inspiration

Gotta blog

Suzy Taylor Oakley family, fun, geekiness, humor, inspiration

Sometimes you gotta blog because … well, just cuz.

Because it’s fun, and a way to express yourself, release tension, get some of those random thoughts out of your head … just cuz.

In WordPress, you can check your blog stats and see how many people have checked you out.

My “Best Day Ever” was Nov. 29 — the day after my birthday — with 66 views. Wow, my readership must have been touched by my homemade-flower picture and the heartwarming story of my loving husband’s selfless gift.

Imagine my disappointment the day I discovered that my blog had been accessed by something like 1,300 people in the few weeks I had been posting.

Yes, disappointment.

I know I don’t have that many friends, I told Bruce. They must have told their friends. People are Googling me and clicking on my blog! I’m well-known in the blogosphere!

And my ever-supportive husband was there for me once again. He reminded me that the world contains all sorts of people … spammers, hackers, geeks — all kinds of greedy entrepreneurs who trawl cyberspace for e-mail addresses, personal information, any tidbit they can use to make money.

And those spammers were probably responsible for most of the 1,300 hits.

Darn.

Of course I knew that. But before he brought me back to earth, I had been queen for a moment.

I’ve never been popular, and usually it doesn’t bother me.

But I do want to be liked. And I like knowing that my friends and loved ones read my blog, enjoy it and occasionally get a chuckle from it.

In my dreams — some of them, at least — I’m hilarious, the life of the party, unself-conscious, witty, charismatic, beautiful. (In my other dreams I’m a world-class pianist who can tear up a keyboard like nobody’s business.)

In the blogging world, I tend to take on the tone and language of whomever I read last or have been thinking about (even those who go weeks without posting!). I have a couple of hilarious blogging friends. When I read their posts, I get hip, talk cool and know all the latest pop culture references. In those moments, I am queen of the blogosphere.

Dream on.

In the real world, I’m just a regular gal, and that works for me most of the time.

Gotta blog? Post your comments below.

Suzo Science (not to be confused with pseudoscience)

Suzy Taylor Oakley dogs, humor, inspiration, work

Many of you, if you’ve ever read a newsmagazine or watched TV — or perhaps read through the letter P in the dictionary — are familiar with the term pseudoscience. It’s stuff real scientists consider wacko, or at least unfounded.

But let me introduce you to Suzo Science — a science that is not at all wacko (at least in the mind of its founder).

The principles of Suzo Science lack endorsement in the mainstream scientific community, but let’s not let that stop us from benefiting from its sagacity.

Examples of Suzo Science:

The Grocery Lane Blues. The mainstream scientific community might discuss this phenomenon with references to the Laws of Probability or some such blather. But Suzo Scientists know that it is related more to karma than to mathematical theory. When a Suzo Scientist chooses which lane to stand in at the grocery store, much deliberation can take place in the space of a few seconds. Typically she chooses incorrectly. You might think she should choose the lane with the fewest people. For others, this might be the right choice; for a Suzo Scientist, it depends on how her attitude has been in the previous 24 hours. If she has been impatient with her co-workers, overindulgent at the dinner table and judgmental of someone different from her that day, it doesn’t matter what lane she chooses or how many (or few) people are in line ahead of her – that lane will always take the longest. Karmic payback.

The Dog Poop Game. If a Suzo Scientist had a small dog who relieved herself whenever and wherever she pleased, dog experts would say the dog needed further training. But a Suzo Scientist would know that the Law of Cute but Stubborn Little Dogs was at play here. The dog may have had extensive training – by three sets of parents – and was just too stubborn to do her business in the proper place. In this situation, the Suzo Scientist always chooses incorrectly. For instance, when the small dog fidgets, barks or otherwise seems to be giving “the potty signal,” the Suzo Scientist might haul herself out of bed (even if it is 4 a.m. and the temperature is 30 and it’s raining) on the off chance that the small dog is telling the truth. After all, if she didn’t let the dog out, the dog would think its signals – barking, dancing in circles and pawing at the sleeping Suzo Scientist – are worthless and stop giving said signals. Even if the signals usually mean, “Feed me, servant – I don’t care when my real mealtime is.”

