7ToF: baseball, country music, and (Apple) FaceTime

1. A friend's car ended up in our driveway Wednesday with a flatter-than-flat tire. I facetimed Doug at work, switched the camera so he could guide us through turning on the air compressor and attaching the tire gizmo, and she was good to go in less than ten minutes. (The flat wasn't fixed, but it was good enough to get her to a service station.) There are days when technology drives me nuts, but I'm feeling very fond of it at the moment. I am theoretically capable of changing a tire, but I'm so glad I didn't have to.

the midlife middle

I've been watching us, those of us who are in our fifties. For the past several months, every time we've been in a social situation with our peers, I've observed the fifty-somethings. We're a pretty great bunch of people: experienced, interesting, a bit older and wiser, but still capable of surprises, still dreaming--even if they're retirement dreams these days.

But let's face it: very few of us have made it to this age without collecting some pounds around the middle. And it's true of men and women. I started this observation experiment at the beginning of the summer mostly watching women, but I quickly realized that men are experiencing the same thing. Maybe it's distributed a bit differently, but with the odd exception (like my spouse), none of us can wear the same pants we wore twenty years ago.

fall colors

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I don't think that's true when it comes to blog posts. Either way, this is all I've got today.

7ToF except it's Tuesday

1. I got waylaid with a massive migraine yesterday, so today's post (which I usually write on Monday) didn't happen. In fact, at the moment I can't even remember what it was going to be about. I'm feeling much better today, though, which is a good thing because the kid's senior portraits are this afternoon and it would be helpful if I were coherent for that. My brain isn't capable of a regular post today but I thought maybe I could manage a "7 Things" post and I'll do what was going to be today's post on Friday. If I can remember what it was going to be about.

7ToF: typing on my phone makes me nuts

1. Ok let's see if I can do this.  I'm sitting in the women's showers at the KOA in Bozeman MT typing this ON MY PHONE. My boys kicked me out of the camper because they wanted to turn out the lights. That's how obsessive I am because I'm supposed to have a Friday blog post so dammit I'm doing one. If you've ever tried to type more than a few words on a phone you will understand why there may be typos in this one (apologies in advance).

Gratitude Schmatitude

By now, probably everyone on the planet has heard that an Attitude of Gratitude will fix all your problems, make you feel better, change your life, and help you lose 40 pounds. OK, maybe not the weight loss, but the rest of it. It's everywhere these days.

I told you I was a cynic, and situations like this bring cynicism to the fore. Like everything that works, the 'gratitude attitude' movement has been taken up by people who see an opportunity to make a little money. You can buy gratitude journals and workbooks, mugs and t-shirts, bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets and yoga pants. You can go to pricey weekend workshops on how to feel gratitude. You can barely move these days without someone getting in your face and telling you to BE GRATEFUL, DAMMIT.

7ToF: I got nothin

I've already written two posts this week, and I've been sick, and whine. I'm not very confident that I'm going to actually think of seven things to talk about. But here goes.

1. I called back in July to get an appointment for Sam's senior portraits. The first opening she had was October 20. So, yup, have to figure out what we're doing pretty soon. But in an unusual moment of thinking ahead, I remembered that he needed to get a haircut early. This was not an easy sell. Sam doesn't like haircuts, and long hair is in right now. It took a bit of negotiating, but the deed is done. Haircut accomplished this afternoon. Part of the deal is that I will never in his life make him get another haircut. I figure that's pretty easy, though, because he's 18 now and his hair is now adult hair on an adult head. Go, my son, and groweth thy hair at thy pleasure.

DwD Depression's antidotes part 2

On top of everything, I got a nasty cold this week and between the achy muscles and the head-full-of-wool feeling, I mainly just sat on the couch and read Betty Neels. Who, if you are unfamiliar with the name, is the author of cookie cutter British romance novels that I adore, sexist stereotypes and all. They are the book equivalent of frosted strawberry pop-tarts.

Now that I'm coming out of it, I'm so happy to be feeling better that I'm having a hard time remembering why I need to finish this series of posts. But I said I would, so here you go.

DwD: Depression's Antidotes, part one

When you're depressed, there are plenty of days when getting out of bed in the morning is a statement of faith, and accomplishing the basic tasks of life is as courageous as scaling a mountain. But when you come out of the worst of it, there start to be days when you can figure out how you're going to handle yourself.

And then, of course, there are days you can't. But this post is about the days when you're still depressed but you're capable of thinking about an approach, a way to deal with yourself. The answers, as we've already said, are as individual as the people who experience depression, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about some of them.

7ToF: seven things about depression

(apologies to those of you who are uninterested in this topic, I will be done with this series of posts before next Friday, promise.)

1. If you've stumbled on this through Google or whatever, and you're really seriously depressed, and especially if you're suicidal, please get help. You're worth it. Depression fools you into thinking that the world would be better off without you, but it isn't true. If you need a place to start, look in your phone book for your local helpline, or you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is staffed 24 hours a day, at (800) 273-8255.

DwD: depression's useful side

I think the first and most important thing I've learned, and I can't stress this enough, is that depression isn't a bad thing. The first time a therapist said this to me, it was a complete mind-blower. There are things that are worth being depressed about, she said. I'm sure I stared at her with my jaw hanging open.