Little ALPHAlpha and Bailey + more doggie biscuits coming

I did not shape Zoe's hair for the photo below, but her hair is so pliable and can be so much fun. I've turned her into the Heatmeiser from The Year Without a Santa Claus many times.



I love the fact that Bailey so generously shares his uber-comfy bed with Zoe.



Gonna be making more doggie biscuits this weekend. They've been a hit! My friends have even suggested I start a doggie biscuit business, but I don't see that happening.

I tried to find St. Patrick's Day cookie cutters, but no luck. Guess I'll stick with the hearts. I encourage my dog-owning friends to try the recipe, as all of my four-legged friends LOVE them!

Join the millions who have chosen (RED)

If there are folks out there who haven't heard of (PRODUCT)^RED, I must first wonder what rock you've been hiding under. Second I must suggest learning more about this highly successful business model that has raised millions for the Global Fund, specifically to fund African AIDS programs.

Essentially, (RED) partnered with several brands to create licensed (PRODUCT)^RED products and services. Brand examples include Apple, American Express, GAP, Dell, Starbucks and several others.

The concept is easy: buy a (RED) product and you contribute to the fight against AIDS in Africa.

The Join (RED) site used to offer a calculator tool that allowed you to determine how much your purchases contribute to the fund, but unfortunately it appears to no longer be there. Nevertheless, I believe I've been a pretty good supporter. My (PRODUCT)^RED purchases include:

• (1) ipod shuffle
• (5) t-shirts: one of which has the following printed on the inside hem, "This (PRODUCT)^RED shirt = 2 weeks of AIDS medicine in Africa"
• at least 1/2 dozen Starbucks drinks

So, while I don't have a lot of spare change to throw at charities, (PRODUCT)^RED has allowed me to contribute by other means: the ipod shuffle was a birthday gift for my best friend and most of the coffees were purchased using a gift card I received for Christmas.

Random side note about the t-shirts for those who are interested: I prefer boxier-fitting shirts (these days that means that my size 2 to 4 body requires an X-Large to be comfortable), so all but one of my (RED) shirts are men's shirts, size x-small or small. These are perfect, although I should mention that I have unusually long arms and rather broad shoulders. Regardless, these are the softest shirts you will ever wear.

I was inspired to write this post in support of (PRODUCT)^RED after reading a letter from Bono, one of the co-founders of (PRODUCT)^RED, on the (BLOG) RED site. Read the letter here.

If the letter doesn't inspire you to run out and buy (RED), maybe the following will:

• $13 provides one month of antiretroviral meds for one person
• $157 provides one year of antiretroviral meds for one person
• $40 provides 15 HIV rapid tests
• $26 covers the cost of providing medication to a pregnant woman to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV from mother to child
• thus far, more than 2,500,000 people have been impacted by HIV & AIDS programs supported by (RED) purchases

Bono's letter closes perfectly, "(RED) is not asking you to flock to the stores for the sake of it. But if you find yourselves browsing, we are asking you to choose (RED) where you can—for the sake of those who can’t ask you themselves."

How Clean Is Your House?

I found this book by Kim Woodburn & Aggie MacKenzie on the bargain shelf at Barnes and Noble a couple of years ago. As I'm a bit of a germaphobe, I snatched it up and immediately pored through the pages.

How Clean Is Your House? has since become my go-to source for cleaning. It is worth far more than the $4 I paid for it. The authors are cleaning geniuses.

Top perks:

1. The book is divided up by room: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc and describes in great detail what is best for each cleaning task and why.

2. The authors' "tools of the trade" are not only effective, but CHEAP.

Before reading this book, I wouldn't have known what "washing soda" is (approx $4.50 per 3.7lb box). Just a bit of this stuff will keep your washing machine clean (trust me, unless you've got a VERY expensive machine, your clothes aren't really getting clean), your disposal clean and serve as a superior grease eliminator anywhere in your house.

