Love you all

I have been spending my time just 'playing.' Doing some bartering, doing some work with Steve, waiting, reading, studying, making some significant jaunts to the grocery store for the seven people that are here right now.


You guys are blowing me away. Everyone is so busy with work, kids, sports teams, aging parents, I guess . . . we all have our things to do. But I am so inspired with your energy, what you are doing in your lives, just love to hear from you!


But sometimes it is right to just say thank you for your connection, your kind words, and your support.


I am listening to Neil Finn singing a song on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq-kGfhg-i0&mode=related&search


and want to share a very inspiring story that one of my friends, Annie Pearson Nowlin, wrote about an experience as a nurse:






http://rn.modernmedicine.com/rnweb/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=103189

Love you!
suZen

Facebook took me away!

Here's a pic from the last day of our trip to Europe this summer. We are right down the street from the Fielding Hotel in Covent Garden, where Steve and I vacationed over 20 years ago prior to kids. We have boatloads of photos that we all took, and I have yet to do anything with them. Too much else to do, I guess!

I don't know how people do it all: FB, tweet, blog, LinkedIn, Myspace . . . I feel like I can only do one thing at a time. Kind of like, I stopped doing yoga when I started doing pilates. You have to dedicate a minimum amount of time to anything to do an adequate job, and I say the minimum for most anything is three days. Not that I couldn't exercise for six or seven days. But I don't!

I have to admit I have been laying low for some time . . . Steve getting 'released' from IBM, and then the refocus of our efforts away from roam and towards his new LLC. Then the once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe with the boys while Steve's brother took in his mother; she was our responsibility for the last four years. Whew!

But instead of blogging about our trip, I facebooked! I think sometimes it is hard for people to commit to reading blogs - they will check facebook, skim through it, etc. but a blog is a commitment. I will admit, I am drawn to check in on my friends on a daily basis.

And I am missing my inspiration . . . it used to just bubble up. Now . . . I have to push myself and I'm not sure that is how it should be. Perhaps I am just hibernating for now . . .

It is a Marvelous Nite

Well, its a marvelous night for a moondanceWith the stars up above in your eyesA fantabulous night to make romanceneath the cover of october skiesAnd all the leaves on the trees are fallingTo the sound of the breezes that blowAnd Im trying to please to the callingOf your heart-strings that play soft and lowAnd all the nights magic seems to whisper and hushAnd all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

MMMMM . . . . doesn't this just resonate at the most basic level of your being? I wish I could attach the music but the words do so much more.

It is foggy and rainy and I am awake. No one can sleep here. There must be a full moon due to the diffused and scattered light outside. Yet, a rainy cloud came in and spoiled everything! Or, maybe it redeemed itself.

I love you for reading my blog. I miss you because I have receded into myself. I will try harder.

Listen to your Mom

My mom writes letters. Sometimes, I type up an email, print it off, and mail it to her. She doesn't do email. And my Dad, who is a computer geek, is obnoxious (ok, that is a bit strong) about it. He will only let her look at it over his shoulder on his laptop. That is just not comfortable for an elderly person! Sometimes I will insist: Please print this out for Mom. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.

I was brought up in a family that wrote letters. My Aunt Judy, who was a teacher, was my first pen pal! I had many others, some whom I never met, through the Girl Scouts of America. OK, if you don't think I'm geeky enough already. . . . Well, then again, you are still reading!

You can only imagine how excited I was when email came around! Actually, I worked for IBM starting in the 80s, and they had their own version of email. It was called PROFS (for Professional Office System - yeah!). Frankly, it had all the same problems/advantages as email.

If you screwed up and copied the world, you had an embarrassing situation to fix. You could go crazy on the "profs notes" . . . all of us who were in sales training were in contact in the fastest, cheapest way imaginable. Ah, those were the days . . .

But I digress. Here is what my very astute mother observed: She sent me a clip from the Sarasota Herald Tribune, dated 3/6/09. "Quiet layoffs escape notice, but still sting." She noted in writing that IBM, my husbands employer, was one of these companies. I had already told her that we were waiting to hear about Steve's job. I am sure that worries a parent, considering we are all getting older, and we are the sandwich generation, taking care of children as well as parents.

In her note, she also wrote:
"It doesn't make me very happy - sounds cruel to me. Fingers crossed."

Part of the article talks about how IBM made "strong quarterly profits in January", followed by Sam Palmisano, CEO, issuing a letter stating that "while other companies were cutting back, his would not."

On the other hand, J. Randall MacDonald, IBM's senior vice president for HR, said it was "routine for the company to lay off some employees while hiring elsewhere."

I get that. I believe that. Do you know what is crazy?

I'm an IBM fan. After all these years. I still think someone there is following the dream of Herman Hollowith and the punch card, and the Watsons. Let's support big biz during this downturn in the economy. If Steve loses his job, well, that's what the big gal upstairs wanted anyway. We have other options. He is brilliant.

