Blog Renaming Contest

I'm planning on moving.

I say "planning" because I don't have a buyer for my house yet.  Technically it's not officially on the market (although a family did look at it).

And many of my faithful readers (at last count...2?  3?) have suggested I need to rename the blog.

Awesome!

I am officially having a "Rename the Blog" contest.  Suggestions are open until June 1.  At that time I'll post a list of my favs and then have you vote!

Prizes?  Prize you ask?  How about the Honor of my blog carrying your creative brilliance forever more?  What's that you say?  I am supposed to pay you for the Intellectual Property you created for me in renaming my blog?

Jeez there are too many lawyers hanging around this place....

PRIZE:  A surprise fitting the winner of the contest.  Yeah - a personalize prize.  How about that??!!

Let's get thinking readers!

And the Winner Is........

Three Peas in a Pod totally nailed it - dead on. How many hours/days of diet cokes? 1.5 days. Now to be fair, Tuesday started at 8 a.m. and ended after midnight. Wednesday started at 8a.m. I took the photo at noon.

When I left the office for trial Friday, my shelf overflowth.

Yes, I drink too many diet cokes. The associate in charge of stocking our "war room" bought 2 cases. I told him it was a good start.....

I am off to trial for real now. No more playing hooky. I'll be back Friday to tell you how it went. And to Mail Sue her book!

Someone's Working Long Hours....

[The photo above is blurry but I like that you can see my view of DC! And yes those are my bocce trophies from the firm tournament...]





That's my windowledge where I collect diet cokes until I take the long 20 foot walk down the corridor to the pantry where the recycle bin is. So how many days - or hours - of diet cokes do you think that represents? Hmmm? And for those of you who know me - those are only the ones consumed in my office . The 5.a.m. and 7:30a.m. on my way to work ones aren't there, nor the on-my-way-home ones....



Go ahead. Guess. The answer will scare you....



what - a prize? you want a prize??? ok ok winner gets my book I'm reading that I won from Mama Milton...Angry Conversations With God

This book totally rocks my socks.

So drop a comment and a guess and please oh jeez leave me an email so I know where to contact the winner.

Contest closes.....ummmm....Saturday April 25 9 a.m. EDT.....

Myra, San Diego Momma and My Dad

Some time ago I won a fabulous prize on San Diego Momma, which was free business cards or other cards, specially designed for me by Myra at Moon and Back Studios. Myra has a beautiful, sleek, fresh design on her website and I love her cards, but I was trying to find just the right thing to do with this great gift. My firm provides business cards, and I am terrible at snail mail. I collect correspondence cards and never use them.

Then I started thinking about things - my Dad was retiring and he has always been a big Business Card kind of guy. He brags that they are the original blackberry - a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket with a business card tucked in with notes on the back and wham, his blackberry for the day: notes on who he has to call, appointments, important info. All in one handy dandy card. How would he survive as a retired man with no Business Cards?

So I emailed Myra, gave her some vague ideas of my dad (and pretty much no artistic guidance seeing as how I can't even draw stick people) and she created THIS:

You may have read that my Dad is big into Model Railroading. So I thought this was Perfect. And so did he!! Even this proof does not do it justice. It really was awesome. Thank you San Diego Momma for the great gift. Thank you Myra for being such an awesome artist and feeling person.

And Dad? Yeah, thanks for being you!

We wanna Wii to weeee weee weee all the way home...

Over at Magpie Musings she's giving away a Wii Fit. The challenge? write a story of why you deserve the Wii Fit. Here Wii gooooo.....

Wii here in Casa de Next Door endeavor to be athletes. At 8 I was the first girl on the little league boys' baseball team - "farm league." And when they needed a sub in the "minors" one age up? I volunteered. As wii crossed the field to the game, the coach asked me, "What's your name son?"
I calmly answered, "Mary Ellen."
[ Pause....wait for it.... ]
Coach: "MARY ELLEN?! You never said you were a girl!"
ME: "You never asked."
I played the greatest game of my life, batted 1000, stole 3 bases. My mother made me quit little league the next year. "Those boys throw that ball too hard." I discovered soccer...

In high school I played field hockey [no high school soccer team for girls], basketball, ran indoor and outdoor track, joined the indoor weight club (all 105 pounds of me). When I got shin splints and couldn't run, I joined the Hogs and threw the shot put (all 105 pounds of me). Wii had a blast.

In college I joined the first ever Womens' Soccer team at my University. Wii crushed teams with our indurance - Wii had no skills b/c wii had no field on which to practice. Wii ranked below the high school prep boys in field priority. So Wii ran for 2 hours every day waiting for a field to open up. In the off season Wii practiced with the coaches' old chums from high school on indoor gym floors - the coaches were Boys who checked us into the bleachers and took no mercy. All 105 pounds of us. Wii had fun.

Throughout the last 20 years I've endeavored to remain somewhat "fit." My family carries diabetes genes (we own that gene pool), heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. It's all about fitness to win this fight. I managed to marry into an equally awful cesspool of genes, so my kids are pretty much doomed, and their father has no fitness sense and does not follow my guidelines for the kids. When they are in his house, they have different rules. But here in Casa de NextDoor, Wii have tried to train them from a young age to eat heart healthy. Wii used to run and play soccer and jump on a trampoline. Wii used to snowboard and water ski. Wii tried to stay fit. Together.

Until mamma collided with a goalie in her adult league game and wiped out her knee in June. I can't run far before it aches. I have seen a doctor and tried PT. I have given up my 10 mile competitions. Wii think mama and her joints are getting old. Mama has packed on 15 pounds and gone up a dress size. Son has tried to get Mama back out onto the road running and doesn't understand why some bodies get to a certain age and don't bounce back. Daughter wants to know why Mama can't play soccer with her any more, why Mama can't share her clothes anymore, and why mama is having trouble fitting into her dress for the big Christmas Ball. Mama is wondering if this is the beginning of the end of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Mama never had willpower. I've never met a bag of chips I didn't like. I enjoy a big, fat juicy steak; cheese fries used to be my friend. I have combatted weight with exercise. (My kids eat way healthier than I!) But now that I can't exercise, I am struggling to redefine myself. And I am losing.

Oh and gyms and clubs and stuff? I'm a single mom working a full time job. There's this one thing called TIME and this other thing called MONEY.

Enter Wii Fit. A new idea at getting fit. In the privacy of my own home. On my time. Late at night, early in the morning, in between depositions and documents and flute lessons and driving lessons. AND a way wii can play together and encourage each other to get fit and stay fit. A way to reconnect with my teenagers who will be leaving me all too soon for college. A way to reunite with clothes I have shoved to the back of the closet. A way to stem the tide of the cesspool I call Genes.

Wii hope to see a Wii here, reaaaaally soon...