Julie Pippert: Using My Words

( Photo by Scott Peterson. ) Yesterday a good friend dropped by my house and said, "Come over for dinner later. I feel like cooking and having people over. Wear a swimsuit." "What can I bring?" I asked. "Anything you like. We're eating what makes us feel good," she said, "I already asked Friend and Other Friend. They're bringing side dishes and desserts." "So like an appetizer?" "Sure. Just come. I need to cook. I need to entertain." "Okay," I said. This friend's father passed away a couple of weeks ago. It was a surprise/not surprise. He'd been suffering strokes for years and---despite really effective treatment that not only prolonged his life, but also prolonged the quality of his life by minimizing the effects of the strokes---doctors had warned the family quite some time ago that the next big one would likely be fatal. So they knew that death loomed. When her father passed away, as her friend, I ...

Oh the Joys wrote a blog post the other day called, "I don't hang out with your husband," which addressed opposite sex friendship after marriage. I felt it was a pretty straightforward account of the things you need to keep in mind about opposite sex friendship and marriage. I think most of us have had some experience of this going right, and going wrong, and have probably formed some opinions. In the case of the comments to that post, most people seemed to agree with OTJ, including me. Then two bloggers, Meno and Bob , wrote eloquent posts that elaborated on their point of view. I kept commenting to each discussion, and then decided I had enough to say to warrant my own post. Then I felt like it made sense to include my husband's voice equally. So I recorded a conversation between us about this, for your reading pleasure. The conversation is exact, conversational, and so hopefully you can follow it. It also unfolds interestingly. We began with my husband thinkign h...

There are many people to admire and who inspire. Historical people, famous people, revolutionaries, and peacemakers. When I think of who I admire, I often tend to think of women since they are frequently my role models and inspiration, especially now, since having children. When I sat down to think who I should profile, I came up with several versions of this post. I like them all but had a difficult time choosing. Should it be someone I know personally? A family member, such as my husband? My children? Someone from current or past times in my life? Or from the pages of news or history? In the end, it came down to feeling the best about profiling two people who are, so to speak, in my ballpark. I know them personally, they figure in my life currently, and I admire so much about them. Let me see if I can make you feel the love, too. ************************************************************************************** She's turned 40 now, not the first of our group of friends but no...

I began this post here , but hadn't completed all my thoughts or gathered up my full courage to post something this honest and revealing. I decided to create a new post instead of edit and add. But there are a couple of comments in the post below this one, the first post , and I don't want that to get lost. So read here, then scroll down, and check that out. Sorry for any confusion or chaos. In the mid-1990s, my husband and I had been married a couple of years. We both had good jobs that we liked, our house was just the right size, and all in all, we had a rich and wonderful life. The only thing we lacked were our old friends. When my husband and I began dating, a lot of people were Not Happy About It. Without dwelling too deeply on it, we took a lot of flack. I only need one finger to count the number of friends who were genuinely happy for us. I only need one hand to count the number of friends who sucked up their own agendas and were nice, good friends, anyway. I clung fier...

This past Saturday, I posted about silver and gold, old friends and new, for the blog exchange. I added that post here , as well, because it's relevant to this topic. But it's really just the tip of the iceberg. The rest of my ideas aren't fully formed yet and anyway...I have to put nose to grindstone this morning for a while. However, I wanted to get the links up, and hopefully, I'll be able to get back to this and instead of an explanatory paragraph, I'll have a real post. Bear with me. :) And if you don't mind a little clicking, click here and read the post I did manage to write. For now, a blast of the old. The Reivers singing "Over and Over" from their 1990 (?) 1991 (?) album, Pop Beloved. It will make sense...later. And...other people who got their acts together for the topic today (Making new friends and keeping the old...or, something we need to learn again and again.): Copyright 2007 Julie Pippert Also blogging at: Using My Words Julie Pipper...

A hundred years ago I was in fifth grade, at another new elementary school, my fourth. My parents had divorced and my mother returned to teaching. She moved us to the neighborhood near her school, which also happened to be the area a single mom could afford. The neighborhood was vastly different than the cushy middle-class suburbs we'd grown up in. It was a rough school in a tough neighborhood of what at best could be called working class and at worst could be called future gang territory. There were a few other wide-eyed new kids, other suburban exiles, and a couple of other more seasoned suburban exiles. We must have sensed a sort of recognition of one another, because we gravitated and bonded rather quickly. I made friends with Shannon and Kellie, and formed a competitive and slightly antagonistic friendship with Neeley, who had never been challenged for Top Academic Dog before. My heart was broken by Ruby, who rejected my poetically offered friendship request with, "I don...