I've been given strange looks when purchasing denture cleaning tablets, but they are wonderful for cleaning a porcelain bowl, removing a stubborn stain on your carpet or eliminating limescale on any household surface.

I can tell you with 100% confidence that you can maintain a wonderfully clean home by keeping the following products on hand: White distilled vinegar, ammonia, baking soda, washing soda, concentrated dishwashing detergent (ie. Dawn), lemon juice or whole lemons, coarse salt and good old-fashioned bleach.

As it turns out, the most simple methods of cleaning are truly the best!

Daily Humor

A lot of people keep things at their desk that make them smile or laugh: pictures of loved ones, quotes, knick knacks, etc. When my assistant (I love reminding people that her name is Jennifer Garner) comes across a name that makes her laugh, she writes it on a post-it and puts it on her computer monitor. Since we work with authors from all over the world, she's found some downright hilarious ones. Keep in mind that some of these are only funny when mispronounced.

For example, I'm sure Dr. Takeshita should be pronounced (tä'k•ä•shē'•tä), but of course we pronounce it (tāk•a•shĭt•a). You get the idea.

Here are some more of our favorites. I'll let you use your imagination as to the pronunciation:

•Dr. Bizzarro
•Dr. Boobis
•Dr. Crapo
•Dr. Madhu Dikshit
•Dr. McWeeney
•Dr. Plopper
•Dr. Richard Wang (a.k.a. Dick Wang)
•Dr. Stanko
•Dr. Sitthichok Puangthongthub

I realize that our poking fun at strangers by butchering their names is a bit juvenile, but sometimes a little immaturity keeps the day-to-day a lot more tolerable!

In fact, I'll even be a good sport and share my two favorites for my name, as spoken by the security guards on-site. I'll preface this by saying that yes, they are reading my name from an online directory where it is spelled correctly.

My last name should be pronounced (glā'z•ě•nûr), but somehow Glazener becomes Glavenora and Glavinator (a.k.a. The Glavinator). Where did the "V" come from?

As you might imagine, I get a lot of "I'll be back!" jokes.

Quote of the day

"Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color."

-author unknown

Sweet Dream Bailey

My sweet boy, deep in slumber at casa de Burleigh.

Doggie drive-thru

On my way home from my aforementioned doggie duties over the last week+, I went through the drive-thru at Burger King to get a grilled chicken sandwich as a late lunch. With way too much stuff packed in my car (a lot of it has been there for weeks), I was forced to put Zoe's crate and Bailey both in the extreme rear of my CR-V.

Under such circumstances, Zoe is virtually blind - she can't see out of the car and can't see me - this is a recipe for disaster.

When Zoe barks (which is often for a marginally good reason), Bailey barks. The significant difference is that Bailey barks in no particular direction. In fact, he usually barks in the OPPOSITE direction of what causes Zoe's barking. He's sweet, but not the brightest bulb.

So, as I made my way through the drive-thru at BK, Zoe let out a few gruffs. Bailey followed suit with extremely loud barks, all as I'm trying to order. I laughed it off and pulled around to the payment window. I received a smile from window #1, where my payment was accepted, and pulled forth to window #2.

Bailey began to frantically bark. I turned around and asked him, "what's up with you?" as if he could understand me. Then I started to think, this is taking quite a while for one freakin' chicken sandwich.

Then the store window opened, and while I was expecting my food, a BK employee says, "Excuse me, but I'd like to ask you a question about your German Shepherd."

As soon as I heard "German Shepherd" I pretty much tuned him out. I vaguely remember the mention of alternative coloring (gray vs. black/brown). Maybe that makes me a dog snob, but despite others' misinterpretation of Bailey's breed, I can definitively state that he doesn't look, nor behave, in any way like a German Shepherd.

I politely waited before interrupting the BK employee to say,"he's not a German Shepherd, he's a Norwegian Elkhound." (Blank stare and "what?" look followed). Of course I'm thinking, can I just have my chicken sandwich and be on my way?



