Dear Quentin,    It’s just around the corner!   Less than SIX WEEKS to go for the Seacoast New Hampshire Start! Heart Walk!   We’re so excited that you’ve signed up to walk in this years event and we’re even more excited that you’re raising money for education, advocacy and research to fight the number-one and number-three killers in America – heart disease and stroke!   Let’s make this the best walk ever!   If every walker in New Hampshire sends one e-mail to 20 friends, we will meet our lofty goal of $80,000!   And to make it more fun this week, we’re offering a special prize to whoever sends the most e-mail donation requests from their personal walk Web site.   Win a bagel breakfast for six, delivered to you any day you’d like!   Hurry! The contest runs from Thursday, April 10, through Thursday, April 17.   Just go to your Web site (we’ll help you get it set up if you need us) and e-mail donation requests to everyone you know and love! (We are here to help. Email Rosanne.Cronin@heart.org  if you need coaching on sending out e-mails from the site!)   It’s that easy!   www.seacoastNHheartwalk.org   Come Walk With Us!   Tips for raising $1,000 online ·        Send donation requests to people you usually spend your own money on…. Businesses, barbers, accountants, grocers, landlords, etc. ·        Help others make a difference – Giving to the American Heart and Stroke Association helps survivors and those who have lost loved ones know that their contribution makes a difference in the future. Consider asking survivors and their loved ones for donations. ·        Talk to the boss. A healthy workforce is a happy and productive workforce. Any support you can get is welcome. ·        Where’s your office mate? Have you asked your co-workers for a donation yet? Some might surprise you! ·        The more the merrier! The more e-mail donation requests you send out, the more sponsors you will get! Sometimes, the secret is in the numbers!  Thank you to all of our walkers!   with heart, Your Seacoast New Hampshire Heart Walk Staff

Thank you to our sponsors

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Current Mood: cheerful

It was about 30 years ago that I decided that I needed to be able to separate my needs and obligations at work from those at home. I knew even back then that I could be a work-a-holic.....and so I tried my best to separate those two worlds. (here is a website that claims to have a test to help you evaluate your tendencies to be a workaholic)

I first did this by telling myself that the weekday was for work, and that weekends were for family. (not that I would never respond to work on weekends, and that I would certainly respond to family at any time)

This separation worked out pretty well....though it clearly wasn't enough because I was always staying at work late into the night, or even across several days at times.

I then learned how to "turn off" my work....and while this ability didn't just come to me, I think I am pretty good at doing it at this point. This allows me to switch off my work...at days end, weeks end, or even in the middle of the day like yesterday when I wanted to take a few hours off in the middle of a work day.

Anyway....all this reflection came to me when I saw the cartoon below.....and my simple question to you all is: "I hope this doesn't look familiar to you!"

Current Mood: contemplative

It might be the fact that I don't like to fail....or that I like to get things done....but getting stuck on a problem often only has me hunkering down with even more determination to fix it.

You can ask people at PMA when I would go in to the school in the morning thinking I had a one hour job, only to find me there at 6:00pm still struggling to write the installation script needed to update all the lab machines.

Trust me....I'm not the kind of "Macho man" who will not ask for help (or directions)....no way, I'll admit I need help....I just don't like to not get something done. I suppose that is both a good and bad thing.....depending on your perspective.

Again....."Does this cartoon look familar to you!?"

Current Mood: nerdy

FIRST AN UPDATE ON ELIJAH: (No, that is NOT a picture of him to the left)
I just received a called from the Vet, and Elijah is doing well and resting right now. He will be on a diet of canned food for the next few days, but otherwise, he should be his regular self.

WHAT HAPPENED:
I took Elijah in for a regular appointent a couple of weeks ago (for shots) and the doctor reminded me of the teeth cleaning that we had talked about over a year ago. She suggested that the clinic had time today, and that I could schedule it. Elijah would need to get some teeth removed.

After we talked about the sort of recovery Elijah would require, she convinced me that I would not have to wait for Kristen to get back, and that he would actually feel much better with the teeth removed.....only needing soft food for about a week. (as his gums would be tender)

So I brought him in this morning at about 8:30am, and I just received the call that he is all done, awake and happy. But Elijah is now down 15 teeth!

Wow...15 teeth I thought...that's a lot. How many teeth do dogs have?

From the WikiAnswers Page:

How many teeth do dogs have? In: Dogs

Answer

Puppies have 28 teeth and adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth.

So the poor baby is down about 36% of his teeth...but they told me he would be just fine even so. I might have to learn how to brush his teeth, but again....they told me that with such a small mouth, that is very difficult to do.

I can't wait to see him a little later and give him a big hug.

Current Mood: sympathetic

I have a policy of not forwarding email or other requests on to other "friends" unless I know it is personally significant to a particular person.

But then there are emails that I receive and I find very worth-while.....yet I still don't feel like foisting a random "spam" mail onto others...so I decided that posting to my Journal was a good middle ground.

So here is a  message I received from my Aunt in Florida. I like the Story of the Wooden Bowl, but I especially like the little verses included after it. (Yes, Snopes.COM says it is a very old fable, but whether it is true or fiction matters little to me......because it is the lesson it teaches me that I get value from)

Things that make me say Hmmmmmm.......

Current Mood: contemplative

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Current Mood: grateful

Anyone out there as frazzled by the FAFSA as I am? (Free Application for Student Aid)

It is the federal government's standardized form  used by pretty much everyone who works with any sort of educational financial aid or loans.

Kristen and I filled it out tonight, and it was much easier then normal, well, when you actually have your tax returns all filled out and in front of you that is.

It is supposed to be filled out in February, but I never have taxes done and they are not so straight forward that I can just "guess"....but this year we totally forgot to do it, and Kristen just remembered tonight.

Well, I had the tax forms for this year sitting here in the kitchen, and it was simply a matter of going through them and pulling numbers off of specific lines.....piece of cake!

Though I still don't see any money coming my way this year either.......

Current Mood: happy