Thursday, March 31, 2011

Friday Fragments, Episode #139


We all have fragments. They clutter the mind. This is our place to clean house.  

[To learn more about Friday Fragments, click on the tab above.]

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I'm confident that a place has been reserved for me in heaven, especially after today's field trip to the Milwaukee Museum (my second), during which I spent four hours in a yellow school bus with 6th graders. Ahead of me in line at the pearly gates, however, will be the parent volunteers, who aren't used to the chaos.  (We had so many volunteers, in fact, that we had to turn several parents down!)

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Paying the bills this week, it occurred to me that the one I least enjoy paying (trying to maintain my Lenten promise to avoid negative comments) is the cellphone bill. It has tripled in the past five years, and I'm not impressed. I guess I should be grateful that we can still pay it, though.

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I tried the taco-flavored Doritos this week and loved them. It occurred to me that fish-flavored Doritos would taste nasty; if they ever come up with those, I will have to pass. (Talk about a fragment, huh?!)

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I've been thinking a lot about my blog lately and what to do with it. I feel like I've told all my stories that have lead up to this point in my life. (Blogging for four years kind of does that. Holy cow! It's been four years?! That's pretty cool!) I wonder what's next for me. I don't have the answer, and I'm okay with that. Thanks for hanging out with me during my noncommittal stage. [I just realized that I have many, many more stories to tell, actually.  I'm just not ready or willing to tell them (and that's okay, too).]

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I thankfully do not have a ton of personal experience with suicide. I know some things instinctively, but I learned a lot more this week, watching a brief training PowerPoint on the QPR method of suicide prevention. It was really interesting. For example, one of the recommendations is that, when appropriate, you can simply ask a person, "Are you thinking about suicide?" That would not be my first instinct, but apparently, it's a good idea. Who knew? I hope I never have need for such training.

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Did you know that you can see a new/different view of my blog (and any other Blogger blog on which the feature has been enabled) by simply typing this:  /view  after my url above?  My personal favorites views for Half-Past Kissin' Time are Sidebar and FlipCard. I also love this view of my Mrs.4444 Cooks blog, because who doesn't like lots of pics of food?!

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My Difference Makers students and I have so far raised 10% of the lofty goal they set at $3000 for Relay for Life.  If you can at all help us make a bigger dent, we'd very much appreciate your clicking on that button over on my right top sidebar and making a donation in any amount. We have eight days left and a penny war scheduled for next week, but we're going to need a lot more help. If you know anyone interested in kicking cancer's butt, feel free to send them our way, too.  You can go to the kids' page or my personal goal page to help Difference Makers make a difference :)  If you've already donated, THANK YOU!!

Okay, I'm done. I'm also out of my funk (pretty much), and I look forward to catching up on your blogs this weekend. I plan on starting here, by clicking on your Friday Fragments post. Thanks! After you link up, be sure to visit at least a few other fragmenters, too, will you? Everyone loves company! :)

21 comments:

  1. I'm having fun with the new looks for my blog too... not entirely sure about them, but hey, whatever floats your boat...

    having trouble getting the linky to come up tonight so in case I can't get it when i reload again, here's my frags this week: http://www.actingbalanced.com/2011/03/friday-fragments_31.html

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  2. How about walleye flavored chips?
    Served with beer - lots of beer.
    Your blog - it's great - it's a mecca on fridays. I don't think ideas are the problem I think time and real life are bigger more important issues that can interfere. Of course, you never want to get bored with it. But you have WI, the woods and the woodland creatures, spiders, great students, etc. And you are a former McDonald's girl - wow how could you not find something in that to thrill us about? But if RL and time get in the way I understand - all bloggers do.
    A big thank you for FF once again.

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  3. I knew about the blogger view change, but hadn't tried it out yet, so I gave it a shot on your blog.

    Sheesh... sounds like quite the field trip (not one I would have volunteered for, I'm sure). Glad to hear you survived. ;)

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  4. I am with you on the cell phone bills; they are ridiculous.
    I am sorry to say I have some experience with suicide. Both of my grandfathers and my 17 year old step son died of suicide. That is the pc way of saying it these days..died of not committed. This is the subject of my second book and I am shoulder deep in research.
    Happy April!

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  5. I had fun playing around with the view thing-a-ma-jigs earlier today on my own blog. (one thing I realized is that I need to use more pictures!! eeek!)

    I can see the reasoning behind asking that question. Because sometimes when you are in that place, you don't know how to bring it up, so if someone else asks, it gives you a chance to ask for help.

    I haven't tried those chips....but I probably will, especially since you say they are good.

    Cell phones are crazy expensive! Right now we just have a cheap pre-paid, but we are thinking about moving to a more expensive pre-paid (they run about $50 a month for unlimited everything).