Which Bluejeans to Wear Today. Before the Suzo Scientist starts a new job, her supervisor may tell her that the publisher says bluejeans are OK as long as they are “nice jeans.” So she may go out and purchase a pair of “nice jeans” because her favorite jeans – the ones she wore every single day (even to church) when she was a freelancer working from home – are a bit faded. And she really prefers jeans to dress slacks when she can get away with it. But then she starts her job and begins noticing that her co-workers’ bluejeans aren’t all that “nice.” But she’s new and wants to keep observing the situation for a while. So finally she wears the faded jeans, thinking something along the lines of, “The publisher works out of a different office in a different city, and I’ve never seen him in our office.” So she wears the comfortable, favorite, faded jeans. And guess who shows up that day. (Similar to the Law of Wash Your Car and it Will Rain.)

These are just a few examples of Suzo Science. More will be published when the Laws of Gotta Finish the Electronic Newsletter That’s Already a Day Late aren’t at play.

Stay tuned.

My clean-shaven hubby

Suzy Taylor Oakley family, geekiness, inspiration

Bruce and I are having a lot of fun with his new blog (and my nearly new blog). It has given us another thing in common. For years, one of our more frequent topics of conversation has been computers. We’re both kinda techy-geeky.

He has more knowledge of the underbelly than I do, but I’m the one with the most software and the newest computer (because I have freelanced for so long and have had to adapt to different scenarios).

I have lots of pix of him in my iPhoto library, so he had to ask me for one for his About Me page. He didn’t like the one I chose (he doesn’t like the clean-shaven look), so I told him I was going to post it on my blog. He said that was fine, but he did not want to use it as the one that would stay on his site in perpetuity.

I have to admit that on the rare occasion that he shaves his entire face, it takes me two or three days to get used to it, but it’s my favorite look. His best feature is his smile, and I can see it better without all those whiskers!

So, as lame as it is to write a post just to show you this picture, that’s what I’m doin’. Most people don’t get to see his whole adorable face! So …

Here he is … my clean-shaven Brucie. Ain’t he cute?

clean-shaven Bruce

Trying out a new theme

Suzy Taylor Oakley family, geekiness, inspiration

Time to play with backgrounds and fonts. Tell me what you think about this theme. Besides the fact that blue is my favorite color, I just like the name of this one — Sapphire.

Until I have time to learn the intricacies of CSS, I will live within the boundaries of the themes coded by more serious geeks — no customization for a while. Someday I’ll create my own. Meanwhile, tell me what you like or don’t like about this set-up. (My first thought is, this one tells the date I posted but not the time. Don’t like that, for sure. Only because I’m obsessive about details. No comments from you, D.J.!)

Post your comments below.

Suzy

P.S. My honey finally started a blog. See Brulog in blogroll at right, or click here. His first topic is a good one. You’ll see. 🙂

It's a dog's life

Suzy Taylor Oakley dogs, family, inspiration, nature

When I created this blog in October, my dogs were part of the inspiration for the title — along with the spice cookies I was baking that night.

Salsa, who came along first, is our bigger dog (14 pounds). Pepper, who came a few months later and was already named (we were her third human family) is our itty bitty teeny tiny dog (4 to 5 pounds, depending on how many times she has suckered me for treats that month). Their names went so well together, and Salsa is so hyper (she’s a terrier — Manchester, we think), The Spice Dogs just seemed to fit.

I have a post-in-progress called “To all the dogs I’ve loved before,” but it will be a two-parter and for posting when I have time to give each dog its due, and to scan and upload the pictures. I started out talking about dogs my family had when I was a baby (or when my mom was pregnant — I’m not sure which) and am working my way up to our Spice Dogs.