Be honest. Given the photos attached here (Bailey top left; random German Shepherd center at end of post) would you think Bailey is a German Shepherd?

Please keep in mind, too, that the average weight of a German Shepherd is between 62 and 95 lbs. Over the last 5 years, Bailey's weight has ranged between 42 and 48 pounds.

Upgrade

I received my new phone yesterday as part of Verizon's "New every two" program. I got the LG enV² and I love it. My main reasons for choosing the enV² were:

1. it fits in my Abitax case. Having to give up that case was in no way an option.

2. It has a QWERTY keyboard with real keys. I do not like the touch-screen keyboards (like the LG Dare). Easier texting was the main reason I upgraded. In fact I adored my previous phone (LG VX8300), but texting on that phone was so cumbersome. It could take me several minutes to compose a simple two-line message!

3. I received rave reviews from two of my co-workers. They said the battery life and reception are fabulous and those two things are very important to me.

Anyone thinking of upgrading any time soon should certainly consider the enV². However, I would not recommend purchasing the phone (at least to my budget-conscious friends) without a discount option as the retail price is $279.99. I only paid $32.01 and that included free overnight delivery.

Random Perk

For those of you who don't know me or anything about my Norwegian Elkhound, Bailey, I can tell you this post is dedicated to my 10-day escape from one of his most annoying neuroses.

Bailey is absolutely terrified by the beeping noises that sound from my oven - when I turn it on, when I adjust the temperature, when I set the timer (both adjusting the temperature and timer require several beeps unfortunately), when I turn it off. We're not talking about a mild cowering in the corner, oh no. Oven beeping brings about a full-on panic attack: uncontrollable shaking, loss of bladder control, extreme yelping and a strong desire to flee the house at all costs. He becomes obsessed with the door as if he can will it opened with his eyes. Any attempt to take him outside in this state runs a high risk of shoulder dislocation. It is beyond frustrating.

While I am guilty of exaggeration at times, the aforementioned description is not over-done. In fact - likely warranting an entirely separate post so I won't expand much here - in order to test my smoke alarms monthly I have to put Bailey outside in my car. Even one tiny low-battery beep turns Bailey into a vibrating freak show.

Enter oven-using vacation by way of dogsitting at a home with a quieter oven that has a dial for setting the temperature, and therefore doesn't require a beep per 5 degrees of heat! Hurrah!

I have been taking full advantage of said oven privileges. I baked home-made dog biscuits, I've made pizza several times, and I made mini brownie muffins (had a photo, wanted to include it, but blogger was not having it). It is really sad that I avoid foods/meals that require a standard oven because my dog is such a pansy. Doggie valium/prozac anyone?

Smartdog

I give you the Emma STORM: low-tech e-mail reader. No contract required.


Maybe the pet dander and perpetual dog-walking is making me loopy.

Who Knew?

...that new tires could make a girl so giddy?

I LOVE my car, but my care of it (service, oil-changes, etc.) is strictly no muss, no fuss. I can't remember the last time I washed or vacuumed it, despite the Norwegian Elkhound that frequents the "back back" seat. When I was told after my last oil-change that I'd soon need new tires, I thought, "ok, sure, I'll get to it eventually."

On Tuesday I purchased my second set of tires for my 1997 CR-V (really the third set if you include the original tires that came on the vehicle). Odometer reading at the time of Tuesday's purchase: 141,900. I think that's pretty okay, considering that the alignment has been "acceptably out of range" since I was hit by a drunk driver in 1999, I've suffered one slow-leak and one flat tire, and I spent a little over three years on Michigan roads where I annually traveled approximately three times more miles than I do in NC.

I drove away on my new tires feeling like I was in a brand new car. What a difference new wheels can make without even splurging!





I got four BF Goodrich Premier Touring tires, P205/70R15 at Costco. Total cost for installation, scrap tire disposal, life-time rotation and balance and 5-year road hazard warranty: $379.19, and the whole process only took about 45 minutes.

