Reading

Last night I finished reading Barry Black's autobiography From the Hood to the Hill. For those who are unaware, Mr. Black, a graduate of Oakwood College, is the current chaplain of the US Senate. I once heard him speak at AUC. It was a good book, but not what I was expecting. I thought I would be getting a story. Instead the book used autobiographical sketches to demonstrate leadership lessons learned. I do think that this is a good book for anyone who has gone through the Adventist education system and for those to aspire to do more with their careers. Tonight I start on Kathleen Norris' "Amazing Grace." unbelievably, this was the only book that I got for Christmas (technically "From the Hood to the Hill" doesn't count because although it was on my wish list, I borrowed it from Poppy when I was up for Gramps' service. What books did you get or give this year?

Ducks, Christmas, Ethiopia

Another Christmas has come and gone. I experienced my first Memphis Christmas this week. (Last year was my first Tennessee Christmas in Nashville.) My parents flew in last Friday and flew out this morning for The Holidays Part II – the Maryland Edition. I think that they had a good time and can actually say that they had a vacation. We went to church, Zoo Lights, The Peabody Hotel for Christmas brunch, the Zoo again in the daylight, and of course Graceland. I made sure that they got to sleep in this week while I was at work (I worked mornings only Tues & Wed) before heading out to do the tourist-y stuff. We even lounged around all day Sunday. It was a good visit for everyone. O’Malley warmed up to Mom and Dad right away. Dad was very happy to have the privilege of playing with his grand-cat, but slight jealous of the fact that O’Malley would only sit on her momma’s lap. Speaking of my selective lap-cat, I am very excited to have my queen bed back (twin sized pull-out, bed hogging cat, and me: you do the math) and spend some one-on-one time with my Malley-Girl tonight. PS. If you ever find yourself in Collierville you must check out the Blue Nile Ethiopian restaurant. I highly recommend the cabbage and potato dishes. I never knew an Irish girl could eat so well in Ethiopia.

Closest Thing to a Christmas photo card

Happy Holidays from me and O'Malley

Home Again

It has been a busy several days. Thursday I worked until 2:30 AM trying to hit a deadline that no one else bothered to. Unfortunately I was only able to hit it on 2 of the 3 new stations. I finished up this afternoon and am very happy to get that off of my plate. Friday evening was spent in airplanes and airports. I had quite a breakdown Friday night in Atlanta when AirTran caused me to miss my connection--the last flight they had going to Boston--and didn't seem to care. I think I actually scared some other fliers. The airline in question wouldn't put me up for the night and refused to check other airlines for flights to Boston. They gave me lots of "We don't do that"s and "We can't do anything for you"s. I ended up buying a first class ticket on Delta as it was all that was available. At this point I feel the need to offer so advice: Do not buy a last minute first class flight if at all possible. If there is any way that you might not make a connection on a discount airline, just buck up and buy the more expensive ticket to begin with. Peace of mind is invaluable. First class is expensive! The rest of the weekend was good. I was able to spend Saturday morning with friends and got some awesome presents. The memorial service was very upbeat and full of memories and family. Thankfully my flights back on Monday were uneventful and I once again remember why I don't like driving into Boston on the Expressway South (93) during rush hour.

Bye Gramps

Franklin Edward Hodson, Sr born January 7, 1922. Died December 11, 2006. You'll be missed Gramps. UPDATE: below is the obit that my uncle David wrote up. Franklin E. Hodson, age 84, or Wakefield, MA, died on Monday, December 11, 2006, at the Bear Hill Nursing Center in Stoneham, MA. Frank was born in Medford, MA on January 8, 1922, to John and Jane (Gallagher) Hodson. A long-time resident of Stoneham, he graduated from Stoneham High School in 1941. He enlisted in the United States Navy in September, 1942 and served in the Pacific Theater until 1946 as a ship’s cook, Second Class. He was employed as a shipper for H.P. Hood and Sons from 1941 until 1984, retiring at age 62. He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Eleanor (Ruggles) Hodson. He is also survived by a daughter and four sons: Jacqui Evans, and her husband Edward; Franklin Hodson, Jr., and his wife Winnie; John Hodson, and his wife Maureen; Randall Hodson, and his wife Ann; and David Hodson, and his wife Jennifer. He leaves behind ten grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. Frank also leaves a sister, Ruby Fraser, and her husband John, of Reading, MA. He was preceded in death by another sister, Ruth Wellwood, and two brothers, John and Donald. He was a member of the Stoneham Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church. A Freemason for more than fifty years, Frank belonged to the King Cyrus Lodge in Reading, MA. At one time, he raised homing and fantail pigeons, as well as tumblers. Frank was a devoted gardener as well, spending hours in caring for his beloved plants. He enjoyed spending time with his family. Donations may be made in memory of Frank to Adventist Development & Relief Agency International at http://www.adra.org or to a charity of your choice. ******* Frank’s family would like to express their appreciation for the love and sympathy extended to them during this time of bereavement.

New Old Phone

I had a great time with friends in AR this weekend. I went to my first Madrigal Feast at the local Baptist church Saturday night. The choir did a great job. I really loved their version of "Carol of the Bells". I always come home relaxed after visiting R&R (no pun intended). Funny thing happened on the way home though. As I was loading my car I dropped my purse. I picked it up and put it in the car, no worries. Then just past the town line I reached in to get my phone to call my mom, but I couldn't find it. I turned around and headed back. Sure enough, it was sitting in the driveway. I picked it up and realized that I had actually ran over my phone with my car. The phone is dead. It wouldn't turn on and it bends at a strange angle. Thankfully, I still had my old phone at my house and was able to re-active that one. No harm, no foul. I've just lost a couple of numbers and pictures.

Morning Moonlight

This has been a very long day. I got to work just before 6:15 this morning. Did you know that the moon is still out at that hour? It just isn’t right. I’m fairly certain that I freaked out quite a few of the office early birds. I am updating our advertiser database at work and was hoping to spend a good 10 hours on it Sunday. But two trips into the office later, the network was down. This meant that I got nothing done (except laundry and the dishes); O’Malley didn’t mind. :) So, in order to make up some lost time, I set my alarm for 4:30 and after hitting snooze for an hour, I finally made it to work. Those first 3 hours were the most productive out of the whole day. I put a few new CDs onto my work iTunes and have been jamming out to the Party Shuffle for the last 14+ hours. The new Blue October song, “Into the Ocean” is quite hypnotic. I think I may be in love. I still have a few more hours of work on the database, but should be finished by 10 tomorrow. (If I’m gonna be at work before the sun again, I need to be in bed by 9. I’m a wild one, I know.) I spend several hours today knocking out the revenue entries for all six stations. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the new stations and the old stations’ new billing system, but it was all good. If only the corporate software would stop hiccupping on me. This has got to be the 7th or 8th month of non-refreshing hiccups on the day revenue is due. Oh well. At least I was able to get it done. I’m off to work a little bit longer on Wide Orbit before heading home.