is taking place in Thunder Bay this weekend.  Or a dramatic reenactment. Katherine’s IB History class is studying the revolution, and her study group is filming a short documentary exploring Nicholas II through the eyes of the peasants and his advisors.

They wrote the script which is not bad…and are going through our winter coat closet for costumes. They are constructing picket signs from hockey sticks (my idea) and Katherine attempted to raid Emily’s room for a birthday princess tiara, but it is alas, broken. I was thinking they could use the soundtrack from Anastasia… but they are hoping to strike a more authentic note.

We received the most cool and terrific package form Seymour yesterday… Angie packed up a care package of love for me and the kiddies… but the note, the note… made me feel like my friend lived down the block…

At first I wanted to call this post “My So-Called Second Life.”  A few weeks ago, driving Tony and I heard a CBC broadcast about Second Life, “a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents, where users can explore, build, socialize and participate in their own economy.” Since then we have seen a few plot lines on Detective shows about Second Life and Dwight of The Office has a Second Life avatar.

“Back then, my life was so great I literally wanted a second one. In my second life, I am also a paper salesman, and I am also named Dwight.” “Everything is exactly the same. Except I can fly.”

So despite Jim remarking that Second Life is for

“For those people who want to be removed even further from reality.”

I wanted to check it out… Tony said he would pass that he was quite content with his first life. I could insert “eye rolling ” here but that would make me appear childish. On Thursday, I signed up and created my account. Chose my name and my cute little avatar. I downloaded and installed the program. Immediately, was told my graphics drivers were out of date. Then I update drivers and have to update the program, I do that. And then I can’t get past the orientation island because my card is still not strong enough to stop the program from freezing. Hmmmph, last year I gave my graphics card on steroids to Tony.

So I installed my Law and Order game on my computer, which is not the same. I found myself dreaming of playing CSI NY in Second Life which you can do.

Last night, however, I talk to Joel about Second Life, and we get him signed up (we have the same last name so we can be family in Second Life, although Joel noted that we now have a lot of unknown family members also with the same last name) …and install the game on Tony’s computer. (Tony had already said I could.) Oh my, what a hoot… I really want to play this game now… So now I live vicariously through Joel’s Second Life…*sighs*

sort of what Joel’s avatar looks like … I know, I know, as if I don’t have enough to do… maybe my avatar can make the cranberry relish today

So quickly… a few different meanings…

quickly a post because the girls and I biking/ walking to the library and to pick up some tennis balls for Emily, who has become enamored with the sport. We found our tennis rackets so she could practice with them. (although natural athlete that she is, she had become quite good with the dust pan and the side of the house.)

quickly the years go by, these photos I used in the layout about Melinda show me that. I mean it was just a turn around a corner ago that she wore that puppy dog onesie and hot pink sleeper. (and she loved that spot under that table… until she grew too tall and kept banging her head… as bright as she is, she never learned. She would crawl under there, stand up, smack her head, cry… and then an hour late, repeat this process)

(enlarge image)

quickly, some notes on the credits, the cool gel alpha is the creation of my friend Melany. The man with the beard holding Melinda is my Dad. The other man is Melinda’s Uncle, who had come to visit from Germany.

quickly, the lyrics to the song ( slightly papraphrased from james taylor)

whenever i see your smiling face
I have to smile myself
because i love you, yes i do
and when you give me that pretty little pout
it turns me inside out
theres something about you baby
i dont know
its amazing a mom like me can feel this way
tell me how much longer
if it grows stronger every day
oh how much longer
–james taylor

quickly, a note to Melinda… this love for you grows stronger every day.

