I've mentioned before that my husband and I are big scrabble nerds. I've held the title of " The Ruler of Scrabble " for a few years now. My statistics for number of games won, highest word score, and highest game score have been mine for a while. But today my husband did something that...well, I don't know if we can call it amazing, or extremely nerdy. Probably a little of both. While I was at work, he found himself bored with nothing to do. So he played a game of electronic scrabble. He went back and forth with himself as each player, and strategically set up the board in a way that would allow him to create the mother of all scrabble words. The word that if you're playing for real, the chances are about 1 in a million that you would be able to make this word legitimately. After several hours, he completed his task. Ah Eddie. Some write poetry. Some play music. And some want only to get a word score of 1,710 points:

Recently I was out with some friends and we ran into someone I hadn't seen in over a year. He is a music producer with a great deal of success in NYC. I worked as his  intern for a very brief time when I first moved here, and was actually surprised that he remembered me so well.  As we all got reacquainted, my friends mentioned a play they're working on called  Children of God , to which my former producer boss asked,  "Are you all Christians too? I know  she  is," as he pointed at me.  There was no mocking tone. He asked with genuine interest, almost admiration. And it completely took me by surprise because I'm almost certain we  never  directly discussed that issue when I worked for him.  I took it as an enormous compliment. I have no idea what I did in the short weeks that we worked together to make him "know" I was a Christian. But I must try and find out, and then do more of it. "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather ...

Yesterday, I sat on the couch, clutching a tissue as Oprah dished out her final pieces of life advice on her last show. Feeling inspired, I went to my computer to endow my own wisdom upon whoever wants to read it... So here it is. My 10 best pieces of life advice: 1. Jump out of an airplane Don't go out of your way to do it or anything, but if someone walks up to you and says, "Hey, I'm gonna jump out of an airplane now. Why don't you join me?" And you don't have a pressing obligation any time soon, then just do it. It'll be fine and you'll forever be glad you did when it's over. Plus, you'll have bragging rights for life. I still brag about jumping out of airplanes. See? I'm doing it right now. 2. Don't let your laundry pile up It took me 28 years and an apartment with no washer and dryer to figure this one out. See, the more laundry you let gather, the more you have to wash at one time. Remember that feeling in pre-school when you ...

Well, today I discovered where every senior citizen in northern New Jersey is at 11:00 am on a Wednesday. The grocery store. I've always connected really well with older people. Probably because we have the same taste in music and movies. And bedtime. I used to play piano for nursing homes and retirement communities in college (something I would really like to get back into), and always felt very at home and grateful to be there. So it really,  really  bothers me when I see people make rude comments to, or about seniors. Today I saw several instances of honking, eye rolling, and general impatience and disrespect at the Food Lion, and began to think about society's relationship with senior citizens. And well, this is how I think it  should  be. Let me put it this way. In the military, whenever I was in the presence of a high-ranking officer or NCO, I pretty much made sure I had my act together. Not that I knew anything about them. I didn't know if they were a ...

Sometimes I see, or hear of a moment between couples and immediately know that those 2 are "meant to be." Here are just a few examples. -My dad's name is Ricky after the 50's singer Ricky Nelson. Ricky Nelson sings a famous song called "Hello Mary Lou." In the song he sings about her "big brown eyes." My dad married a woman named Mary Louise, with big brown eyes. You can't make that up.  -I have a friend who is notorious for his corny jokes and ill-timed humor. The first time I met his wife, she told a story and in the middle paused and looked at her husband, "I know you want to make a joke here, so go ahead." He cracked the not-so-funny joke, and then she proceeded with her story. That's when I knew they were perfect for each other. She let him be just what he is and loved him for it. -My Grandpa used to select one rose from his garden every season to bring to my Grandma. His explanation was, " One rose means one true lov...

I've been wanting to write about this subject for a long time now, but never felt the right words until recently. I try not to get on my soap box too much in my blog, but like today, I have a few exceptions: ~~ I was just wondering, where has the compassion gone? I don’t know if it’s because I’m simply noticing different things as I get older, or if it’s because I was raised in Nebraska, a land as different as night and day than New York City, or if it’s because the world really is losing its empathy for others. But I just can’t help but wonder, where has the compassion gone? Since the world did not end as Harold Camping predicted, I have heard more ridiculing comments than I can count, “What a bunch of dumb-asses.” But here is a group of people that believed something so fervently that they literally bet their life on it. You rarely see faith like that in the world. One of the first things I thought at 6:01 pm on May 21 st , 2011, was how badly their faith must be shaken right n...

After a month away with the Army Reserves, Eddie will finally return home today from his psychological operations training. I am proud to report that he earned the highest score in every activity, making him the class's honor graduate. Since we both left active duty a year and a half ago, there have only been a few reminders of the difficult life that comes with being full time military. Conquering these challenges is a crucial ingredient to what makes a good soldier. So, it's no surprise to me that Eddie once again excelled, in the military and in life. Exceeds the Standard