My car now rides beautifully. Any revival of the beloved CR-V is greatly appreciated!

A Mighty Heart

Read the book, then saw the movie. For those interested in Daniel Pearl's story, I strongly recommend following the same path. Had I not read the book first, I would've found the film a little frustrating - it is a very fast-paced film, with several key players sharing similar names, if not multiple identities.

Not to take sides, but having seen the film I am convinced that Angelina Jolie was the far wiser choice to play Mariane Pearl. I like Jennifer Aniston, but she never could've done the role true justice.

I read the book and saw the film more than a year ago, but the story was recently brought back to mind because "A Mighty Heart" is currently playing on Showtime, so I watched it again Sunday.

As I said earlier, I can understand viewers who might not like the film if they have no prior knowledge of the history of the event. Maybe that's a poor excuse. But from the perspective of one who has read Mariane's book and followed the public record regarding Pearl's death, I can say that without a doubt "A Mighty Heart" is one of the most powerfully realistic accounts of a driven journalist's fate in a post 9/11 climate.

To be a journalist should not be a death sentence - regardless of to whom or where your voice reaches.

Hazel or Green?

I've always described my eye color as hazel, even though my drivers license says GREEN, which incidentally is the rarest of eye colors.



Most of the time it depends on what color I'm wearing, but under the most bland of circumstances, I perceive my eye color as "Grazel."

What would you say?

Quick note on UNC vs. Miami

Ty Lawson rocks!

That second half was a nail-biter. As I texted my friend who was at the game, "Holy 3-pointers!"

Way to go Heels!

America's Favorite Serial Killer

I adored Michael C. Hall as David Fisher on Six Feet Under, but as Dexter he is beyond fabulous, and Hall is from Raleigh, North Carolina to boot!

Dexter follows Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst with some serious issues and an interesting "code." In short, he’s a serial killer who only kills those who deserve to be killed: rapists, murderers, molesters. ie. those whom would likely be on death row or imprisoned for life anyway. (And yes, it is just a TV show, so although I do love Dexter, I am not in any way condoning his behavior).

I blazed through seasons 1 and 2 via iTunes during the summers following each season’s airing, and just last night finished season 3 thanks to Robert who saved the episodes for me on his DVR. A HUGE bonus for dog sitting Emma!

Don’t worry, you’ll find no spoilers here. This post is meant only to be a suggestion to all Dexter-virgins to find a way to view past seasons and pick up with season 4, which I suspect will premiere sometime this fall on Showtime.

Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter (Hall's real-life wife, but his sister on the show), David Zayas and James Remar all deserve honorable mention for superb acting in this series. Highly recommended - Dexter won't disappoint!

Valentine dog treats

I followed through with my promise to Jeni and baked homemade doggie biscuits for my canine buddies as a Valentine's Day treat. The first few batches were enthusiastically approved by Emma, Bailey and Zoe.

I hope my many 4-legged friends will also enjoy my carefully prepared treats.



Super-easy recipe:

4 c flour (I used 2 cups white, 2 cups whole wheat flour)
3 c oatmeal
4 tbsp oil (I used canola oil and added a touch extra)
1 egg
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 c water
Bouillon cubes (I used 3 and boiled them in the 2 cups water in the microwave)

Mix ingredients. Directions I had did not call for any delay in cutting shapes in the dough. I, however, highly recommend chilling the dough for a bit before attempting cookie-cuttering :)

You will need flour for sprinkling on your "cookie-cutting" surface, as well as your rolling pin (if you're lucky enough to have one).
Bake for 1 hour at 300 degrees. After baking, remove to separate cookie sheet, wax paper, or foil. Allow to dry for at least 2 hours. Afterwards, store in ziploc bags.

Instant doggie delight is guaranteed - promised by Emma, Bailey and Zoe.

Happy Friday the 13th!

I'm not really superstitious about Friday the 13th, but I found some pretty interesting articles on-line. MSNBC posted some Spooky Sports Happenings that are a bit eerie.

