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January 31, 2006
Coretta Scott King Dies at 78
Posted by Stephanie at 12:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 30, 2006
Weigh In
1.7 pounds last week. Not as high as the previous weeks, but it's something. I think my problem was that I took a few too many liberties at work (i.e. eating broken pieces of bear claws, just having a dab of maple frosting, etc.).
But that does make for a big 10.1 total! Yippee!
Posted by Stephanie at 11:15 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
I'm not usually "right" anyway, so this is good for me.
A pastor friend sent me this today and I think it is worthy of posting and reading.
The last paragraph sums it (and life in general) up nicely.
"Being "right" isn't enough. We also need to be wise. And loving. And patient. Perhaps nothing short of that should "seem good to the Holy Spirit and us.""
Posted by Stephanie at 12:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 29, 2006
Top Ten List, Expanded
1. FM - Steely Dan
2. Here's Where The Story Ends - The Sundays
3. Don't Be There - Switchfoot
4. Protection - Ben Folds
5. Is This It - The Strokes
6. Paper Tiger - Beck
7. Only Hope - Switchfoot
8. Light and Healing - DJ Free
9. Room At The Top - Beck
10. Earthquake Weather - Beck
Artist: Beck
Album: Guero
Title: Earthquake Weather
Via.
Space ships can't tame the jungle
And I feel like I'm giving in
We've been drivin thru a desert
Looking for a life to call our own
I push I pull the days go slow
Into a void we filled with death
And noise that laughs falls off their
Maps all cured of pain and doubts
In your little brain
Something's coming sky is purple
Dogs are howling to themselves
Days are changing with the weather
Like a rip tide could rip us away
I push I pull the days go slow
Into a void we filled with death
And noise that laughs falls off their
Maps all cured of pain and doubts
In your little brain
Posted by Stephanie at 12:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 28, 2006
So freakin' cute!
Thanks to Killer Kitten for this most adorable photo and this note.
"Hi Stephanie,
You share so many great photos on your website, I thought I'd share a cute one with you.
This is Ichabod, giving Riley a good licking. I was taking pictures of my cats and turned around in time to catch these two, framed in a sunset window and being very cute.
Nothing like a little orangey goodness."
And not to change the subject or anything, but the words "orangey goodness" mean something completely to someone on Weight Watchers. I'm just saying.
P.S. These cats live only about 15 minutes away from me, so I think they could Francis' cousins. Don't you think?
Posted by Stephanie at 11:37 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 25, 2006
Awwww!
When I was transferring some pictures from my camera tonight, I found a couple adorable ones of Francis.
Indulge me as I share them like a good mother.
Posted by Stephanie at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
(I think he's smiling in this one.)
Posted by Stephanie at 09:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Welcome Winter
It's about two months late, but Winter finally arrived in Youngstown today. By this time of year, we've usually had several inches of snow (maybe even over a foot), but not this year. It's been in the 40s and 50s over the last few weeks. Today temperatures hovered around freezing, but that didn't stop the snow.
Here are some scenes from my yard.
Posted by Stephanie at 09:46 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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Posted by Stephanie at 09:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 24, 2006
Overheard in New York's More Responsible Younger Sister: Overheard in the Office
This stuff is great. Aren't people the funniest?
Posted by Stephanie at 09:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Overheard in New York
Been revisiting some of Dan's old posts from last January and came across his discovery of this website. Hilarious.
Posted by Stephanie at 09:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Classic
Posted by Stephanie at 09:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 23, 2006
Weigh In
Last week I lost 3 whole pounds! That's a total of 8.4 for the last three weeks. And I even had a donut Saturday.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:06 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 19, 2006
Grief Update
I haven't really done much sharing lately. I think that means I'm doing better. I don't really have bad days any more. Just bad moments. I still miss Danny a lot and I always will. I think I'm just getting used to life without him, even though I don't want to.
Twice in the last two weeks, I've had to check the "single" box. The first one was when I filled out my W2 at work and the other was when I went to the ER on Sunday.
These firsts are going to continue for a long time, I'm sure.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:37 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Church Bulletin Fun
These are, allegedly, from real live church bulletins. And if they're not? Who cares! Some of them made me laugh out loud.
Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours
Posted by Stephanie at 11:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 17, 2006
The Stephanie Champion Story: Starring Meryl Streep
Thanks to Ara, I am in the midst of an identity crisis. He's directing visitors to his site to another site called My Heritage. Here you can upload photos, they will scan them, then they will tell you what celebrities you most resemble. When you have a little time to kill, you should give it a try. Then when someone says you look familiar, you can offer suggestions.
