Sophie's Story

  I like going out for breakfast. There so many breakfast foods that I like that I don't or can't make for myself. Some of my favourite meals have been breakfast.   Today we needed to run some errands and C suggested that eat at Junior's after we finished our errands done. I couldn't say yes fast enough.   Junior's is one of my favourite places. It ranks up there with IHOP, Julie's Park Café, The Village Café (both in Door County), Eggs Up Grill on Pawley's Island and Another Broken Egg Café on Charleston SC. They serve breakfast all day long. They also have lunch and dinner as well.   I like the décor of the place. There are all kinds of pictures on the wall. They have Three Stooges, Barney Fife and one of Mohammed Ali and the Beatles. My favourite is a picture of Jackie Robinson stealing home base. You can eat at the counter or sit at a table. It's fun and friendly. You can sense this as soon as you walk through the door. The only bad part ...

  One of my pet peeves in Toastmasters is people who don't know the difference between a podium and a lectern. I inherited this from another Toastmaster who left the club to join another. I used to go into a full body cringe whenever someone mixed the two up. I've come a long way, now I only inwardly cringe.   Last Thursday a newer member mixed this up not just once, but twice. I did my slight inward cringe and said nothing out loud. After the meeting, I heard someone who had been a member longer announce that it really didn't matter whether it was a podium or a lectern. The names don't matter. She might have said it to make the newer member feel better. She might also have said it, knowing how I feel on the subject, to press my button. What she did do is give me some pondering material for the drive home.   I have always been a stickler for proper names and titles, because I believe that names are important.   I learned this when I was younger. My brother, siste...

   There is a misconception that people who are introverts are anti social. Introverts are often seen as people who shy away from others and prefer their own company to anyone else's.   This is not entirely true. An introvert, by most of the definitions that I have seen, is someone who draws their energy from solitude and who finds dealing with lots of people to be draining. It has more to do with emotional energy than a like or dislike for people.   I didn't really grasp the significance of this until today. I had gone to the Temple with my friend, Krista. Afterward we decided to have lunch. We chose a popular soup, sandwich and salad place that was not far away. While we were getting something to drink, Krista saw a woman she knew, something that happens frequently at that restaurant. We looked around for an empty table and didn't see any. Krista saw that her friend was sitting at a table with another woman we both knew. She suggested that we sit with them...

   Tomorrow is the first anniversary of our second wedding. I consider myself quite blessed and lucky. Most women have to divorce in order to have a second wedding. We did not.   Some of you may be thinking that this is a form of vow renewal. It's becoming more common for couples to renew their vows in a ceremony that is a lot like a wedding. I personally have never understood the whole thought behind a vow renewal. I didn't think they ever expired.   It was not a vow renewal. It was an actual wedding.   Let me explain. In 2004 C and I were married in a traditional Lutheran wedding ceremony. It was a nice ceremony and a good day. The friends and family who were there had a good time and were happy for us. I never felt good about the wedding. C wasn't Lutheran and I was only Lutheran on paper. We married in a church only because my mother insisted upon it. It felt hypocritical to me to have a religious ceremony when I no longer practiced that religion. ...

   A couple Sundays ago I overreacted to some light taunting from a pair of Minnesota Viking fans at church. I probably would not have minded it except that I had Viking fans taunting me pretty much all week and I was tired of it. I knew the Packers weren't playing well and I fully expected them to lose their game with the Vikings. I didn't feel bad about my little meltdown until several hours later when I realized I had violated one of my own personal commandments, thou shalt not lose thy cool in public. I humbly apologized to the fans, who said they were not bothered by my meltdown.   I was bothered by the fact that I had let this taunting get to me. I spent several hours thinking intensely about why I cared so much. The answer finally came to me. I don't like trash talk. I never trash talk anyone and I don't like people talking trash and taunting me.   To me trash talk is borderline bullying. It's an opportunity for people to say mean things and cover it up b...

  I overheard a woman praying a few days ago. Some of the things that she was praying for were that she would look as she did when she was younger and that she would have no wrinkles.   This annoyed and offended me. Part of it was because I know that this woman is in her mid thirties. How much younger does she want to look? The other part was the implication that wrinkles  and looking older are a bad thing.   I shouldn't have felt this way. Women are constantly being told by various means that looks are Very Important and that the younger you look the better things will be for you. It's not her fault that she bought into this. It's very hard to avoid. I am amused by the fact that she once told C that she thought I was beautiful. I wonder what she would think if she knew my age.   There is a huge double standard when it comes to men,women and aging. Sean Connery, Richard Gere, George Clooney and Patrick Stewart are all considered to ...

  C and I didn't make it to 12:00 last night. We went to bed at 11 after watching some football and the last part of "After the Thin Man". We were both too tired to stay awake, in fact we both fell asleep during one of the football games.   I did something that I haven't done in many years. I shut off my alarm clock. Just once I wanted to wake up when I wanted to wake up.   I woke up at 6:13 am refreshed and ready to start the day. I walked through the dark hall and into the living room. I turned on the Christmas tree lights. Scamp and Colby greeted me and let me know that they were ready for breakfast. I read my devotional book and Bible while they ate. Then I checked Facebook and liked a few posts. I noticed that Wayne Rogers, who played Trapper John on the TV show MASH had died.   I put on my workout gear and went downstairs. While I worked out I watched last Sunday's CBS Sunday morning. I recorded it so I could watch the "Hail and Farewell" segm...