I guess it's a good thing we played DOOK on Wednesday instead of today!

We'll have another Friday the 13th next month and then a third in November. We won't have three in one year again until 2012 (January, April, July).

For all of you Paraskevidekatriaphobics out there, I wish you a safe and incident-free Friday the 13th!

It's great to be a TAR HEEL!

The Dookies went down at home last night – what a glorious thing. Even more fun was seeing Coach “Ratface” K having a snit fit on the court. He really is an unattractive man who shouldn’t be seen screaming.

And WHY is the air conditioning in Cameron so useless? I know it’s unseasonably warm in NC right now, but those poor guys were drenched and there was more than one slip mishap due to sweat on the court. One would think that a school that charges more than $37,000 per year for tuition would have better facilities!

The game went back-and-forth with UNC up by quite a bit first, then the Dookies were up by eight at the half. (Nail-biting commenced). The lead flip-flopped a bit more, but then the Heels claimed the lead for good with more than five minutes left to play. Final score: Heels 101; Dook 87.

That’s FOUR straight wins for UNC at Cameron. If I didn’t have a needy elderly Elkhound at home I would've headed up to Franklin Street myself!

My favorite TV moment of the game was Ty Lawson scoring and getting fouled with about four minutes left to play. He was knocked over and the camera was right in his face as he yelled, “YEAH!” with a victorious look on his face. Go Ty!

Also, in true rivalry fashion, I can’t help but laugh my face off that all those Dookies slept in tents for over a month just to watch their team lose. Although I should mention that even as a Tar Heel, I find it ridiculous that students had to do that just to get a ticket – especially in light of the aforementioned tuition fees. Oh well, their fault for choosing to attend DOOK!

Congratulations Stump!

Last night Stump became the oldest dog ever to win "Best in Show" at the Westminster Dog Show. A gorgeous Sussex Spaniel and a true survivor - he almost died five years ago - Stump was a HUGE crowd favorite. I loved his little short legs and seemingly perma-grin. Photo below snatched from USA Today. Let's hope proper credit prevents me from being sued for copyright infringements.


The "ratta-tat-tat" of tiny paws on short doggy legs, clamoring to keep up, always makes me giggle. Zoe is really a lead-foot for a 7 1/2 pounder, but her footfalls still follow a sing-song clickety-clack on my hardwood and linoleum floors and the pavement outside.

I also loved Tiger Woods, the Scottish deerhound who won Westminster's hound group. He reminded me so much of Dante, the Irish wolfhound in Pam Houston's novel, "Sighthound," which is one of my favorite books. Seeing Tiger really tore at my heartstrings!

Sincere congrats to all the well-behaved pooches who earned accolades this year. I hope they are all either home or on their way home to enjoy loads of dog biscuits and well-deserved LOVE!

My big fat Greek spaghetti

I got this recipe from my friend Shelly who is a gluten-free girl, but regular noodles can be substituted of course. I made this Sunday night and it turned out pretty well even though I lacked the oregano, left out the onion and substituted black olives for the kalamatas. It was SO easy to prepare and made a very minimal mess of my kitchen.

Sorry, unlike some of my other friends who blog about food, I have no photos.

Prep time: 7 minutes; Cook time: 15 minutes. The following should make 4 servings with a good possibility of leftovers.

10 oz GF spaghetti
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp oregano, chopped
1 tsp garlic (I added a little more)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
8 kalamata olives, pitted, halved
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
4 tbsp lemon juice (I only used 3)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

Nutritional information per serving: 398 calories, 15 grams protein, 11 grams total fat, 5 grams fiber, 5 grams saturated fat, 62 grams carbs, 25 mgs cholesterol, 401 mgs sodium

In a large pot of boiling salted water, boil the noodles according to package directions. (I used spirals, really any kind of noodles will do although the recipe obviously calls for spaghetti). Drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, onion, olives, half of the parsley, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes or until heated.