I uploaded three photos of myself and Meryl Streep was at the top of all three of my lists. So, for all you suckers out there who want Meryl to play you in the movie about your life, she's already busy.
Here are the folks who came in at the top of my lists. (Get ready. Some of them are kind of scary.)
Julie Christie 64%
Meryl Streep 63%, 62%, 60%
Steven Soderbergh 63%
Emma Watson 63%
Robin Gibb 59%
Jack Nicholson 59%
Yoko Ono 56%
Jennifer Connelly 55%
Sania Nirza 55%
Bruce Lee 55%
Steven Hawking 55%
Salma Hayek 54%
Jane Fonda 54%
Posted by Stephanie at 09:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Weigh In
I forgot to mention yesterday that I lost 2.6 pounds last week. That's a grand total of 5.4 for my first two weeks. Not too shabby.
Posted by Stephanie at 08:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Thank you.
"I Have A Dream"
by Martin Luther King, Jr,
Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.
Source: Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior, Pocket Books, NY 1968
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.
One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.
So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.
The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Posted by Stephanie at 12:05 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 16, 2006
Golden Globes
The last Golden Globe for 2005 was given out about 50 minutes ago. Here are my two highlights.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
The award went to . . . Steve Carell of The Office. I was excited for him. This former fake newsman from The Daily Show and former 40 Year Old Virgin seemed almost out of place sitting at a table near George Clooney, Anthony Hopkins, and Geena Davis. But he took the award, and it was well-deserved.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Reese Witherspoon. Also exciting. She's just cute as a button and doesn't seem all "Hollywood" like a lot of actresses do. I still haven't seen Walk the Line, but after watching it win several awards tonight, I think I'm getting closer to actually going to a theatre and purchasing a ticket to see it.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 15, 2006
Doctors are stupid.
Around 12:30 today, I hit my head. I opened up the rear hatch of my Blazer but didn't realize that it didn't go all the way up. I lifted my head up right under it and it hurt. Bad. So I took some Advil, ate pizza, and watched the Steelers game. Six hours later, my head still hurt and I felt weird. (More than usual.) So, my friend Julie took me to the ER. I felt silly enough going to the ER for this, but I figured I should do it since I am now single and don't want to die and leave my three kids parentless.
So there I am, feeling ridiculous, when the stupid doctor comes in. Not the friendliest individual I've ever met. (Or haven't met since he didn't introduce himself.) I told him what happened and he did not seem very concerned. He checked me out, wrote some notes, and looked at me, smiling for the first time since entering the room, and asked if I had partaken of any alcohol or drugs that day.
Ha ha. Very funny, moron.
I'm thinking of getting his schedule for the week and going back each of those nights faking injuries just so I can see him again.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Doctors are smart.
When I originally went to my family doctor for my then suspected carpal tunnel syndrome, I asked if there were things I should stop doing with my right hand. He said nope. When I had my tests done I asked the Neurologist the same thing and he said nope, too. I thought this seemed strange since I had obviously done something to cause this condition. So after my official diagnosis, my doctor told me to wear a splint at night and try to avoid repititive motions with my hand. I still thought this seemed strange. I guess I am just the kind of person who wants to actually do something concrete to fix a problem, more than just slapping on a splint, anyway. But guess what? I wore the splint at night for the first time on Thursday and on Friday my hand hurt very little and only at the end of the day. Saturday I worked all day and my hand didn't hurt at all.
Conclusion: Maybe some doctors are stupid and some are smart.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
It's go time.
Conference Championships
Sunday, January 22
3:00 p.m. on CBS -- AFC Championship Game
Pittsburgh (13-5) at Denver (14-3)
6:30 p.m. on FOX -- NFC Championship Game
Carolina (13-5) at Seattle (14-3)
Posted by Stephanie at 11:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 14, 2006
Well ain't that a bitch?
Every day or so, I look back at the posts Dan made on this day a year ago to remember what was going on. I'm a little behind right now and just came across this one.
January 07, 2005
Quote of the Day
One day, someone WILL be quoting this at my funeral. One day far in the future, we hope, but there it is:
Our revels now are ended: these our actors
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yes, and all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a wrack behind: We are such stuff
As dreams are made of, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
–William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Oh well. Nobody would've gotten it anyway.
So is William Shakespeare famous or something?
