I had the most amazing Mother's Day of all.
Started with my teen sons telling me to stay in bed (which was hard for me since I typically get up at 6am, even on weekends). Came in an amazin homemade breakfast: Blueberry pancakes, eggs, bacon, apples and peach/orange juice. Followed by gifts. Starting with a homemade envelope with six different colored bows with the most amazing poem.

JohnDii, tell me what you think...

WHEN YOU SMILE

My Mom is so great she's been through alot
The good and the bad and really mean thoughts
But what I've noticed through it all
Is her glistening smile she always has on

It shines like the light
Bright in my eyes
And sometimes it even makes me cry

I love you Mom
And your bright smile too
And I just have to say
Mommy I really do love you

Love,
Neal

Then they gave me an IPOD w/ songs. We then went for an hour hike with our 2 dogs(we left the cat behind). Then went to a movie followed by a dinner out. What more could a mother ask for, than for her 2 teen sons to actually want and plan for a day with thier Mum!

Now for those wondering about having kids... think about this day, makes all the work sooooooo worth it!

Two Days ago a friend of mine told me he has cancer and it has spread to his lymphnodes and he has 9 months to live. Three opinions later he still has only 9 months to live. So what would you do?
Clearly he is in shock. He is one of the sweetest people I have ever met, with a huge heart of gold. He is mad at God for good reason. He told me at this time he does not plan to quit his job. So last night I asked him let's say the doctor called and said "OOPS blew it, you really have another 40 years left, what would you do in those 40 years?". So he proceeds to tell me:
- Vacation in Camen Isl
- Vacation in South of France
- Go to a B&B in the Austria mountains
- Go back to Russia
- Get in better health, strait away
- and more along these lines.
So then I said, OK, now what is prohibiting you from doing these now. GO DO THEM. Live everyday like it's the last! Well he is still in shock. The good news, he has already done these things, except for maintaining his health.

So what would you do?

Here is what I would do (I think)?
- Go to the South of France and walk bravely topless
-SkyDive
-Work 1 day a week, TOPS
-Spend SOOOOO much time with my sons
-Spend more time w/ my parents and siblings and neices and nephews
-Be with my lover often
-paint
-sing more
-learn to play the piano
-fresh flowers all over the house all the time
-go to mass,twice aweek
-laugh 10% everyday
-dance every other day
-go to more concerts n theater more
-take weekly nature hikes
-daily dog walks
-volunteer more

OK. So, other than the skydiving and topless South of France thing, piano playing and working part-time, I'm doing pretty well achieving these, simply need to do more of it!!!!!!!

LIVE LONG THRIVE

Do you ever worry about getting on in your years, and getting dementia? Well reading the March/April issue of http://technologyreview.com/ I was taken by an article called Brain Trainer. A company here in the bay area, http://positscience.com/ is developing a brain fitness program. It is an interesting concept to keep us keen. So in the future when you plan your fitness routines, don't forget physical and mental workouts!

The moon so wide and bright
Sometimes I cannot bear the light

Just reminded about this weeks upcoming full
Will I see you in the midst of my wool

Children adore and jump at the site of the moon
In this way we are lucky everyday is a soon

The sizes and shapes it shows are a joy to see
What will I think when I see you this Wendnesdee

Ever wonder what those emoticons are really saying in yahooIM? Like the guy showing --hold on I'm on the phone--, where the phone is blue? I think he is saying "I am going to go upstairs and tell the boss off right now, and tell him what I really think of him. For crying out loud"

Can any of you read emoicon lips? Any other thoughts here?

So today there is this construction machine banging into the ground next to my office building, they are drilling/banging large poles into this Oakland lot. Well it is sortof a turn on for us girls in the office; it is making the chairs vibrate (I confirmed that I was not alone). So what are we to do?

Option 1) Conduct keggle exercises in rhythm while seated in the chair

Option 2) Go hang out in the ladies room stall and do whatever comes naturally

Option 3) Wait it out in agony

Option 4) Look for a partner

I chose option 1. It was safe, clean, healthy and somewhat (albeit not completely) satisfying.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN

Today is John's Birthday what can we say?

He delivers us poetry every single day

Yeats, Carver, Goethe, Thomas all quoted greats

None compare to Slash's JohnDiii and all his traits

----------------------------------------------------------

When at last I see thy love

My heart swells with beats of joy

Wonder and amazement pulse through my veins

All the world could rock but for you.

Oh Poetic John,

You make me smile

As I wander slash

The phrases strikes me

Happy Birthday JohnDiii

Hapyy Birthday to you

HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear John,

Make a Poem today!