One more thing that my Mom said, and take note, because she is so right on this: This is regarding another sad, frustrating situation that I am in, not related to IBM whatsoever:

"Maybe you should have inspirational speakers for the employees (note to self: I have one in particular in mind). How to get along in the business world. Everyone doesn't have to be your friend, but there are ways to treat people, and ways to not treat people. These are manners, and do unto others, and turn the other cheek, and smile!"

Well, doesn't mother know best?

Happy St. Pat's Day!

Hello, friends. My mother was wondering whether I was writing on my blog. Frankly, I stopped. No one was reading. But it dawned on me - this was - always- for me! Occasionally, some outraged person (and I will not name you) would comment. But . . . what is this outrage for? Life is short. Well, actually, only one person became outraged because this was an experimental blog. And no one read it. Ha!

What I did learn: blogs are way more powerful than websites. We are found at the top of searches, whether we are read or not. That is pretty spectacular. What a well kept secret!

On the other hand . . . if I wanted to promote my/your business . . . I would have to stop posting my kids pics . . . all the funny things I think of. Bad language. Inappropriate content. I just can't do that.

Today, I noticed the pear tree petal snow . . . falling on cars, roads, and walkways . . . I love spring! Allergies . . .and soon to have that pea green gunk, again, on our cars, all over our decks, and tracked into the homes via our pets. Well, welcome to Atlanta. It could be worse.

The day today was perfect. I came home and just viewed the sky in my hammock. We all need this once in a while.

A friend of mine came to the conclusion today that she could go forward. That is huge! We were just having the hardest time imagining how things could be, and now it is resolved. I like how that happens.

May you be blessed with health, work, and an income. It's a different world.

Savannah Trip

Ya know, I'm not big on long distance drives for the day, but I did agree 'cause Steve made the attempt to plan SOMETHING for the weekend!! He got tix for Brian Regan and he was playing in Savannah. Woo hoo!

Our family has been a fan of Brian Regan since Mary Jo (pilates tutor/friend) gave us the CD for a Christmas gift. We started playing the cd in the car on the way to a Hawks game. Comments from the crowd: "Turn that off!" "That is stupid!". . . . well . . . wait a minute . . . hmmm . . .silence. They started listening!

Went to the game. Got back in the car. "Turn that CD back on!" Laughter all the way home. And then a dedication to Brian Regan and all his Comedy Channel shows.

So much so, that Cameron is reciting the lines during the show, the gal in front of us turns around amazed that he can predict! OK, maybe Brian should never do old stuff but, hey - that's what guys do, right? Practice makes perfect. . .

On another note, let me show you a photo from the Italian restaurant where we dined prior: Gavin ordered Surf n Turf and I was cracking up so much that Steve didn't notice. Here's what he got:

What happened?

A year's worth of what happened, I suppose, is in order from this lazy blogger.

2008, . . .We launched a new biz on the side . . . Steve is full time at IBM, and I am part time at roam. roam is going in full force. We are engaged as much as possible as investors/owners. (Can I tell u how much fun it is to hang out there? Can U imagine what it is like to have a business, where the employees are so awesome, that you just enjoy being there to talk/interact with them? That is Gale, Jose, Jody, Shane G and Shane C. I don't make this stuff up.). And the members/customers - they make it fun to come into work every day. Ok, and I will have to add Brian Kramer, new President, although occasionally he will introduce himself as "Evil Brian", but I frankly don't get that.

A really cool thing (no, well, two really cool things) happened: we (roam) joined the Georgia Alliance of Private Clubs and Atlanta Magazine voted us "best of 2008." We didn't fit a 'category' so we were voted "best new coffee shop" , which was undoubtedly a reference to our private coffee blend "a-roam-a" and the fact that we make laVazza espresso drinks. Viva Italia!

Danish dinner extraordinaire. . . well, actually, this is the easiest cuisine of all to adopt, I'm all for good food that is easy to prepare. Here is Steve handing the torch to John for carving up the green ham so that the crackling comes out crispy and juicy:



Enough about work and dreams.

I met up with sister Hilda in St. George, Utah! We almost saw a KennyLoggins concert (saw the prep with the mountains in the background, it was awesome ("check, check!"), we rode over on our single speed cruiser bicycles to check it out, and instead decided to spend our last evening at home).

Julien Six was our summer student from France and John will be going there next summer. The Stimpsons will be coming here for spring break after two years!!! Everyone has waited so patiently to get them back to Marietta. Share, people, share!!!

David and Martha (and Lily) have moved from California back to Indiana, and Lily is in college at De Paul University.

Don't hear much from anyone else except Klaus in Denmark. We had a fun conference call between Stephen, David, and Klaus on Christmas Day. I don't know what they planned but I'm sure we are all in a bit of trouble.

Goodbye to all our beloved ones lost in 2008.
Much love,
suZen