Author: Lenore Diane

I am married. We have two boys, two dogs, and two cats. I am on the Oxford Comma team. I look forward to my first large cup of coffee, black, every single morning, and I look forward to that second large cup of coffee, still black, every single afternoon.

Different and Opinionated

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Today is an active weather day, here in the Southern US. Days like today fill me with excitement, curiosity and wonder. It is a dream of mine to become a storm chaser, if only for a day. Weather has always fascinated me, and I suspect it will continue to fascinate me until my dying day.

As I keep tabs on the radar, my weather radio and the skies, I am also aware of the fact that we are all different, and we all have our own passions. Weather is one of many passions for me. It’s a safe passion, in the sense that talking about weather rarely ignites heated debates or controversy. But, I have other passions. And, my other passions do ignite heated debates, controversy and even annoyance. (Then again, perhaps I am annoying – period.)

One day I’d like to write a book. There are many authors out there who make a living writing humorous books about their opinion of this, that and the other. Folks who agree with the authors may find the books entertaining and worth reading. Folks who do not agree with the author may find the books annoying and idiotic. Actually, folks who do not agree with the author may avoid the books entirely.

By blogging, I hope to humorously spark something within the readers. Even those who read just one of my entries and never come back, mean something to me; because, what I wrote either sent them away (perhaps for good) or tweaked their interest to read more posts. Though I’d like to tweak everyone’s interest, I know I have the power to annoy, and I’m OK with that power. (I do wish I could find a nifty costume to go with the power of annoyance.)

I watch the stats tied to my blog. I’m certainly not the most read blog in the blogosphere, but I do get hits; and, I think that counts for something, though for what I’m not sure. And, I find blogging has similarities with Facebook, as Facebook users often use their status to express a random thought or opinion. Plus, one may post an article they found interesting on his/her Wall. I find it interesting to see which posts receive the greatest responses. In addition, I find it interesting to see which posts are ignored.

A couple of days ago, I posted an article on Facebook about a South Park episode that triggered a response from a radical Muslim group in New York City. If you are interested in the New York Times article, click here. Not surprisingly, many people didn’t respond to the post. And, those who did respond ended up debating the abortion issue, which was off the mark, topic-wise. Still, this South Park thing concerns me greatly. I was pleased to come across Jon Stewart’s take on it, and I encourage you to take a look, too. [Jon Stewart Show, South Park]

I don’t have a problem with being different or opinionated. Quite the contrary, I believe differences lead to enlightenment and being opinionated leads to dedication. (Leads to dedication? Dedication to stubbornness? Anyway . . .) Thank goodness for the men and women of our country who are opinionated enough to fight for this country. And, maybe I contradict myself when I mention folks fighting for our country, while mentioning I am bothered by radical groups fighting in the name of their religion. Still, being threatened because of a cartoon makes no sense to me.

I have my own strong religious beliefs, but I am not going to kill someone for depicting symbols of my faith in a comical and perhaps disrespectful manner. Nor am I going to remain silent when I have a strong opinion about something. But, as I tell my boys, I will use words (very loudly) not hands. And, as trite as it may sound, hands are for helping not for hurting. (However, if you are going to take some of my ice cream, please don’t be shocked if I pop your hand. We all have our limits, eh?)

I believe the reaction by one radical group over a South Park episode is cause for alarm. In part, because it was over a CARTOON and the threatening undertone came from folks on our soil. As Jon Stewart noted, the warning came under the shadows of the World Trade Towers – rather, where the shadows of the, now collapsed, Towers once covered. America is a melting pot, and Americans share in the freedom of religion and the freedom to be free of religion. We are all able to speak our mind on views that matter to us, and we have used our voices non-violently for centuries.

Though my fear probably would have resulted in the same action, I’m sorry Comedy Central decided to censor the original South Park episode. Moreover, it makes me mad the radical group threatened Matt and Trey. Why not call for a boycott or peaceful picketing? It makes me sick how extremists, regardless of the faith or cause they represent, ruin it for those of us who like to play together nicely in the sandbox, even when we disagree. Now, please excuse me. I have to get back to the weather, because there is a storm front approaching and I want to go chase it.

He said “Yes.”

