Second Draft

[note:   based on suggestions I received, I pared down the bit abt the hunting dog, added some to the reception we get and realized I didn’t have my framing (ending) quote.]

Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.
– Mohammed Ali

Dear Readers of this Newsletter,

Hi.   My name is CuriousC and I am a volunteer.   It all started when I inquired about the possibility of bringing my Oscar Pup to visit the residents.

My dog is a very active little guy of only 70 pounds and I wanted to find an activity that we both could share.   Being a Therapy Team sounded PERFECT!    We could visit schools and nursing homes and hospitals and CHEER people UP!

Little did I realize that it was going to be ME* (and Oscar) that would be the one(s) being CHEERED.

I am humbled by the reaction and appreciation I receive when Oscar and I visit  Shaw Home.   Everyone is so nice!    The residents, the staff, even the Misty the Cat seems responsive to our weekly visits.   The smiles are warm and the greetings of “Oh look!   Oscar is here today!” are said with such enthusiasm.    One resident even sings songs to Oscar.  Through the experience of bringing Oscar in each Thursday, I have formed many wonderful friendships.   It has encouraged me to expand on my volunteer time beyond just the human part of a pet therapy team and now I help keep the books in the library* sorted, I teach computer skills, do a few odd jobs like clean out the basement, and occasionally accompany lunch outings.

How Oscar feels about the experience is a whole ‘nother story.    Next time I will share  about the special friendship between Oscar and Misty the Cat.

Affectionately,

Oscar’s Mom

No act of kindness,
no matter how small,
is ever wasted.
– Aesop

*  We have the largest Large Print Collection in the area!

cool!   word count is 296!   🙂

HIdeinWhitetoSkipLine

Copyright © 2010. CuriousC at Idea Jump! All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Curious “C” from the Idea Jump! blog.  It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Why I Do What I Do.

OK – this is my FIRST PASS ATTEMPT (supposedly a ‘draft’?) of my possible and required committed-to article for the nursing home newsletter that if you read the prior post will make sense….

Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.

Mohammed Ali

Dear Readers of this Newsletter,

Hi.   My name is _____.   I am a volunteer.

It all started awhile (a while?  I get SO confused when I need to have a space inserted between that a and the w — seriously, let me know somebody which it is?!  thanks) ago when I inquired about the possibility of bringing my Oscar Pup to visit the residents.

My dog is a hunting dog by trade but doesn’t get to hunt.   (I had no idea that when I would tell people that he was a hunting dog that people would freak out like I had a semi-automatic hidden in my belt.  I do not.    I try not to tell people he is a hunting dog anymore.  I say this instead:    “…one of the sporting breeds, like Golden Retrievers?”)    Anyway, he is an active little guy of only 70 pounds and I wanted to find an activity that we both could share.

Therapy Team sounded PERFECT!    We could visit schools and nursing homes and hospitals and CHEER people UP!

Little did I realize that it was going to be ME* (and Oscar) that would be the one(s) getting CHEERED.

I am humbled by the reaction and appreciation I receive when Oscar and I visit _________.   Everyone is so nice!    The residents, the staff, even the Misty the Cat seems responsive to our weekly visits.    I find it very rewarding and have gone on to volunteer time not just as the human part of this pet therapy team but I help re-alphabetize books in the library*, teach computer skills, do odd jobs like clean out the basement, and occasionally accompany lunch outings.

How Oscar feels about the experience is a whole ‘nother story.    Next time?

* You all know, don’t you?  that I am referred to as “Oscar’s Mom”?   Few people really know my name…   Which I’m perfectly fine with.  Really!

HIdeinWhitetoSkipLine

Copyright © 2010. CuriousC at Idea Jump! All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Curious “C” from the Idea Jump! blog.  It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

ah, happy again

Ranting is good.

And, I truly do believe that if you have poison in your attitude, it’s best to yell it out of yourself.

Just to update the 2 or 3 of you who just might care, check this out:

The sign guy figgered it out!    May blessings be heaped upon all who see and witness.

Dear Potential New-to-Me Doctor,

Dear Potential New-to-Me Doctor,

I found you in the list of doctors that accept my insurance.   I liked your name and the fact that you are close to my age and have been an official doctor for almost 20 years.     What else do I have to go on?!     They should make you list favorite color, astrological sign and if you prefer pie or cake.