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  6. We have a huge field trip this week to the aquarium... two hour ride on chartered busses... must be at school before 7 and won't be back until after 5 AND two coworkers are unexpectedly out with no chance of being back in time... FUN TIMES!

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  7. I agree with you about the cell phone bill--we switched to a cheaper carrier: Great Call/jitterbug, but if you join, let them know you are a AAA member (if you are) and you get a discount! Also, be sure to get the plan that covers the amount of your monthly calls because if you go over the limit--the per call charges are ridiculous!

    Four hours on a bus--I could get a lot of reading in! That's wonderful that so many parents volunteered!

    Haven't tried that new view option yet but sounds like extra fussing for nothing to me.

    I'm in the same place with "My Funny Dad, Harry" blog as you are here. That's why I've only been posting over there about once a week.

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  8. I say as a teacher you automatically get a pass in the pearly gates hands down! I would be one of those parents that as a panic attack stuck on the bus fours hours with all the noise....yikes I'd be stealing sips from a flask hidden in my purse! lol!

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  9. ah, school trips... i love school trips. ok, i guess i loved going on them, and i don't know if i could volunteer for that ;-) you are so brave!!!

    in the suicide training my hubby takes and does, asking someone point blank if they are thinking of killing themselves is key and a must. i could not do it either, but intervention is so important with this horrible thing. we see it a lot in the military and it is on the rise.

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  10. I don't like the cell phone bill either, but we got rid of our land line, so I "guess" it's ok?

    Sometimes I feel that I have told all the stories there are to tell on my blog and then something comes up. You are not dried up yet!!!

    Have a great weekend! :)

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  11. I've had too many reminders of suicide in the past week. A friend's husband killed himself last weekend. At the restreat I was on with that group of teen girls, there was a dramatic presentation about suicide- with the message to "use your words" and ask for help, reach out. And I'm always thinking about Hallie.

    Suicide just sucks.

    Didn't mean to get so serious on a Friday.

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  12. Many love fish tacos but my first experience with 'em was not a good one. Hubs thought I was a grand idea to order one in Mexico...I jumped in for a bit. Hey, I'll try anything once. I've never had an urge for fish tacos since.

    That was the same trip we ate baby goat tacos!!!

    Love your frags...gotta get back to Deep Clean Friday.

    God bless and have a fantastic weekend sweetie!!!

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  13. I love the taco flavored Doritos as well! Some of the other flavors are good, but the taco ones rule! :)

    Why is it that most of the best tasting food is bad for you?

    I was just reading about the different blogger views but haven't checked into them yet...now I must!

    Have great weekend!
    -Ruth Ann

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  14. Love the FF...and Taco Doritos.

    About the suicide question, as a nurse we do point blank ask "Are you thinking of hurting yourself? Do you have a plan?" It is always heart wrenching when they say yes because for them to be at that place to admit it, they really are asking for your help. And most people aren't going to just come out and say it...but they readily admit it when asked. Don't be afraid to ask if you think someone is at that point! You could save a life.----Beth G

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  15. Paying bills always makes me sad. Seems like all of them get bigger and scarier each month.

    Taco Doritos...sound dangerous!

    Happy Friday to you!

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  16. you know it's funny you bring up the cell phone thing because i always hate paying our bill AND i usually forget every month. OOPS! it's our one bill that i just kind of lose track of! AND it's outrageous!

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  17. The cell phone bill: SO ANNOYING. Every time I enter it in our checkbook I think about how we didn't even have this expense ten years ago, and what we could do with that amount of money every month. Still...I'm not sure I'm willing to live without the convenience! haha

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  18. I am intrigued. I am always in need of defragmenting. I may have to join. My blog is a gumbo, a disjoined medley of sorts anyway. Field trips are always stressful by the way. Lately I take my Honduran kids to an actual field, a soccer field actually. Where they live, they don't have grass. Everyone takes off their shoes, and the younger ones roll around in the grass. Not much work for me.

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  19. I think there is a palace reserved for you in heaven. I hope you will invite me over because I might only get a shack. I'll bring over some salsa verde Doritos; they're pretty good.

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  20. Well I am entirely still in my funk! I'm hoping that sometime soon I will have enough of a life to blog something. (See what I mean?) AND a big smootch for my doctor who told me that when this menopause business is over in SEVERAL YEARS, I will find that the funk has lifted.

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  21. I'm glad to hear that you're out of your funk! I hope you can still find some stories that you're willing to share.
    I am totally confident about your special place in heaven. In fact I was thinking of you today. The kids had Spring Break last week, so today we went back to the old routine and I was helping Elayna with homework. I am NOT a natural teacher and as bad as this may sound, helping with homework is very frustrating sometimes for me! As well as the millions of questions that kids ask on a daily basis. I truly admire teachers. You have a gift.

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