Thursday, January 13, 2011

Three Things

Aarons Beach, December 2010

Welcome to Thursday, celebrated on this blog by sharing three (or more) things which are usually random, off-the-top-of-your-head thoughts.

For those of us with self-diagnosed, adult-onset ADD (brought on by old age  technology and the ever-increasing expectation that a person must do sixteen things at once, in three or four different locations),  it's slightly liberating to receive permission to spew off completely random thoughts, even if that permission comes from oneself.

(Isn't "oneself" an odd looking word? Shouldn't an apostrophe show up somewhere?)

Let's begin.

1.  A week from Sunday, Chesapeake Bay Father turns 70. Born with a defect which required open-heart surgery as a teenager (and submersion in ice), he has every reason to celebrate. And celebrate he will, assuming I can clean the house and get to gettin' on the birthday fiesta, which will be on Saturday, January 22, for anyone interested in attending.

Celebrating is so much more fun than cleaning, and yet I spend more time cleaning than celebrating.  (Note to self:  This really must change.)

2.  Chesapeake Bay Daughter, a seventh grader, had a basketball game last night.  They lost 21-20, but that close gap was made possible by her inability to accept defeat until the game was actually over, and the two three-pointers she scored in the last seconds of the game.

I blinked back tears of joy and pride.  She's absolutely amazing. Truth be told, she looks just like Chesapeake Bay Baby Sister on and off the basketball court.

Chesapeake Bay Baby Sister scored over 1,000 points in her high school career and was one scrappy, determined player, just like her niece.

After she and I debriefed tonight, I gained a whole new respect for her performance on the court.

She kept fighting and didn't resign to losing before they actually did. She believed until the last millisecond there was a reason to fight and a chance to win.  

There are many life lessons to be learned in her way of thinking.

3.  After months of scanning old photos for the book that's due this summer, I discovered a wrinkle in my methodology that may require me to cry to start over.  Terms such as "grayscale" and "output width" are involved.  "Grayscale"  now refers to the color of my hair, and "output width" involves the size of the tears that I've been blinking back will be streaming, if in fact I have to start over.  For now, though, I am not going to think about it panic; the publisher will let me know for sure if something is wrong next week. As far as I can tell, I'm still in the game and there's still a chance.

There's still a chance.

Now it's your turn.

Thanks, as always, for participating and commenting.  There are not enough hours in the day to respond to each of you as I'd like.  Just know that I thoroughly enjoy reading your responses and thoughts each and every day.  To use the quote we talked about on Monday, my readers are finest kind.


Baby Sis and Chesapeake Bay Daughter, Basketball Twins Separated at Birth, November 2010


17 comments:

deborah said...

Congratulations to Chesapeake Bay daughter! It isn't always whether you win or lose, its how you play the game...and she is in the game! She and your sis are beautiful!
1. Hoping the publisher can fix the pictures...isn't that what your editor is for? Yep, let them do it:) I am anxious for your book to be finished...this is like doing your PhD..exciting to start, much hard and tearful labor and even more exciting to finish!
2. Bored to tears here..have a very sore foot the doctor told me to stay off of for a week! A week? No way...but it does sound nice...
3. Wishing your father a very Happy Birthday! Do your cleaning after the party:)

Kay L. Davies said...

1. I learned long ago that cleaning before a party is a waste of time, because you have to clean again afterward anyway.
2. Oneself is a legit word, but I guess it's a contraction for "one's self" - I like to say myownself, and even say yourownself from time to time.
3. WONDERFUL for your father. I don't know him but I'm very happy for him, and very happy for your daughter, which is not a non sequitur because I had to stick to three things in keeping with the title.
--K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Anonymous said...

If I remember correctly (which is day to day) you were a hell of and athlete yourself, and a little on the scrappy side also!! GOOD DNA!!

Ann Marie said...

Is she left handed like Jill? I forget...


1. I have now THREE invites for this weekend.. who knew being free from certain parties could be so fun.

2. I am actually awake and HAPPY this morning... I watched into the Wild last night and while I cried at the end cause I really didn't know that was going to happen the movie itself was incredibly enlightening

3. THREE DAY WEEKEND.. WOOT WOOT..

PS putting Dad's B-day on calendar will be there!!!!!

Lynne M said...

CBD's refusal to accept defeat until the buzzer buzzes is admirable. Being a Redskins fan, I have that same feeling watching football "it's not over until it's over"...

I could have used another 21 hours of sleep today.

I am frustrated because 3 of my co-workers have not heard the song "Secret" by Seal.. and our work computers block YouTube so I can't let them hear it.

Happy Birthday CBF!!!!

Jamie said...

1. Congrats to CB Daughter on her tenacity and determination. Bridget's team is going through some growing pains and even though our record is something like 1-12, I leave in good spirits because they dont quit (even 30+ points down) and there's always something that has improved. I'd rather see a team fight till the end than be lazy and 40 points ahead.

2. 10 years or so ago I gave up coffe. I haven't wanted coffee in 10 years. The other day I made a pot and drank all but the small amount I allowed Bridget to have. I'm drinking it because I haven't yet found a justification for drinking wine at breakfast... though it is made of grapes....

3. Cleaning never ends. I like to wait until the last minute and throw any clutter into one room and close the door.

nativedevil said...

great column today!

fighting mermaid said...

1. Love your random thoughts, CBW!
2. My randomness gets checked at my next appointment with the new doc who told me on my way out "We'll chat about your ADD next time." I giggle every time I replay that exit in my head...and by the way, I forgot to pee in the cup on my way out, and half way home I was sure I had left my credit card...had to pull over and go thru the junk in my car to find it.
3. Enjoy your celebration with your dad!!

Daryl said...

WOOT to both CBD and CBPapa .. and to you too .. just cause

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

You just may see me at that party!
Go CBD!
<><

Diane said...

Wish CBPapa happy, happy from me!

1. I have too much work to do.
2. I can't seem to say no to more work
3. My lungs suck.

Kisses! Your book is gonna be awesome!

Anonymous said...

Maria's 3-pointers stopped the olympic-sized suckage of the rest of the game. It was painful to watch. They will all improve in time.

i can make a cake.

I didn't fall down today and neither did your father. mum

Mrs F with 4 said...

1. Crap, is it Thursday already?

2. Hooray for CBD, and Hooray for CBPapa.

3. Where, exactly do you think CBD gets her tenacity from? (That would be by way of being a rhetorical question).

3a. I need chocolate. Or wine. And the house is empty of both. Wonder why?

wv: coropaph - is that a confused paragraph?

Country Girl said...

1. Hats off to your beautiful daughter. Yesssss!
2. Happy b'day to your papa!!
3. I hope you don't end up crying about the book.

AverettLadyNana said...

Congratulations to you Daddy for his 70th birthday!

Congratulations to your daughter for never giving in and for giving more than 100% during her game.

She sure does look like your sister. My daughter has there girls and I think the middle one looks like my sister.

Meg McCormick said...

I love that you all are so athletically scrappy! The fact that you all have that gene and I do not does not support our theory of having been separated at birth, does it? No, no it does not. Nevertheless, HUZZAH for CBD and her last-minute 3-pointers!

Happy birthday, CBD!

Meg McCormick said...

Oh, whoops. "CBD" the second time meant "Cheaspeake Bay Dad" - not daughter. GAH. Sorry.