I am writing to you because I have made an appointment and wanted to save the who/what/where/blahblahblahs so we may have a productive meeting.   I have no physical complaints to present to you and I hope not to have any in the near future.

Also, I’m curious if you will respond.   Knowing you are busy and my letter to you a bit unorthodox in the ‘Choosing-A-Doctor’ process, I wonder if you will write me back.   I’m enclosing a SASE to make it a bit easier.

I’m giving you the opportunity to NOT ACCEPT me as a new patient if you decide I’m not someone you want to know.

Let’s start, shall we?     I have no kids – never quite got around to it and have since decided that our family of wife plus husband plus adorable dog is just fine.     I work out occasionally, would love to lose 5-10 pounds but don’t really care, I try to eat right, I admit to smoking cigarettes on occasion but can easily go weeks or months without one, and I partake more beer and wine than is recommended.    I’ve just started yoga and I’m liking it way more than I expected to.    Over all, life is really great and I have no complaints.     Other than my hypothyroidic condition and nasty cold sores on my upper lip every so often, I’ve got nothing wrong with me that I know about.

I love to read – do you?    What’s your favorite book?    I am recommending The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, especially if you love dogs.    Do you like dogs?     It was just a wonderful read.     I’ve set a goal to read 100 books this year and not sure I’ll make it but I’m reading quite a variety – it’s fun.      I work as a substitute teacher because I love the flexibility and because it gives me something to say when people ask me what I do.     I also volunteer at the nursing home and do free tutoring through the library for math, language and computers.

So, is this enough?   Would you like me as a patient?   If not, please save us both the time and effort and send this back with a big red line thru it.     Or fill out my little survey.     Click the appropriate circle:

O   –    Yes, would love to have you as a new patient.    I will remind myself to read this again as your appointment nears.

O   –     No, you sound really weird.     Find somebody else.

O  –      I’m passing this around the office and we’re all getting a good laugh.

O  –     Do you have no idea how busy I am?!   I’m an extremely important health professional and I do not have the time to be writing patients or filling out silly forms.   I’ll just hand this to some poor sap in the office and see if they will fill it out.

Thank you for your being open to my process of finding a good doctor.  I would love to know more about you and your philosophies of patient care and personal health and well-being.      Do you think you would be a good doctor for me?

Sincerely,

CuriousC

Partial Post

Howdy.

I have started and deleted I dont know HOW MANY posts and thought I’d best just put anything ‘out here’.   But nothing has seemed interesting or blog-worthy.  I have been visiting you all and lurking (by ‘you’ I mean all of you who might be wondering what’s happened to me and why I haven’t posted here awhile.  You know who you are, right?!)

Allow me to give you a sample of various thoughts streaming across my consciousness:

It’s raining here today.   

I am addicted to the TV show Bones.   Anyone see it last night?!

I read 300 pages for last weekend’s 24 Hour Read-A-Thon.    It may not seem like much but it probably represents about 6 hours of reading time.     So, what was I doing the other 18 hours of the ‘Thon!?     I slept about an hour and half (it was a NAP!)  and I went to yoga class for 2 hours.   Of course, there are some activities that are difficult to do while reading and I did some of those.   and the rest of it, I was blogging!   Reading posts of other readers, participating in mini-challenges to keep us all excited about the Read-A-Thon, and commenting.   COMMMENTING COMMENTING COMMENTING and all the clicks and links and reading posts to comment on.    That’s what took most of my remaining 14 hours:   cheering on the approximately 150 other participants!      It was fun.   🙂

I’m reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett;  I’m about half way through the 972 pages.    After I finish, I will continue to read Oliver Sacks’ The Man Who Thought His Wife Was a Hat.     And then I hope to start In the Woods by Tara French.  

If you want to know what I’m up to blogging-wise and don’t know about my book blog, you may want to visit me there by clicking here.     

I’ve made a few pies lately:    Chocolate Pecan, Orange Meringue, Chocolate Cream, etc.    I’ll be baking a Bourbon Apple tomorrow.

Oscar is the most apathetic therapy dog in the universe.    But he’s loved and beloved so I keep dragging him along on my volunteer visits.   It’s not that he is unfriendly;  more like obstinately apathetic in a cooperative kind of way.

