A mighty good man

I’ve never written much about my husband in this space, but this week is his week. Cal is a pretty great guy, even if you aren’t married to him. He’s smart, kind, generous, and he can fix anything.

Seriously, anything. He’s a handyman extraordinaire. And he does it all: woodworking, roofing, plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, masonry and more. Plus he can do pretty much anything and everything automotive (he has to have those skills, since he drives a 1966 Mustang and a 1979 Ford F100!).

He likes to put his skills to good use and do things for people. Nothing makes him happier than to help someone with some task or job or project. He’s the kind of guy who will do it for you, or, if you want to learn, he’ll teach you how to fix/make/build/deconstruct/overhaul whatever it is that needs to be done.

–oOo–

With the ice, sleet and snow we experienced this week, the roads were a slick mess. And on the worst mornings this week he drove Samantha and me to daycare and work, respectively. I know, a lot of husbands in a lot of places did that, but not many like Cal. My normal morning route from home to daycare to work takes 45 minutes in optimal conditions. This week Cal drove us on the usual route, from Moore to Norman, and then drove back through Moore to his job in Oklahoma City. And then he made the trip in reverse at the end of each day! He was extremely inconvenienced, and I feel like I can’t thank him enough. For him, it was no big deal, he’s just happy to have done it. And it was his idea! He just wanted his girls to be stress-free and safe.

–oOo–

He’s an awesome dad, and not just because he has changed way more poopy diapers than I. Or because he’s at Samantha’s beck and call. He bought Sam several sets of books, to be enjoyed for years to come, one afternoon on a whim, and he reads with Sam everyday, even though he’s not much of a reader. He sings to her, and he’s never been one to sing loud enough for anyone else to hear. He’ll eat food that he dislikes in order to encourage Samantha to try everything. Cal wants our daughter’s horizons to be broader than his own, and as a result, he’s broadening his.

Up until a year and a half ago, he was pretty much the second least affectionate person I’d ever met, though he always strived to be more so. And since Sam was born, he’s become, well, almost gushy! And he constantly tells Samantha that she’s smart. And silly. And funny. And pretty. And smart.

–oOo–

Cal is also very generous. Very. Generous. He decided to upgrade his cell phone last week for work and had narrowed his choices down to either a BlackBerry or an iPhone. I’ve had an iPhone for a little over a year, and he’s seen how great it is, but the BlackBerry has some features that he liked, too. So we headed to the AT&T store to make his purchase, and he decided on the iPhone. Not an iPhone, the iPhone… that was in my purse. My iPhone. He bought a new 3G for me and took mine for himself!

It just made him happy to make me happy.

–oOo–

So no, I can’t thank Cal enough for his snow taxi this week, but I can sure honor him in this space. What a man!

Hoopla

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we have a new president.

–oOo–

What a lot of hoopla surrounding President Obama’s inauguration! And not just political hoopla, but entertainment hoopla. Concert-on-HBO hoopla. People-taking-inauguration-day-off hoopla. Aretha-Franklin-hats-selling-like-hotcakes hoopla. “Find inauguration day events in your area” Internet-links hoopla.

Don’t get me wrong. I think it is symbolic that the first African American president was sworn in the day after Martin Luther King’s birthday was observed. And I wish him well. I hope that his promise of change turns out to be what this country needs. But “change” is not necessarily for the better. It’s just different. And there’s been a lot of hoopla, a lot of hype.

It’s a lot to live up to.

–oOo–

No, this is not a political column, but I do tend to comment here on what I observe…

–oOo–

So, what do you know about first ladies? There’s a great quiz on ecarta.msn.com on the women behind the men. That’s where I learned that…

Eliza Johnson taught President Andrew Johnson how to write and some math. He’d been too poor to attend school as a child.

Lucy Hayes was the first first lady to earn a college degree. The Wesleyan Female College alumna was 18 when she was graduated.

Caroline Harrison was instrumental in establishing the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She also served as that organization’s first president general.

Eleanor Roosevelt was the first white resident of Washington, D.C. to join the NAACP.

Lou Henry Hoover was the first woman to graduate from Stanford University in geology.

Martha Washington claimed that she often felt like a “state prisoner” in the presidential residence.

The National Law Journal named Hillary Clinton one of the most influential lawyers in the U.S. on two different occasions.

Grace Coolidge taught at a school for the deaf.

Jacqueline Kennedy was a photojournalist for the Washington Times-Herald prior to marrying.

Dream Jobs

What’s you dream job? Is it the job you currently hold?

My top dream job is mommy, which I have held for the past 15-and-a-half months. It’s the best. And I like being a newspaper columnist (sounds so cool, doesn’t it?). My main (paying) job is compliance analyst in a soon-to-be-three hospital health system. It’s a good job and has potential, but it’s not quite at “dream” status.

