Julie Pippert: Using My Words

Ed is making me do a "six odd things about myself" post. Ed can't really make me do things, but then again, clearly he can compel me since (a) I like Ed and (b) I'm avoiding the laundry (again). Also I've lost track of times I've been tagged in the last six months and I thought maybe if I did this and sent it out with due respect to everyone who has tagged me and was utterly, rudely ignored by me, you might forgive me. Just a little. The meme originally asked for six random things, but I don't believe there are random characteristics, only odd or quirky ones that perhaps you don't know. So here we go: 1. If you are driving on the road with me I PROBABLY HATE YOU. Most likely, you annoy me and your driving sucks and I will say so through my words and hand gestures, which have, in fact, come back to haunt me on those occasions when we pull into the same parking lot and I discover you are my daughter's classmate's parent, a coworker, a buddy, or ...

It's been a wild week in nearly every avenue. Here's what I've seen that might intrigue, interest, disgust, enthrall and/or appall you: The good: Earth Day ramp up has motivated some really fantastic things. At Moms Speak Up, I joined The Nature Conservancy's campaign to Plant a Billion. One tree, one dollar...and every dollar counts. Click over here to check out the information and join in the campaign! Aimee Greeblemonkey launched a project near and dear to my heart (for those of you who know how I feel about art, kid art , and art in school , as well as the environment). Inspired by her son who hosted a backyard art auction and a reader suggestion, she launched Kid Art Auction for Earth Day 2008 . Izzy asked if I would take on Moms Speak Up as Editor-in-Chief, which I agreed to do. I'm currently seeking motivated writers who are passionate about the environment, dangerous imports, health care, food safety, media and marketing, education, politics and many othe...

Okay so I have been on Spring Break. That means this girl likes to party all the time, which apparently doesn't include anything relating to blogging other than hanging out with bloggers in real life. Although party has a new definition these days and seems to cap off at 9:30ish, it's about quality not quantity. (I swapped out the image; the first one was freaking out visitors. We can't have that! So I subbed in a nice local beach shot instead.) In no particular order other than as they occurred to me, here are things I've learned so far this week while on Spring Break (which is not finished yet): 1. Men are freaking weird. Some of them are actually turned on by a woman eating an aluminum can. With her bare teeth. I have no words. Okay a few: I would never ever be turned on by a guy eating an aluminum can with his bare teeth. Not even if he wore a really low cut tank top. And was wet. And strongly resembled Adrian Paul. Not even then. 2. The mouse car makes good tim...

We're going to have to meander a bit in this post...and I hope you don't mind winding on a path a bit... The Hump Day is around the corner and I've got fabulous topics from fabulous bloggers. You'll want to either rearrange your schedule or make one for these. First, Emily R at Wheels on the Bus (creator of the very popular music hump day) hits a home run again with this suggestion for Wednesday, December 5: Making new friends and keeping the old...or, something we need to learn again and again. Second, next week December 12 is from Maddy at Whitterer on Autism : personal pet peeves, we all have them, but I like the unique ones. Ones that other people don't share and most importantly, the why? *********************************************************************************** Sometimes, things slam into my mind with a startling burst of accuracy, other times they glide gracefully across my consciousness, slowly seeping through barriers, and gently whispering to me...

This week Emily requested we write about the soundtrack of our lives. Little did she know I had a post already written, in drafts, that was a soundtrack moment. She may have been startled by my quick agreement---or not. The fact that I already had something written wasn't the real cause of my complicity. It's because I love music and I constantly have a life soundtrack queued up. I even used to---jokingly, mostly---have a personal "theme" song. It was The Honeymoon from Prelude to a Kiss . Anyone who knows me well and who knows that song has always agreed it was a great pick. It's not so much because of a "theme" as it is a sound...it sounds like I'd sound if I were music. But I'm not music so I have loads of it, on, always. I like the radio because I like to be surprised, but often I'm in a particular mood or engaged in a certain activity and I like to pick. For example, cleaning often begs for the electric blues so I frequently clean to t...