I haven’t traveled anywhere lately but I have a trip scheduled to Phoenix in May.

I’m having lunch this Friday with my friend Teeni – looking forward to that!    Maybe we’ll take a photo.    We’ll definitely be talking about Joan! 

When I logged into this blog today, I noticed that a few days ago, one of my posts had 133 hits.   WOW!    It was one of my Duffy posts…    I’ve been averaging about 20 hits a day here, in case you want to compare stats…

It’s really strange how I have set up such different worlds between my blogs.    Almost like having two different residences – my summer home versus my vacation home?    Totally different neighborhoods, weather, architectural styles…     It’s just odd, in a way.    

A huge happy hip THANK YOU to JavaQueen for granting me some linky-love and giving me an award!   The one called Let’s Be Friends!!   yes, let’s!

By the way, does one’s avatar ‘go away’ with disuse?     I’ve been leaving comments under this ID but my pretty little kite isn’t showing up…

Well, just bookmark this post for when you need to get some sleep.  ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.   But, it’s SOMETHING!

Happy Valentines Day

Oscar was not in the mood to pose for a picture but he still joins me in wishing all a Happy Valentines Day weekend!         ♥

Adventures in Substitute Teaching

I got the job!   What am I thinking!?!?     After child care (OK, doggie day care) expenses, I won’t even make $45 per day.   BEFORE taxes.    I’m betting my time will be 8+ hours away from home.     I’m already dreading this.

I even agreed to pre-K through 12th.    Um, did I really agree to ages under the traditional Kindergarten?    Can I only have the high school honors classes, please?

I can’t believe how I answered some of the questions…

Q:   What do you hope to have accomplished after a day of substituting?
A:   To survive?   (YES, I really said that.)

Q:  Why do you want to be a substitute teacher?
A:  I like the flexibility and that I don’t have to drive very far.  (Hey, I’m honest!)

And they still hired me.   What does THAT tell ya?   Golly, I hope this works out.

How am I ever going to support myself when my genes tell me I might live well into my nineties?   (One gma lived to 103, the other to 94.)   I know I have a privileged lifestyle now, but what about my future?    I feel like career-roadkill, washed up at the age of 43, loser beyond compare.      Sigh.

These kids are going to EAT. ME. ALIVE.     (and I’m talking about the grade schoolers, of course.)

Photo Friday: FESTIVE!

Oscar with Santa

Four Things Meme

MusEditions tagged me!   Here goes:

4 places I go over and over:

(1) Oscar’s Doggie Day Care – drop off, pick up, over and over and over.
(2) The Home for the Aged;  Oscar and I visit Wednesdays and Thursdays
(3) TF Green Airport, Providence RI  – MUCH easier place to catch an airplane than Boston Logan.
(4) Borders – I can’t help it!  I love books.   And this is where I tutor since the Library is closed on Mondays.

Oscar and Santa 2008

4 people who e-mail me regularly:

(1) My husband.
(2) My mom’s side of the family is always sending out ‘stuff’:   birthday notices, old photos, jokes, etc.
(3) I get these crazy spam messages designed to look like I sent them to myself and I have 2 spam checkers that they squeak by somehow.
(4) DSW Shoes.

4 of my favorite places to eat:

(1) Wendys – I rarely go, however.  (and Arby’s and Sonic – I NEVER go because they are not in New England.)
(2) Harry’s  in Middleborough
(3) BB’s Lawnside BBQ in Kansas City (Gates is #2)
(4) The Black Pearl – NewportRI

4 places you’d rather be NOW:

(1) Back asleep in bed.
(2) Hawaii
(3) Aruba
(4) Fiji Islands

4 TV shows I could watch over and over:

(1) Third Rock
(2) ESPN
(3) Bones
(4) Friends

4 movies I could watch over and over:

(1) Kill Bill I & II
(2) The Breakfast Club
(3) Philadelphia Story
(4) Moulin Rouge

4 people I hope will respond:

(1)   Wendy – I realize you are having connectivity issues so whatever.
(2)  Elena
(3)  Grace Magazine
(4)  Hallie

Photo Friday: ACTION!

Today’s Photo Friday theme is action shots…  which means that I have MORE photos of my wonder-Pup Oscar!   At times, he goes into a mode we fondly refer to as ‘devil dog’.    This is Oscar being wild.

Click HERE