Free Flowing Friday

1.) Remembering the sadness of 9-11. I can still remember where I was when everything started happening. I was supposed to start my new job at the Harrodsburg Hospital the next day, so after seeing Christine off to school and Keith off to work, I was watching the TODAY show. When the first plane hit, I got on the phone with my good friend, Linda, and we talked all morning. I get a lump in my chest just thinking about it.

2.) Not only did my daughter get chosen to be on the Student Council at Mercer Senior High School, but now she is contemplating a run for Vice-President. She thought abut being President, but when she found out she would be in charge of all the class reunions, she didn't want to talk on that much responsibility. This will mark the first time one of my children has run for any type of office and I am so proud of her!

3.) Tim Burton's 9 opened on Wednesday and we plan to see it this weekend. I can't wait! Burton is one my my favorite directors, so I have high hopes for this stop-animation film.

4.) Nomadic Ink meeting tonight - the Community of Mercer County Writers will be meeting at the home of Tony Sexton for our monthly meeting. The topic for tonight will be 9-11. I'm not sure about the topic because it brings up so many bad memories for me.

5.) Having a hard time believing my oldest daughter, Amber, will be 27 years old on Monday. Happy early Birthday, Amber!

6.) We will probably be ready to start repainting the house tomorrow. This is a job I'm dreading because I don't really like to paint. Right now, we're trying to decide on colors - decorating is not my strong suit.

7.) Did anyone watch The Vampire Diaries last night? Based on the books by L. J. Smith, I've been eagerly awaiting the debut. The show was okay and it does show some promise - we'll see how it goes the next few weeks.

8.) Flu shots - swine flu shots - is anyone getting flu shots this season? When I was still nursing, I got a flu shot every season to protect me and my family. Now that I no longer work in the public workforce, I don't feel the same need to get a shot. I have contact with very few people during the day, so I don't think I'll be carrying any germs home with me. I'm also a little skeptical about the vaccine for H1N1 - has it had enough testing? Every day we see drugs being pulled off the market because they are unsafe - how are we to know we won't be safer without this vaccine? For me, I'll keep disinfecting common objects, washing my hands and sneezing into my elbows.

9.) To hell with polite society - or as my Granny would say, "Were you raised in a barn?" Although I think the media has blown out of proportion the outrageous comments of Sen. Joe Wilson during Pres. Obama's speech, this is just another prime example of the decreasing civility in our culture. I equate this with something yelling at the preacher during church - it was both inappropriate and uncalled for. I realize all Republicans are not impolite and uncivil, but it is the "fringy right" that is giving all the rest a bad name. You know what they say about one bad apple?

10.) I just finished reading Karen Rose's newest book, I Can See You. It was another spooky thriller with great characters. This book made you feel like anyone could be the killer. It revolves around an Internet reality game where a serial killer is stalking his victims. Rose is one of the best thriller writers out there right now and this one is definitely worth a read.