Chani (of Thailand Gal) recently did a Steal This Meme about how we meet people: what's it like to meet you, she asked. I said---after reading her list---it was a good thing we met online. The first time you meet me? I might act like your oldest best friend you never met. I never ever mean to be overwhelming, or to step on toes. It simply means I feel very comfortable with you. I sort of...pick up talking with you, as if resuming a conversation we interrupted five minutes ago. Yesterday, I made a new friend. In the Target parking lot. I was with the entire family, and we were at the car after a looooooooooong Home Depot and Target shopping trip (notice how those are so often proximate to one another?) loading the bags into the trunk. About finished, I turned to get the last bag, and noticed The Lady with the cream Beatle convertible with MA plates walking to her car. "Just a sec, hon," I called to my husband, "I'll be right back!" I rushed over to her and s...

After being confronted with written evidence, Julie admits that she is a total attention whore. In some things, in some ways, sometimes I look outward for validation of my worth and existence. I admit it. It's my weak spot, my vanity spot . If you say I am clever, comment on a post, offer me an award, mention me on your blog, reply to a comment I left on your blog, or in any way flatter me as a writer...I am hopelessly, slavishly devoted to you. I will probably even add you to my blogroll just so everyone can see the list of all the cool kids who actually like me . The girl, she knows she is vain in this regard , but after much vanity discussion and navel-gazing , she has decided to love herself anyway, as she is (ironically) and will keep searching for (1) internal validation and (2) her first person . Until I reach a better point of self-actualization, though, may I just say that this week you people have been better than prozac and chocolate (together, with a side of white choc...

Danvers State Insane Asylum . My old stomping grounds. Danvers, that is, not the asylum. Boogiemum's comment in my last post got me thinking. "I think I could write an entire blog on instances, like the one you mentioned, on things that my 3 kids have done," she wrote in response to my confessions of adventures in parenting my creative kids. In fact, come to think of it, to a large degree, I have. More to the point, I love doing it. First, it records adventures my kids and I have at this time in our lives. Second, it helps me find a healthier (read: more humorous) take on the situation. Third, and most importantly to me, it is empathetic fodder. Oh how I love to hear from the other parents who have been there , done that and lived to tell about it. My husband and I were talking about the kids last night, and it struck me how fortunate I am to have so many outlets for connecting with other parents...how unbelievably valuable that is for me. I love my real world friends...

You wish you had a friend like mine, or maybe you do. She goes to the local farm every week and walks around thinking things like, "Wow, the strawberries look great, what a good price, too! I bet Julie would sure like some!" Then, magically, with no effort, you have awesome fresh produce, lots of it organic, for better quality and price than in the grocery stores. Even better, when you drop by to pick up said produce, apologetically late in the day, she invites you to stay for dinner, which includes grilled salmon with ginger, soy and Japanese bread crumb crust and crunchy noodle salad. Not only delicious, but Weight Watcher friendly. And loads better than the left over gumbo you were going to eat...again. So this is us on Sunday. As I took my quart of gorgeous looking strawberries and other assorted yummy produce, all the while effusively thanking her (again) and trying to do things like wash the dinner dishes to make myself worthy...I asked what she was doing with the two o...

I nominated someone for a ROFL Award. For those who know me and most especially those who know her, it will come as no surprise whatsoever that I nominated Josette of Halushki fame. Specifically I nominated her A Series of Unfortunate Conversations post. I was not quite aware of the entire process so I blogged about it a month early in my Ten Things I Hate About You post. Go ahead...click back...read...I'll wait right here...won't move...no worries. There are strict criteria for this award. Let's walk through these and how Josette's post about the bats in her belfry meet them: a) laughed out loud? Oh YES! b) spit out your coffee? Time for a new keyboard level spit out damage. But it was tea, maybe water with lime...most likely. Although, it could possibly have been a french vanilla frappuchino. I like my girly coffee. c) chocked on your twizzlers? It was a waste of a lovely candy but ‘tis true, I did. d) fell off your chair? Indeed, and have the bruis...