Gloomy Sunday complete with Thunderstorms

Half-way through mowing the lawn--the rains came. The lightening came and with it thunder. Of course, it didn't help that I ran out of gas and had to go to the station for more.

But I had help. And this is his self-portrait with my camera--yes it is Ethan.

Ethan and his family (Mommy and baby Jax) joined us for church and came over to do some work after church.

Ethan and I had fun mowing the lawn and then going out for a coconut and gas. The coconut is a story in itself that is pretty funny. Ethan wanted the coconut milk--but once he got it he wasn't so keen on it. But, hey--it is a new experience.

Well--Sundays are afterall family day and even though the pool was closed due to the thunder storms, there was still a lot of fun to be had.

A racquetball morning after the night before

Ugh! It was hard to get up this morning. I went with Jeremy to the O's game last night and we sat through about a two-hour delay before they suspended the game with the score 2-1 in the top of the 6th inning. Since the score was 1-1 at the end of the 5th, it could not be considered a game--so they are playing today to complete the game.

But that is where the trouble started--I didn't get home till after 11 PM and by the time I went to sleep it was like, midnight. And I was hungry because as it turned out we forgot to buy food.

But having a racquetball match this morning, I got up at 0450--and you know what the "0" stands for: OMG it's early!

So by the time I stumbled onto the court at 0530--I really didn't feel too chipper. In fact I was downright fried.

And the outcome of the first game showed it-- I lost 2-15.

But I turned it around and won two close games 15-10 and 15-14. As it wasn't a league match we played all three games to 15 (instead of the tiebreaker to 11). I twisted my ankle pretty bad in the corner during the last game--but persevered.

So what did I learn--I'm not superhuman and actually do need to sleep sometimes. But, I really enjoyed going to the game with Jeremy, even though it rained. It was actually raining too hard for us to want to go to the car to go home--else I would have left about 10 PM.

Next time--wait, there isn't going to be a next time, see, I did learn something!

Pool Magic

I realized that I was doing it yesterday--waiting for the end of the workday to come so I could get home and fall into the pool. And I did.

What was it about that thought that held so much promise for me? The cool water? Sleeping on a floatie in the sun? A cold drink poolside? Doing nothing except putting my mind into neutral?

I wondered.

For a stress release and for conditioning I played a racquetball match at 5:30 am. After two weeks of vacation I wasn't very sharp, but it did the trick. I got fully moving (and some of my muscles are complaining as I write this)

So as I drove home yesterday I decided to really try to figure out what the therapeutic effect of the pool came from.

So there I was--standing on the edge of the failing diving board, looking at the warm, inviting water. I thought that this was going to be great--and that this was a close to the beach as I was going to get for a while.

I dove in.

And then I realized what it was--as the waters of the pool enveloped me, they washed away the trials and cares of the day replacing them with an enveloping sense of freedom and support. It happened as I passed through the boundary which separates air from water--and at the same time I passed through a mental boundary separating the workday from the rest of my life.

And it was good.

In that moment, the work day dissolved into a memory--the drive, the email battles, the short notice tasks, the meetings, the work. All were for an instant gone. And I was refreshed and renewed.

I stayed underwater for a long moment enjoying the freedom and support and renewed freedom. I enjoy the water of the late-July and August pool because it is warm. It does not jolt the senses, but it soothes them. And when I finally surfaced--I was mentally new. Ready for the evening (or so I thought).

Now I think I know the magic of the pool--it is in the passing through the boundary from air to water.

Welcome Home Sunday

In celebration of our return from south Florida, all of the family gathered at the house for a pool party on Sunday afternoon. Everyone was there and the family really came together around the pool, and in the pool. It was such a hot day--at least 96 degrees with humidity over 90 percent.

The pool has warmed up to 84 degrees. It is clear and inviting.

The day allowed everyone to get together again to talk about what is happening. Two of our families are in the process of moving to new homes: Jer and Nicole and Patrick and Tina. So there is alot to talk about and a lot of excitement.

Of course the grandsons were there and were the life of the gathering with their unique antics.