My dreamiest job would be architect. Or professional blogger, not unlike Whitney Matheson, whose day job is the Pop Candy blog on the USA Today website. And I could see myself writing children’s books, but, despite having a couple of great ideas, I haven’t seen myself sit down to write them.

–oOo–

Have you heard about the “dream job” that’s been posted on islandreefjob.com by Tourism Queensland in Australia? The job title is "island caretaker," based on Hamilton Island amid the Great Barrier Reef, and it’s a sweet deal.

The primary job duties for the six-month employment contract are exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and reporting on your adventures to the world (via Tourism Queensland in Brisbane) through a photo diary, weekly blogs, media interviews, and video updates, and additional duties include feeding the fish (“There are over 1,500 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t worry – you won’t need to feed them all.”), cleaning the pool (“The pool has an automatic filter, but if you happen to see a stray leaf floating on the surface it’s a great excuse to dive in and enjoy a few laps.”), and collecting the mail (“During your explorations, why not join the aerial postal service for a day? It’s a great opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the reef and islands.”).

Benefits include a $105,000 salary, roundtrip airfare, travel insurance, lodging in a three-bedroom beach home, access to a computer, the Internet, cameras, and digital video, along with travel to a number of the other Great Barrier Reef islands.

Successful applicants will possess “excellent communication skills, good written and verbal English skills, an adventurous attitude, willingness to try new things, a passion for the outdoors, good swimming skills and enthusiasm for snorkeling and/or diving, [and] an ability to engage with others.” Oh yeah, and at least one year’s relevant experience is required.

The application process is pretty simple: submit a 60-second video to demonstrate your knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef islands and sell yourself to them, and then complete the online job application and upload your video. Piece of cake!

Application deadline is February 22nd, after which a short list of eleven candidates, ten of whom will be chosen by Tourism Queensland and one by islandreefjob.com visitors, will be invited to interview in person in Queensland in May. The island caretaker’s employment contract will begin July first.

–oOo–

Sounds like a reality show concept, doesn’t it? Actually it’s a tactic to get Australia’s tourism industry through the current global financial woes.

–oOo–

And on a completely different note…

After getting my hair cut one day last week, I walked out of the salon and noticed their sign. You know one of those big yellow signs with the arrow and lights on top that are usually placed in front to businesses in the worst possible spot, because they block your view of oncoming traffic when you’re trying to pull out of the parking lot? Anyway, their sigh usually has some cute play on words regarding hairstyling or pedicures or skin treatments. That day one side read, “What would you name your hair?”

Decisions, decisions…

Resolved

So here I am, almost a year after my mom’s death and even longer since my dad has recognized me, thinking that I should make a commitment to myself. Make resolutions for 2009.

Do you make resolutions? I do not. Not formally. Every New Year’s Eve growing up my mom always wanted each of us to tell the rest of the family what our resolutions were. I always hated that. What if my resolution wasn’t good enough? What if they were dumb? What if I didn’t have any? What if I couldn’t/wouldn’t/didn’t want to keep them?

I still carry that around with me, and that’s a lot of pressure to pile onto someone who already has a lot of pressure. Yeah, self-imposed pressure, but still. I figure I don’t need more pressure, so normally I just think of a few loose guidelines that I’d like to keep in mind as the year progresses. Or until March.

Little ventured, and very little gained. Much to my mother’s dismay.

–oOo–

Those years that I did make resolutions, they were, more often than not, vague and immeasurable. Like, Be a better person. Good at first glance, but… better than… whom? Me now? Me the year before? Someone else? Huh?

Yikes! See what I mean?

–oOo–

But I want to turn over a proverbial new leaf this year. And how better to do so than to make some resolutions! Right?

Obviously, I need specific, attainable, and, yes, measurable, goals for 2009. Goals that are interesting enough to keep me involved and dedicated.

But what to choose? Resolutions, resolutions, I’m thinking resolutions. Nothing.

Hmmm. Ok. First, why am I doing this? To better myself. To better my opinion of myself. And to honor my mom this year.

Good. And what do I want to accomplish? Tons of stuff, too much to name! No, just focus on a few. Remember, specific goals. Attainable goals. Measurable goals. Oh! Got them!

Now, what do I need to do to be successful? I think I will better hold myself accountable if I share my goals with you.

–oOo–

In 2009, I resolve to: 1.) read the Bible (via a read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan); 2.) visit my father more often than last year (though it absolutely kills me to see him when he doesn’t know who I am, he’s always so happy someone visited); 3.) exercise (Wii Fit, here I come!); 4.) get back to blogging (my blog was primarily for Mom and hasn’t been touched since just before she became ill, but there are others who enjoyed it and want to keep up with my family); and 5.) organize all of the closets in my home (this one is all for me; I am an organizational machine when I want to be and the job needs to be done, so it’s win-win!).

–oOo–

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. And I wonder… What are your resolutions? Do you keep track of your progress with them and celebrate your successes? Or do you make them at the first of the year, and then gradually forget about them?