Posted by Stephanie at 05:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 12, 2006
Younger, Thinner, and Richer Than You: Forbes’ Top Earners Under 25
I remember being under 25, but I don't think I was making this much money. At least King James is at the top and not Lindsay Lohan.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
You like me. You really like me.
I am, evidently, an inspiration. An inspiration to do what, I'm not sure. So we'll just leave it at that.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 10, 2006
Top Ten List
1. Strange Brew - Cream
2. You've Been So Good Up To Now - Lyle Lovett
3. matinee - Franz Ferdinand
4. No Depression In Heaven - Cheryl Crow
5. Androgyny - Garbage
6. It's All In Your Mind - Beck
7. Halo Of Gold - Beck
8. Freak Me Out - Weezer
9. Three Little Kittens - Ben Folds (Mother Goose Rocks)
10. My Poor Brain - Foo Fighters
Posted by Stephanie at 08:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Mommy, where do babies come from?
Target.
Posted by Stephanie at 12:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Slooooooow News Day
This is an actual headline from the Yahoo! home page. (Granted, it's from the entertainment section, but still.)
"Actor Mark Wahlberg chooses his baby's name"
When I read this, I thought "Oh, he must have named it something crazy like those Hollywood-types do. You know, Peach or Bark or Tissue or something." Boy, was I wrong.
Posted by Stephanie at 12:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Weigh-In
Monday is weigh-in day for me. I lost 2.8 pounds last week! I'm very excited.
I hope this week will be just as satisfactory even though I accidentally ate a Milky Way reindeer tonight that I got for Christmas.
Posted by Stephanie at 12:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 04, 2006
And the mike goes to...
The Los Angeles Times (and, I'm sure, others) reports that Jon Stewart will be hosting the Oscars this year.
According to Defamer "Stewart’s selection was reportedly arrived at following a marathon sit-down between high-level Gay and Jewish Mafias officials in a secure basement conference room at David Geffen’s Malibu compound"
Posted by Stephanie at 11:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Here's a giraffe.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Holiday Revenge
So I'm back on the big WW again today. I considered posting my weight on the site so you all can journey with me, but then I decided you can run your own journey. But, I will post some of my meals, in case you're interested.
BREAKFAST
1 1/4 cup Rice Krispies with 1/2 cup Skim Milk and coffee with 1/2 tbsp creamer for breakfast
LUNCH
n/a, I worked through
DINNER
can (a whole can!) of Progresso chicken noodle soup and half a turkey sub from Subway
Not too bad! I did start to feel hungry about an hour ago, so I started drinking a big glass of water and that seems to have helped.
I also have my elliptical machine set up with access to the television so I can hop up on it when I'm watching TV.
Also, I'm continuing yoga this week. I'm not sure it's doing much for my body so far, but I do feel calmer and more relaxed.
Posted by Stephanie at 12:35 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Exciting Grief Update!
So here's what I've made it through so far:
autumn
Halloween
the day we were engaged
my birthday
Thanksgiving
Dan's birthday
Christmas Eve
Christmas
New Year's Eve
New Year's Day
That's a pretty big list in just a few months. It feels good to add to the list and still be functioning. But I still wish every day he was with me.
I watched most of the Monk marathon on New Year's Day and in one of the episodes it was suspected that Monk's deceased wife was alive. That really freaked me out. I think I'm still at a stage where if Dan walked through the door, I would be excited and would be able to just pick up where we left off. But in few months, I think I would need more therapy to get over getting over the loss.
So, I'm feeling better than a week ago, and that's good. New Year's Eve wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I decided (very wisely) to pace myself and only accept one invitation for the evening. I also decided (very wisely) that I would consume a large amount of alcohol to help get me through the night. Whoever says booze is bad for you just isn't doing it right.
I returned to work today and everything was pretty much as when I left, with some minor changes. I'm still looking forward to my job. I think it's good for me after all these months to have to be somewhere at a certain time and interact with new people.
Posted by Stephanie at 12:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Happy Belated Pet Christmas
On Saturday, Polly, Roxy, Francis and I celebrated Pet Christmas, a tradition that Dan started a few years ago.
Roxy was recipient of some minty dental bones, nail clippers and file, a polo shirt, and a can of Pedigree chicken and rice, which she is enjoying in this photo.
Posted by Stephanie at 12:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Here is Francis looking particularly crazed as he enjoys his catnip-filled scratcher. (I'm pretty sure he's using this incorrectly.)
Polly got a new bed but I don't have a picture yet because it takes her a while to warm up to anything new. I have seen her in it a few times, though. Thank goodness!
Posted by Stephanie at 12:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack