when I right click on an item I want to drag and drop(my DHs idea actually) viola! what do I see? there is a command there that says "copy to my collection" hmmm...I click on it and yep, you guessed it, things moved along quite merrily...the only thing that I can think of is that things have changed since the new software update and no one bothered to change the instructions...

So come on Microsoft! Update your manual, because even though I googled it, what I ended up doing was following the manual that came up. Sheesh! Now that I have my music synced over, it is time for a baseball game, so much for the smooth jazz I was planning on piping out here...

Every time I think I am getting to be quite computer savvy something else comes up to burst my bubble...please, please, little pink computer, can't you just let me hang onto my illusions just a little while longer...sigh...

Pinkim