Ethan is really improving his swimming skills and also discovered the joys of whale riding as we call it on daddy. They crossed the pool a number of times under the watchful eye of Nicole. Even Jax was involved as a safety spotter.

Patrick and Tina brought some great chips and salsa which Ben--the keeshond really enjoyed when he could. (When no one was looking)

All in all it was one of those really fantastic days which helps remind me about why we actually come home from vacation--to be with our family.

Fabuloso

Fabuloso--it's not just a general purpose cleaner anymore!

I'm sitting here reflecting on the vacation just ended--and the past two weeks where I truly got away from most of it--yeah, I check my Blackberry every so often cause I really don't like to be truly out of touch.

On vacation in Jupiter, we used Fabuloso cleanser to clean the counters and walls in the unit--and "FABULOSO" became the word to describe activities of the vacation that were outstanding--like the Fabuloso sunset, or the fabuloso bike ride along the beach, or the fabuloso trip to the Everglades. You get the idea.

So, as I'm preparing to head off to work for the first time in over two weeks (and only the third time I've actually had socks and shoes on my feet), I'm wondering where it all went and how it all happened so fast.

Why do vacations end? Why is it vacations go by at what seems like a speed faster than real life?

I guess it is so we can remember that life is really bigger than what we're doing right now. We may think we are the center of the universe, but we are not and if we want to or need to, we can change what we are doing and where we are.

And then--we have a FABULOSO family get together (more on that later) to remind me that life is happening right here and right now and I need to be in the moment and not on a beach a thousand miles away.

Mama Mia Movie Review

Fun, beautiful, and thoroughly enjoyable. We saw Mama Mia today and really enjoyed the music, the acting, the story, and especially the imagery/cinematography. And, if you've never seen the stage version--then you, like me, will have fresh view of the movie.

Meryl Streep is fantastic in the lead role and as the movie progresses her singing actually improves as she becomes more sure of her voice.

As the movie opens it becomes an irresistible force for smiles and laughs. The music is fun, the story is fun and the location of the film is absolutely beautiful. That coupled with the strong acting by Pierce Brosnan is enjoyable too.

The professional reviewers reviews are mixed. Joel Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal writes During the first few minutes of Mamma Mia! I resisted the bombardment of good cheer, then surrendered almost unconditionally. Yes, of course this is fairly old-fashioned entertainment, but it's really, really entertaining." A.O. Scott in the New York Times found himself similarly torn. "You can have a perfectly nice time watching this spirited adaptation of the popular stage musical and, once the hangover wears off, acknowledge just how bad it is. ... If you insist on folding your arms, looking at your watch and defending yourself against this mindless, hedonistic assault on coherence, you are unlikely to survive until the end credits (which may, by themselves, kill you all over again). Surrender, on the other hand, is easy and painless. It's Greece! It's bellybuttons! It's Meryl Streep! It's Abba!" Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times remarks that he saw the original stage version and didn't think much of it then, even though it went on to become one of the biggest musical hits of the decade. "So here's the fact of the matter. This movie wasn't made for me. It was made for the people who will love it, of which there may be a multitude. The stage musical has sold 30 million tickets, and I feel like the grouch at the party." He has company. Michael Phillips, the Chicago Tribune critic, says that he's seen the stage version of Mamma Mia! three times. "It's disappointing, then, to see the film version of the stage hit turn out this way -- not lousy, but pushy." Lisa Kennedy in the Denver Post comments that the movie "too often feels like a souvenir program: something to revive the feelings you had watching the stage performance." And Michael Sragow in the Baltimore Sun comments that the movie "is like a party where everyone is so desperate to have a good time that it makes you miserable."

But the important one is the Baltimore Sun reviewer--if he hates it, it has to be a good movie.

A couple cautions for those who do not know the story--while the music is compelling and fun, there are references to sex and homosexuality.

Rating: See the movie on the big screen. This movie is fun and beautiful. Young children may not enjoy the adult story line--but the sights and sounds are worth the ride.

If you see the movie--come back and leave a comment about how you reacted to it. I'd love to know about your opinion of the movie.