So Sad--Two Young Writers Have Recently Died

I have been very sad about two young writers recently dying--Eva Markvoort of cystic fibrosis, and Alicia Parlette of sarcoma. Both were in their 20s and not shy about writing about their lives and illnesses in their blogs. As a writer myself, I can see the value in this. It would be therapeutic to get it all down, to report on your own life. Plus, it would be a great vehicle to connect with your friends and families. And for Markvoort and Parlette, the circle kept getting larger and larger--both had a following around the world. Whether readers were attracted to the wonderful writing and photographs in the blogs, or because they were part of the respective disease communities, they all became friends of the writers--albeit virtual friends--and felt more alive and inspired because of it.

My Condo Makeover

I am starting to come out of my law school/bar exam haze and making my life more normal. I know it has been a year since I found out that I passed the bar and that seems like a long time to take to get back to normal. Well, it has been a slow process. Like when all that has been on your mind for five years has been studying, work, and sleep (OK, eating too), rearranging and updating your house is not at the top of your list. But now I am getting my head out of the sand and looking around. Now I have the time to do these things, but not always the money. But I am doing something here and there to spruce up my place.

I have gotten a new flat screen TV, and I am getting new blinds put in. I have cleaned out my closets! I am asking the management company to look at the exterior shutters and maybe get some new ones. I need a new dishwasher, toilet, and new carpeting, but I will have to space those out. Mainly, it is just looking around and throwing out things I don't need, organizing, and filing all those darn papers I have to deal with!

POF Guy #1

Ok, I met this one guy from Plenty of Fish. We have a friend in common--we knew that before we got together. We both like this friend, but neither of us have seen him in ages. But at least, that gave us a little common ground.

He chose a nice place for us to go. It was a comedy club, and we were going to have dinner there beforehand. He was nicer looking in person, which is a nice change. And we both like comedy, which i sa good start.

But the bad part is he hasn't worked in years--been on disability. That by itself doesn't bother me. But I am so active, so ambitious, that dating someone with severe depression may not work for me. Plus, he is in a totally different religion from me, and that could be problemmatic. And he still has too many ties to his last girlfriend. So, all in all, this is a "next."

Alicia Parlette--One Young Woman's Courageous Battle With Cancer

If you haven't heard of Alicia Parlette, you must get to know her. She is only 28 years old and is dying of cancer. That is the very, very sad part. The good part is that she is a wonderful person and has lived her life to the fullest, and is an inspiration to everyone around her.  After graduating from college, she got her dream job as a copy editor with the San Francisco Chronicle. She was only 23 when she was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that has no cure or good treatments. What made the situation even worse was that she had just lost her mother to cancer a few years earlier.

She started reporting in the paper on her battles with cancer, her treatment, and her efforts to live a normal life. Her writing is beautiful and will draw you in. You feel more alive by just reading her story. She has friends around the world, many of whom she has met, but many she hasn't. Her articles have been turned into a book titled. Alicia's Story.

I wish we could all have the rich successful life that she has had in her short 28 years. Keep her in your prayers.

Read This to Become a Germophobe

I have never been a germophobe, but I will if I keep reading things like this: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100256552>1=31036  This is the second article like this I have read in as many weeks.

I live by myself and am not as tidy as I would like to be. And maybe not as clean. I don't scour the sink, sometimes I wait longer than a week to change the sheets, don't launder a washcloth after every use, reuse my coffee cup at work, etc. But not after reading this article!  I am healthy and have a good immune system, so I have never been over-worried about things like this. But now I am going to be more in tune to the info in this article. I guess that is a good thing?????? Just don't want to become like Howie Mandel.

Plenty Of Fish Seems Happenin'

A relative of mine recently told me she had found someone nice on Plenty of Fish or POF as it is called. I had wanted to try it out for a while, and her success encouraged me to sign up. It is a free dating site, and I like free! I had put it off earlier, because of some negatives I had heard about it, like--you get what you pay for! And all the guys just trolling for sex are on it.

Well, I am not sure about that. But I do know that I have had a lot more responses from POF than I have had from Match.com lately. Match seems like a barren land to me anymore, and it costs $30 a month! I may just cancel my subscription to it for a while, but still keep my profile up. I haven't had any good bites from Match in a long time.

But I have had a string of seemingly nice men contacting me on POF. I have only met two, and they both liked me. (More on this later.) Another one seemed annoyed that I had stopped writing him and didn't call him back soon enough (still haven't met this one and probably won't.)

So at least so far, I like POF. I am not sure why nice men wouldn't be on it. If I like free, I am sure they do too.

Dating Update

I don't think I will ever do speed dating again. OK, saying never again is a little strong, and I may reneg on this. But I just did my third speed dating event (one a year). This one was no better. I had said in an earlier post that during the prior two events, men seemed to want to get together with me to pick my brains about my career/s. I have had two: editor and lawyer, and both seem to bring out the guy magnets who want to be either/or. And this event was no different. But I am not doing speed dating to network. I am doing it to find someone I want to date. I just don't think my best self comes out during speed dating. Maybe it's not just not my style.

All Dog Lovers Must Read This Book

I just finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain a book written from a dog's point of view. I know it sounds hokey, but since I finished reading it, I look at my dog differently. I keep thinking, what is he thinking about me, and how would the narrative about his life read? It is a beautifully written book and is a fast read. I couldn't put it down. And it has made me a lot more sympathetic towards my furry read.