Add noodles and most of the cheese to the skillet; toss gently to combine. Remove skillet from heat.

Top with remaining cheese and parsley.

Shelly served this with broiled eggplant which was quite tasty! I made it and divided it up into batches for work lunches - no side dish included.

Quote of the day

This quote was on a New Year's card I recently received in the mail, and I love it! Thanks Kevin & Jen.

"Beer will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no beer."

-Maureen Ogle

Dog face and darn cute

While I'm aware that she's truly no angel, this face is one of the sweetest I know. (And as I typed that I laughed out loud at her sailing over the gate that now keeps Bailey almost constantly in the kitchen).



SUPERB yawn - such yawns and butt-in-the-air stretches are hourly occurrences here.



My TRUE best friend pictured below, with power-tongue in motion. Bailey rocks. He's a bit more high-maintenance in his old age but still the king of the castle. Long live the King!

Wahoo Reunion

Scotty D flew into town on Saturday for a layover, so Kerry and I made plans to meet up with him in downtown Raleigh for dinner. Neither of us had seen Scott in more than a decade, but WSY bonds are hard to break! I mean really, if you spent hours of almost every day of your childhood swimming back and forth, staring at a black lane line, how could you not forge friendships with the others trapped with you in misery? (Mark we missed you!)

My evening began with Sydney's bathtime, pictured below. She's still a little chub rock, but always damn cute.



The WSY trio enjoyed dinner at Irregardless Cafe (one of my favorites from my days as a Raleigh resident), and I'm pretty sure we closed the place down.

I had every intention of having our waiter take our photo, but a credit card snafu and a stealthy extra-drink-sneak by Scott derailed my carefully laid plans. Therefore, we have the self-portraits below, taken in the circle drive of the Sheraton.


I never would've posted the below photo (as I look surprised, crazy, or let's just say unattractive) but I thought it was a great photo of Scott and Kerry.



Kerry and I LOVED seeing Scott, and we're expecting another visit in LESS than 10 years! Scott: Happy wedding day to you and Jennifer! Have a fabulous honeymoon and be sure to tell her we can't wait to meet her!

Calling for advice from all homeowners!

I am very quickly approaching the end of my 5-year ARM, so the task of refinancing my home is at hand, and I am not looking forward to it at all. I'm hoping that someone (or more hopefully many people) are going to tell me that it is not as daunting as I anticipate.

In all honesty I am in complete shock that 5 years have passed. I have lived at my current address longer than anywhere else (by more than 3 years) other than my childhood home.

Between the years of 1992 and 2004, my address changed fifteen times.

Any tips for refinancing would be greatly appreciated. My parents have been on me for months now and I'm finally almost ready to take the plunge. I'm considering waiting until after I determine my 2008 tax refund, but I'm willing to bet my parents will make me crazy before then if I don't make a move soon.

Eagerly awaiting immense wisdom!

What is wrong with people today?

A small-town Kansas mayor shot two dogs dead with a rifle on Sunday, February 1st.

While Mayor Don Call gives "reasons" for his actions, I remain mortified. I'm sure there are several stories posted online, but the following link leads to MSNBC's account of the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29021290/.

Call said the dogs were loose and chasing children, but Sheriff Sandy Horton said his department wasn't told the dogs were chasing children. He said the mayor should have contacted authorities before taking matters into his own hands.

Indeed. But I feel there is another point to make. Let's say the dogs were loose AND actually "chasing" children. In all honesty, that is the owner's fault. But that still doesn't justify shooting the owner OR the dogs.

I own two dogs and one of them is a bit of a risk (she bites), so I am constantly on alert. She was abused before I adopted her so she's hesitant to trust anyone - although I honestly think she's loved me since the day we met.

She's a tiny girl (7.5 lbs), and I've worked quite hard to train her to suppress her fight-or-flight response to stimuli. She's made tremendous progress since I adopted her in November 2005.