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments

Rob told me he would express his final vote on the Montessori idea on Saturday. Well, good morning blogosphere – today is Saturday! While we all sat at the table eating breakfast, I kept my eyes on Rob, smiling when he looked my way. Growing tired of it, he asked me to stop looking at him like a child begging. “Well,” I said. “I am begging.”

The boys finished their breakfast, excused themselves from the table and went to do their own thing. Though Rob and I had finished eating, we continued to sit at the table. Rob looked deliberate, while I sat sometimes pensive, fearing a ‘no’ from him. He continued to deliberate, and I continued to bat my eyes, wince a bit and speak of the positives. With the anxiety over his pending vote and two cups of coffee in my system, my heart was racing. Then the phone rang.

Our neighbor’s son was calling to see if our boys could come to his house to play. Our table discussion was put on hold, as we got the boys ready to go next door. I then took to the computer, and I printed out our budget spreadsheet. I created a ‘draft’ worksheet to account for the cost of Montessori. Once the boys went next door, Rob and I sat on the couch, and I gave him the spreadsheet to review.

Though he claimed the spreadsheet didn’t sway him, I know seeing the numbers on paper helped put his mind at ease. Shortly after reviewing the numbers, Rob looked at me and uttered the three-letter word I was waiting to hear: sex. Oh wait, no. Sorry, wrong post. Rob said, “Yes!” And, me? I said, “Woo hoo!”

Of course, Rob saying yes, does not mean Joe is definitely going to Montessori. But, it does mean I can move forward with the application/testing process. On Monday, I will drop off the application and admission fee, and I will wait for them to contact us with a testing date. Although we registered Joe for Kindergarten within our local public school, we are now entering the phase of private school enrollment. I am excited. Very excited. And Rob? Well, Rob noted I’ve had too much caffeine this morning.

Doogie-whompers and Wee-honked

~ Lenore Diane ~ 3 Comments

Two of my very best friends made up words I will never forget: Doogie-whompers and Wee-honked. Though I can’t define the words in the traditional sense, I will tell you that ‘doogie-whompers’ is most commonly used as an interjection and ‘wee-honked’ is most commonly used as an adjective. Of course, I say ‘most commonly’ as if these words are widely used by everyone, when in reality the words are mainly by the three of us.

Today, I am thinking ‘doogie-whompers’ over and aver again, as I anxiously await for kindergarten registration to take place. As I type, I have one more hour until we head to registration. Ding dangity, I am nervous! Better yet, “Doogie-whompers! I am a nervous wreck!” And, my nerves are leaving me with a feeling of wee-honkedness. We-honked is the exact opposite of balanced. When we-honked, I am most vulnerable to my junk food cravings. Case in point – RIGHT NOW. I want to eat the pint of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer, but I don’t have enough time! What’s worse is the fact that I won’t have time to console myself with junk food today at all. ACK!

Today, I am actually having to experience the wee-honkedness in all its glory, without a handy numbing affect. I know I will make it through the day, but “Doogie-whompers! I want to submit to a crutch!” Plus, when feeling this we-honked, it allows one to become overwhelmed with other bits of anxieties. Oh, and add some PMS, and you’ve got a perfect storm brewing. Yes, life inside our house may be challenging tonight. I’ll be sure to do my breathing exercises and step away for a bit, if needed.

Happily, Rob liked the Montessori school we checked out today. [A double whammy kindergarten kind of day.] It was my second time taking the tour at this particular school. I loved it at first sight, and I am glad Rob loved it, too. Rob believes in Montessori and understands the value it offers. His biggest concern with starting Joe at Montessori is the financial commitment. He, like me, worries about our budget, making ends meet and the sacrifices it will bring. And, because of his uncertainty (and the uncertainty of Joe being accepted into a Montessori program), we are registering Joe for public school today. Um. Have I said “ACK” yet? ACK!

Twenty more minutes until we pick up Joe and register him for kindergarten. And, I realize there are bigger issues in the world – bigger fish in the sea – bigger battles being fought. However, my awareness of those realizations is not calming the butterflies in my stomach. Again, the wee-honkedness I am feeling and the PMS rising is an invitation to the many other anxieties I have. So, thank you very much, I’ve just added the above mentioned anxieties about the bigger battles being fought, bigger fish in the sea and the bigger issues in the world to my state of wee-honkedness. Doogie-whompers! I think I’m gonna need a bigger bowl.