April 30th, 2009

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Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Hello there!

Well, I’m sitting here watching a little “Law and Order”, thinking about my trip to Seattle.  I plan on trying to get another free flight for myself and one other person (either Laura, the giver, or my mom, the nurse…maybe I should put it to a vote!).  I thought this was a nice video, if you want to check it out: http://corpangelnetwork.org/.  Pass it on to patients and possible corporations that might want to participate!!

Check out my new favorite song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRXhDQXhdXE …so, I’m a little behind–I’ve never heard it before!!  Makes me wish I were a Jersey girl.  :)  You know,  I think I may be a Bruce Springsteen fan, and I don’t even know it!  I’ve only ever heard “Born in the USA” and now “Jersey Girl”.  That’s a good CD they made for your shower, Kristi!!   How perfect, considering you are a Jersey girl.  Does anyone know if  there are any songs about Virginia girls?  Just curious.

So, all is well here.  I’m avoiding most public places because of the measles/swine flu cases.  Speaking of, I have a question.  Why is everyone so worried about swine flu?  I realize that there have been deaths in Mexico, and that one child died in Texas, but from everything I’ve heard and read, they say “all symptoms are like typical flu symptoms.  Stay at home and treat your symptoms.”  Are people scared simply because it is so easily transmitted?  What happened to the measles?  They just stopped talking about it once swine flu came onto the scene.

I do plan on going to my friend, Henry’s, 40th birthday/citizenship party this weekend.  I’m really looking forward to it!!  I guess it probably sounds silly to you to think that I’m avoiding other places, yet I went to a wedding, and I’m going to this party.  Well, I got permission for the wedding (although that was before we knew anything about the swine flu, and I asked before the measles cases were discovered), and I figured there wasn’t much of a difference between attending the wedding and going to the party.  I’ve also thought about wearing a mask on Saturday, but it seems everyone agrees that masks don’t really do too much to protect you from catching a virus.  I will just refrain from doing a lot of hugging and handshaking, and be careful to constantly wash my hands (and to, of course, keep my hands away from my mouth/eyes/nose).  In addition, I still take Acyclovir, which is an anti-viral medication, and I think it gives me a little bit of protection.

Speaking of public places, I went to the VW dealership yesterday so they could do inspection and emissions on my dad’s car.  I love going to VW.  First of all, it’s a very clean facility, and it’s never crowded.  I have my own table, I can use free WiFi, they have a delicious free French capuccino machine (well, it has all kinds of coffee, but my fave is the French capuccino), and they used to have donuts from “Dunkin’ Donuts” (but no more because the store across the street recently closed :( ).  I get so much accomplished there, so I’m never too upset if they say it will take them more time.  Honestly, I wish I could just go hang out there like someone would a Starbucks or Border’s.  Do you think they would find that strange?  :)  Not only are VW’s the best cars out there, but the dealership is a fun place to hang!!!  What more can you ask for?  I was disappointed yesterday because I was in the zone, getting lots of stuff done, when they came up to tell me the car was ready.  Secretly I thought, “you mean, there’s nothing else you need to work on”?  The man actually said to me (sarcastically…he had no idea how much I loved being there!), “So, are you ready to get outta here, or do you want to hang out a little longer?”.  I almost answered, “Nah, I’ll stay a while longer…I’d love to finish my e-mails and enjoy my third cup of coffee…can you just park my car in the lot for a while?”.

I know what I need to share with you…there is a new little foal in our neighborhood!  I haven’t seen him yet, but I hear he’s adorable.  I learned that it’s good that the weather is kind of cloudy for a few days, because foals’ eyes are very sensitive to bright light.  Also, the labor lasted about five minutes…not bad, right?  I’m looking forward to seeing some photos (or maybe meeting him in person!!).

I hope everyone is doing well!  It sure is gorgeous here in Virginia right now…bright green everywhere, all colors of azaleas, dogwoods and other blooms.  I just can’t imagine living somewhere that doesn’t have seasons…I love watching the changes that take place from one day to the next.

I’m off to enjoy the HGTV channel (yah, I’ve switched from “Law and Order”).  Enjoy your weekend!

Lots of love,
Julie