I guess my point is that all dogs deserve a chance. I know some can't be rehabilitated or saved, but gunning two animals down with no clear defensible motive is abhorrent.

I remember my landlord at what I've always referred to as "Satan's Lair," threatening one of my dog sitters and myself. He told me he was going to "run over my dogs with his tractor," if they ever barked at him again. Mind you, the barking was done from inside a fenced yard.

I was smart enough to vacate that hell hole without delay, but I hate to imagine what could've happened to Jax or Bailey if I'd been foolish enough to stick around.

I say give this Call asshole the maximum punishment allowed. When I hear stories like this, I wish the perpetrators could be punished by truly appropriate means - meaning that I'd stick him in a pit of ferocious dogs who might rip him to bits.

Quote of the day

"The time is always right to do what is right."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Madness: a book review (with notes on Wasted)

I became a fan of Marya Hornbacher when I read her Pulitzer-prize nominated book, "Wasted." The book follows Marya through her struggle with both anorexia and bulimia, which began for her at the tender age of nine. When I bought the book in 1998, I was still a bit of a slave to my own anorexic tendencies. I hadn't yet banished my demons, much less the voices of some of my more cruel sorority sisters who took pleasure in mocking me. (I would like to say those jabs didn't faze me, but those girls were mean).

Nevertheless, to those who insist that "Wasted" reads like a "how-to" book for anorexics; or that it contains profoundly inappropriate scenarios; I say P-SHAW!

I found comfort in Marya's stark depiction of herself as a young girl in the throws of an addictive DISEASE. Having lived through an eating disorder that lasted the better part of six years, I feel qualified to suggest that "Wasted" is a powerfully realistic memoir and nothing more.

But "Madness" tells the story of a very late second chapter in Marya's life. It details the events that led up to her diagnosis of Type I, rapid-cycle bipolar disorder, as well as the events and behavior that accelerated her descent into madness. Sadly, bipolar diagnoses were not widely accepted when Marya was a child, so her path to recovery didn't even begin until she was twenty four years old, and even then she had a very long way to go.

Her behavior as a child (as told by her own account) was so bizarre that I kept finding myself yelling aloud, "HOW could they not know something was VERY wrong with her?" The below is a short caption depicting her manic behavior at age FOUR (this doesn't even mention her obsession with chanting "I don't care says Pierre!")

"The goatman," I whisper, agitated. "He's in my room. He came while I was sleeping. You have to make him leave. I can't sleep. Will you read to me?" I hop about, crashing into the nightstand. "Can we make a cake? I want to make a cake, I can't go to school tomorrow, I'm scared of Teacher Jackie, she yells at us, she doesn't like me, Mom, the goatman, do you have to go to work tomorrow? Will you read to me?"

"Madness" also hit home because my ex-boyfriend, who I dated off and on for six years, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a couple of years before we finally broke up.

While reading some of Marya's "play-by-play" descriptions of her episodes, I became sick to my stomach. Denial is a powerful thing. See below thoughts of Marya, recorded just minutes after she received her official diagnosis:

"Biploar? Kind of an overstatement, but whatever. Just another name from yet another shrink...It's not like I'm sick. I'll take the meds...Back to normal in a jiffy, back to my usual good mood. And surely no one needs to know; why focus more on what a fuckup I am? They'll take it wrong and make a fuss. This is really no big deal. I'll be good as new...I'm immensely pleased with myself for changing my thoughts in this so-healthy-way."

Sadly, I can say I had MANY conversations with myself that were remarkably similar (okay, nearly identical) to the aforementioned snippet from "Madness."

Thankfully, I am now almost completely comfortable in my own skin. And yes, reading books like "Wasted" and "Madness" helped me tremendously. I adamantly believe that anyone who truly feels these memoirs are harmful is a misinformed blockhead. I shouldn't be surprised though, even my own father expected me to "just snap out of it." If it had only been that easy.

I'd recommend these books to anyone. But especially if your life has been touched by any type of mental disorder, "Wasted" and "Madness" are top-notch, truly autobiographical, informative works of literature.