JOHNs Poetry Abstracted---------------------

I will follow, ...In the light of a brighter day.

It was a theme Not to dream all my dream, let's act the rest.

Thine eyes, I must confess, it could not choose but be

Absence, settle.

Who Time doth tarry.

My senses want treasure.

In every corner In bright sun of noon there you are.

In the crash of thunder As cars pass

Stats:
390 responses in 7 days
300 not right w/ the basics (like: inappropriate ages, location & such)
90 responses I returned w/ a face photo/additional info
35 back and forths
17 phone calls
10 face to face meetings


FINAL RESULTS:
Spending today (a beautiful day) on the SF Bay on a 27 ft Catalina w/1 great new friend
1 new lover

TONS of learnings like:
- There are PLENTY of available men
- Many men can't get past a provacative pic, blurries the attempt for anything more
- Pics say very little about a person
- Pay attention to hidden meanings in emails
- Look for the upfront and honest ones first!
- Never compromise on any level
- Friendship first, on all counts
- Allow for the new age types, they can be wonderful people
- Keep humour around at all times
- Better to post for the awesome few than the flakey many
- Use 2 hands when saying goodbye if you really like someone

My brother Michael is autistic. Everyday I am blessed that I grew up with him and that I learned that when you are around someone so perfect, that he in fact makes you more perfect. For you learn to be good and kind to all people and that who are especially perfect. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11526448/ I hope some of you are as lucky as me, and can be around someone like Michael or Jason often :)

After that weekend I needed something to take my mind off of the IMs and emails from depressed in Virginia. I took an interesting aerial shot of me last week w/ out my face showing. Yesterday I decided to post a CL personal posting for woman seeking man. It has been rumored that woman posting get hundreds of hits. This I confirmed. Of the 300 emails I received these past 30 hours. 70% are inappropriate, out of age range (too young/old), not my type. 30% were possibilities. This seemed like a pretty high percentage. Very surprizing. I will keep you posted on the further stats on the next round of communication. So far very funny range of responses. -- http://www.craigslist.org/eby/w4m/133695611.html

Sigh..... OK so my Internet & phone instinct are not so great. Or maybe they are and I simply wanted something and was willing to take a 2600+mile trip 1 day, meet for 2 days, 2600+ mile trip back to find out, if I or we could 'make it happen'. I did find out and WHAM! nada, zip, what was I thinking, coocoo etc... One directional interest and towards me and not from me :( For inquiring minds...my learnings: 1) Do ignore your parents phone calls when they call when you are on an adult weekend (ever since the divorce they think they need to PARENT me more, like I'm 13 again). 2) Ask more specific questions about health habits. What does non-smoking mean?- could mean chewing tobacco... What does 1 maybe 2 drinks mean?- could mean needing a six pack just to make a pass 3) Do not live on one meal a day 4) ALWAYS eat chocolate when you crave it, so pack it when you travel 5) Being called "Darlin", is not so special. For some reason I was thinking about Alfalfa and Darla, and that I was Darla :( 6) Jet Fuel noise is no aphrodisiac 7) If someone is too nervous to love you, then it was never meant to be. It means your connections are at different levels and you should never have a relationship. 8) If someone hands you a token in the first 5 seconds of meeting, that signifies they have found their soulmate--Give it back straightaway and say 'wait and see'. Though I don't do cams, maybe i should consider it in the future...

So now the fear factors are starting to enter my brain and his. We are no longer meeting at the airport for our first historic meeting. We are going to meet on the boardwalk instead. Oh man Oh man Oh man. I guess this allows for hands in pockets if the chemistry is minimal. Thank God for Southwest frequent flyer miles! How freaken nuts is this? Breath... good man, plays bluegrass, writes songs and poetry, devoted Dad, wears a kilt when celebrating his Scottish roots and well he calls me Darlin (this ummm, melts my heart). I wonder if I am just being too easy?

Off to the East Coast in 4 days. To meet a stranger. How strange is this? We long for someone. I have uncertainty on several angles, but I long. I long for something. I long for something in my heart. Something real and touchable, something scaring yet exciting, something deep yet wonderously simple.

Is it really possible to fall in love online? Hmmm? What the hell is this feeling that we sometimes get with someone online? Is it purely our fantasy of what we want in a mate? Is it our mind playing tricks on us? They say that sex is 90% in the brain. If so, then what about online chat? Not physical, only in our minds as we type, sometimes seeing someone's pic, sometimes not... Ahhh Hmmm? Sigh...