This? This is the epitome of how we all feel some days. Is it not? I? Have one nerve left. And it is frayed, my friends. Frayed makes me think of a joke I formerly used to amuse the 5th grade set: A string walks into a bar. Barman points to a sign and says, "See that? It says No Strings Allowed." String stands up, hunches over, and walks out of the bar. In the parking lot, he rips, shreds, rends and tears, then ties himself up. He walks back into the bar, where the barman eyes him suspiciously and asks, "Are you a string?" and the String says, "I'm afraid not." Wuh wuh wuh. Clearly I'm not smarter than a fifth grader. And that blog IQ test agrees. I got Elementary School, which so offends my extremely delicate intellectual sensibilities that I won't even deign to link to the test site. It can suck me. See? Look at that: testy. Testy is exactly how I felt when Persistence pulverized a cupcake in her car seat. (See cake shop story below.). I su...

It's true. I had a birthday. I turned a year older, a year closer to leaving my 30s behind. Believe it or not, I'm okay. I have this thing I do with my birthday year. When the new year flips, I flip my age. I realize that's almost a year in advance, but this way I am well-used to the age by the time I actually turn it. And I got used to it while knowing I was actually a year younger. I will, if asked, admit to the older age. This makes my husband crazy. He feels compelled---despite more than fifteen years of negative consequences for doing so---to correct me, "Well, she's not actually 29, only 28, she'll turn 29 in November." Now everyone is uncomfortable, except him, who has gotten the Truth Out. I feel like a liar and am compelled to explain to the other person who doesn't care one iota about it, although no matter what, the other person likely thinks I'm a freak. I'm okay with that. I release my annoyance by slugging my husband in the should...

Last week, I had what could have been a very embarrassing moment. In the morning super rush-I quickly threw on workout clothes. Very very soft running shorts (from a sale bin, this will be important later) and loose t-shirt. I was in a hurry as usual-I was off to drive kids around, then go running. All of us suburby moms look like this, the new morning rush uniform. I dropped off Kiddos 1 and 2. Salsie and May at school, where luckily I stay in the car. Then, I had to drop kiddo 3, who calls herself Sauncy, at preschool, where I do have to get out of the car. Eyewitness point number 1. Then I went for a run- starting pretty much up and down the main street, past the 'gated' part of my development, right by several construction sights, then in front of the golf club. Eyewitness locations 2-20. Where I finally ended at the park to set kiddo 4, Willsie, free from stroller jail. Eyewitness location number 21. At the park, trying to cool down in 90 degree, 100 percent humidity, dri...

So apparently my last interview meme so traumatized all but a few of the stalwart of you that despite my bared soul ...you ran away screaming. Or maybe not "despite," maybe "because of." ;) LOL So I am challenging myself to use four or less sentences to answer Emily's interview questions. If you would like me to interview you (and if nobody asks, so help me I will...ummm, I don't know, err...write mile long posts of self-deprecation and crying) send me an email at j pippert at g maildotcom. And then be patient. For a long time. Because I will get to you. When I'm not gallivanting . ;) 1) You write about the business you are trying to build, but you don't talk much about specifics. Please tell us about the business you are trying to start and how it is going. I recently published a children's book about autism . I announced it a while back on my blog and linked to the author's blog . It has been a real learning curve running this solo vers...

When the fabulous Slouching Mom did the interview meme and offered to write questions for any applicants, you can bet I jumped on that bandwagon and asked right away. The only thing was...I had seen Emily (Wheels on the Bus Emily) in my feed reader doing the same meme and knew I'd love questions from both. Luckily for me, both agreed to do it. Slouching Mom sent her questions first, so she's up first. Emily will follow in a second post. 1. An essential question in the psychology of personality is whether one's personality is determined more by genetic or environmental influences. Using Patience's and Persistence's dispositions as a frame of reference, state your opinion as to the relative contributions of nature versus nurture in the development of personality. I'm not sure I could quantify or prove it, but since having children I am more convinced that our personalities are predetermined to the majority degree. I'm not sure whether this surprises or val...