The Tar Heels are on fire!

Let's hope this post doesn't jinx the Heels, but I can't help but give them a good and loud shout out for tearing it up in recent games. Perhaps I should've titled the post, "Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington are on FIRE!"

The Heels most recently defeated Maryland last night, 108-91, the Heels' first victory over the Terrapins since 2006. (And I should mention that Gary Williams is my second favorite coach in all of college basketball, but I still have no problem with the Heels beating his team!) Ellington scored a total of 34 points - seven of those points scored in less than one minute, and 21 of them via three-pointers. He also managed nine rebounds. Yowza!

While the Florida State game might not have been one of Ellington's best, he still scored 14 points and had two rebounds and one assist. On January 31st he scored 14 points against NC State, with six rebounds and two assists. Not too shabby.

Now on to Ty Lawson. He's only 5'11, but he's one of the "biggest" players in college ball right now. His game-winning three-point shot against Florida State has been replayed over and over since the January 28th matchup.

My sport was swimming, so shots like Lawson's last second save remind me of Jason Lezak's phenomenal anchor leg of the 2008 US Men's gold-medal winning 4x100 freestyle relay at the Beijing Olympics. Unforgettable. I must've watched that race at least 25 times.

Against Florida State, Lawson led the Heels in scoring with 21 points total. He also scored 16 against the Wolfpack and 21 against Maryland. He scored three three-pointers in the first half against Maryland, which put UNC ahead by at least 10 for the rest of the game. Thank you Ty for keeping this one out of the nail-biter zone!

I by no means intend to forsake the talents of Tyler Hansbrough or Danny Green, I just can't help but want to shine the light on Lawson and Ellington for now.

Next game: Saturday, February 7th at 4 p.m. vs. Virginia at home. GO HEELS!

The Little Pleasures

Our new office building is a couple short miles from a Starbucks and two of my favorite restaurants. But the best part of this proximity (and thus the frequency with which I make the journey there), is the unavoidable railroad crossing that has the most perfectly placed bump, which sends me pleasantly airborne when I hit it at just the right speed. In fact, I get quite testy when there is a law-abiding citizen in front of me who prevents me from sailing over my "ramp" of sorts.

Yes, there is a sign that states a speed limit of 10 mph, but that just isn't any fun. The wonderful in-car flight experienced while passing over my favorite railroad crossing reminds me a great deal of a certain bump in Falmouth Drive (a road in my parents' neighborhood, where I grew up).

The Falmouth "bump" became a delight to all of my friends who ever rode in my car with me. With carefully timed acceleration, your stomach almost dropped. Granted, one could only speed so much, as a stop sign is located straight away after the bump, but we had good fun.

While my delight at such a trivial thing likely seems ridiculous to most, I don't care. That little jump a few times a week is an absolutely fabulous guiltless pleasure that I won't soon give up.

Go Tar Heels, Beat State!

Went to Kerry's on Saturday afternoon to watch the Tar Heels beat the Wolfpack. I was ecstatic that my entrance was greeted by a lovely smile from Sydney.

The kids watched the game, too, and I even had Felton yelling, "Go Tar Heels, Beat State!" FABULOUS, especially in light of our victory.

Sydney is walking completely on her own now. Although she'll occasionally crawl if it's easier to do so, she seems happier on her feet.

But she especially loves to knock down block towers made just for that purpose. Trust me, it takes a great deal of skill to construct a block tower quickly enough for Sydney (quickly enough before she knocks it down). As seen to the left, she's delighted to have tumbled over another stack.

Both Felton and Sydney are excited about the impending block-tumble below.



Sydney walking...



Sydney watching the Heels up close - that's my girl!



I thoroughly enjoyed playing "throw the stability ball up and down the stairs" with Felton, too. He is the coolest kid, and when we're in the "play zone" I couldn't be happier. He has an adorable laugh, the sweetest cheeks, and I love that I make him smile!