(digital credits here)

I am such a sap… Martina McBride songs have me weeping in the car…and laughing and dancing in the car… Tony forgot his wallet and so I picked up two boxes from the China House buffet and we ate in the car outside his work… a block from the Lake… fresh air, brilliant sun…we had fun…. and so with a brief stop at Wal-Mart, riding home along the lakeshore with some tunes…

such energy in the air, and the music…

You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach and you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway
God is great, but sometimes life ain’t good
And when I pray it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway, I do it anyway

and as the mother of daughters…who are so full of life and love…

This one’s for the girls
Who love without holding back
Who dream with everything they have
All around the world
This one’s for the girls

and in my daughter’s eyes… actually, I kept seeing the photo of Caroline in Angie’s arms

But the truth is plain to see:
She was sent to rescue me,
I see who I wanna be, in my daughter’s eyes.

and also on this CD mix… a bit of Huey Lewis and The News, this music got me through Melinda’s toddlerhood…  Melinda on my hip, Huey Lewis in the background… dancing and singing, trying to keep this baby happy…

You don’t need money, don’t take fame
Don’t need no credit card to ride this train
It’s strong and it’s sudden and it’s cruel sometimes
but it might just save your life
That’s the power of love
That’s the power of love

and lip syncing with Celine Dion… the only Celine song I really know… we had this CD along on the trip to Duluth… and Katherine and I kept singing this song over and over, with full bravado and drama… night time along Hwy 61, Canadian side…you sort of had to be there… (ah, Sarah pretended to be asleep)

But when you touch me like this
And you hold me like that
I just have to admit
That it’s all coming back to me
When I touch you like this
And I hold you like that
It’s so hard to believe but
It’s all coming back to me
(It’s all coming back, it’s all coming back to me now)

soon enough, kids to pick up and crises to solve, dinner to think about… but for 20 minutes or so nothing but wind in my hair, full throated singing, and lots of emotion…

More Beth Moore nuggets… she said that only God can really deal with the long haul of some of our problems… and she talked about quiet courage… or uncredited courage… the people who 6 months later are still dealing with the situation but we have all moved on… because for us it is the status quo… but for the person in the trial … it is still taking the same amount (or maybe more)  courage to care for the disabled spouse, or to hang in there with the wayward teen, or brace yourself for one more operation, or make one more telephone call to the government agency (ooops, that is me I am talking about …) and she added that a year later, we are really hoping to bring up some other topic at the dinner table….

well that is me in this ongoing serial of my illness…I wish I had something else to write about…  today I am throwing up form a migraine from the overloaded sinuses and trust me I am holding back details… (but I did take my BP meds, Tony )

I helped Katherine talk through a thesis statement for the IB extended essay… convinced Hannah that school was a worthy option for the day, and read a few of Katherine’s highlighted American Idol articles…(we have lots of essay  ideas for Idol  but cant use them, had to be of historical significance   … )

Mary is coming home for Easter….

and to all my friends and loved ones who are still dealing with the situation whatever it is (hey you, my Cincinnati friend, that means you too)… I applaud your courage ….

Katherine and I are haters of change, now most of human beans are, but Katherine and I really don’t like change. If we have been having cocoa with our latest episode of Bones the past two days, then don’t go switching us to sodee pop….

sighs… she drove back to Minneapolis today to begin classes tomorrow. We snuggled last night, whispering in the dark talking about the coming weeks, and she is at once both my little girl and this young woman I am proud to call a friend.

these two are filling up my heart these days, they are so precious to me and they are facing a challenge for their little boy/man hearts… pray for them please…. that they know, I MEAN, KNOW the love of God in these days. (in this photo they are gazing in wonder at their Uncle Shawn and his  motorcycle, don’t you just love them?)

in other news, I do occasionally have twinges of ear pain, but that excruciating pain …hmm, I have not felt that since  Katherine pulled into Lisa and Marion’s driveway two weeks ago. Desley is juicing up my veggies for me, and this morning’s combo (delivered by the beautiful Rose) was a delight all day. I have been cooking for the family now and again. Last night, smoky bbq ribs, corn fritters, curry rice and pickled cucumbers. Also, I have made in the past few days; lemon tilapia, salsa chicken, and three cheese macaroni. I have more energy. good stuff….

I never mentioned, but most of you facebookers know, that Emily’s cheer squad won 2nd place.

and now I must sign off because i am wiped out… pray for my chiquita to make it back safely and to settle into her new semester please? love to you all…