Q

I enjoy playing Scrabble and Bananagrams and other word games. Thus, I know the elusive nature of the letter 'q' in the English language. However, at work I find myself writing q's often, and was surprised today to see how many q's were on my white board after just one class. Teaching math, I write "equation" a lot. And how often do you think of "equation" when playing Scrabble? (well, maybe you do...) I also seem to write "question" a lot, mostly with instructions. And when typing, there is "Chongqing", where I live. So many q's!

Tomorrow I am going to tally the number of times I use 'q' in my day, written that is. Maybe the backwards p is not so elusive after all.

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Added 9/30/11: Yesterday I wrote 20 q's. Really. Today I noticed it also. I think it's time to memorize all the words with q in them and kick butt at Scrabble. Not that I don't already.

How to proceed?

I've disappeared and I'm not certain it's a bad thing. Since returning to Chongqing 6 weeks ago, I've debated whether or not to keep this here blog. Not only am I super busy at work, but the time I do have off I'd like to spend away from the computer.

Months and months ago I read another blogger's farewell. Having begun to find other moms in a time of need, she now felt less needy and ready to move on with life, sans blog.

I've been wondering if I'm there also.

I love to write, but...what is the right medium? Where is the right place? How often should I do it?

As I figure this out I will attempt to be better at putting something here. Maybe this will turn into one of those diary blogs that starts out bad and turns into a really rad book.

Yeah. That's what will happen.

I am NOT a size 2

I would like to apologize in advance to all the people this post will offend.
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I am not a size 2.

My stretch marks are not stretch marks with this 3 inches of fat around my middle.

I am not a size 2.

I cannot fit into the jeans I wore in high school.

I am not a size 2.

I have 2 kids, not 2 sizes on my pants.

I am not an XS.

What am I? 13?

I am not an XS.

Larger bras should have been purchased this summer.

I am not an XS.

Or a size 2.

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But seriously, are we really that large as a nation that even mid-sized women are considered skinny? For the first time since I was 18, I fit into pants smaller than size 4, and shirts smaller than medium. I was so excited to come home this summer to find clothes that fit me as I'm too big or tall for all the clothes in China. Yet, I worry that next year I'll return and be too large for anything.

What gives?

Sure, this country's pant-line is expanding, but really, increasing the measurements on the clothes doesn't do anyone any sort of good.

Why lose weight if you continue to be 30 pounds overweight but keep going down in pant sizes?

Why try to exercise more if you are finally a size S shirt without trying?

Why worry about heart disease, diabetes, and our children's lowered life expectancy if everyone else is doing it and saying it's okay?

Debt crisis be damned. Increase the cost of sitting on your ass and then this country may act. I was compassionate for too long. Now I'm just disgusted.
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I am NOT a size 2.

Wearing my brand new, SIZE 2, Old Navy jeans

Lightning and Thunder and Rain, Oh my!

I returned from a bout of traveling last week and have since experienced the oddest Colorado weather I can remember. Thunderstorms? Sure. Rain? Definitely. But day after day after day of severe weather and flood warnings in this place known as a high desert has got me stumped. For the past half hour I have been listening to continuous thunder spurned from multiple layers of lightning. The rain, though heavy, seems insignificant compared to the flash and crash of the clouds. 

And like that, it's gone. 

For six days now the weather has been as such. Mostly in the afternoon and evening (typical Colorado), these storms disrupt relaxed post-dinner rides home with hurricane dramatics, bubbly trampoline-bouncing toddlers, and quiet evenings on the porch. 

Really, the point of all this flowery writing?

What gives?!

Is this the confirmation scientists have been looking for about climate change (please?)? Is this an 'off' year? Is this the monsoon that ends the draught? Can El Niño be blamed? 

I guess I sound as if I'm complaining. I'm not. Our recent jaunt to Breckenridge has shown me how beautiful Colorado can be when adequately watered; how fast and fun swollen rivers are when record snowfall melts and rains dump.

But it is just strange.