Which makes this post kind of stupid. I’m writing about what I’m going to post “someday when I have time.”

But I haven’t posted in a week, and our dogs are hilarious (to us at least), so I just had to mention them today. After all, they are most of the reason this blog is named Suzy & Spice. They do add spice to our lives (more than we want sometimes).

So, to whet your appetite, here is a picture of Pepper (or, more accurately, Pepper’s butt), who has taken to sleeping under her bed instead of in it — apparently she’s warmer there. She is a burrower, and since Bruce has been sick we’ve been trying to get her not to burrow under our covers so much. So we keep her bed on top of our bed.

peppers_butt_400x281.jpg

BTW, she’s a min Pin, and that little stubby thing is her tail (you can barely see it). Her pencil-thin legs are to the right.

She’s weird, but she’s ours.

10 years of wedded bliss (ok, maybe not bliss every minute — but bliss now)

Suzy Taylor Oakley family, food, frugal living, inspiration, money

wedding_kiss_010398

Ten years ago today, Bruce made me his bride, and we have had very few dull moments. It’s kind of strange, but the last year or so has seemed like history repeating itself …

We had a small wedding planned for Jan. 3, 1998 — just family (including the justice of the peace, who was my brother’s father-in-law) and two good friends (my matron of honor and our photographer, Barney, who didn’t charge us for any of it). My brother’s house, complete with Christmas tree, fireplace and white poinsettias, provided the cozy setting.

I had never dreamed of a big wedding, even when I was a girl, so the preparations didn’t cause a lot of stress. We spent less than $1,000 on everything — rings, dress, veil, suit, license, flowers, cake. My mom handled the flowers and the cake (both provided by friends), and even the punch — she suggested raspberry, and I said OK even though I didn’t care for raspberry. I just wanted things to be as simple as possible.

Things were sailing along, only 11 days to go. Then I got a call at work — the afternoon of Dec. 23 — about my dad.

We got to the hospital five hours before he died, but he was really already gone before we arrived.

Christmas was never going to be the same.

And the wedding? My brother gave me away. I walked on the wrong side of him. I barely remember the ceremony. I couldn’t tell you what the cake looked like. I was numb.

That was 10 years ago today.

Nine years ago, a couple of weeks before our first anniversary, Bruce spent 16 days (including Christmas) in the hospital. They diagnosed him with Crohn’s disease.

He came home with an IV needle in his chest. By our one-year anniversary, I had learned how to hook up the battery-powered pump that fed him via total parenteral nutrition (TPN). By Feb. 1, he had graduated to baby food. By March 1, he was back at work full time. He had another hospital stay in early 2004, and he recovered more quickly that time. But his little body would never be the same.

Fast forward to Dec. 3, 2006. We lost Bruce’s dad, an Army Air Corps veteran who had served his country honorably as a young man but could not beat Alzheimer’s in his 80s. We went to California and buried him in a national military cemetery on Dec. 7, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

After that, Bruce was ready to forgo Decembers for a while.

In early 2007, my sweetie began getting sick again. For most of the year, he battled the Crohn’s. He was in the hospital in late May, again in late June/early July … and in December.

Over the past year, we haven’t celebrated birthdays, anniversaries or holidays the same way as usual. In fact, we’re no longer sure what usual is.

I have a new job that — along with battling the disability insurance people, caring for a sick husband and just trying to get through the holidays with a bit of sanity — has again made me numb on many days.

But Bruce and I have never been closer. Having never walked in his shoes, I cannot say that his illness has been a good thing, but I see aspects of it as blessings in disguise. We’ve spent more time together this year than ever, and our appreciation of each other has grown. We have battled common enemies (illness, bureaucracy, financial hardship, dog poop), and we have grown extremely close.

Tonight I came home from work, apologized for not buying him a gift — or even a card — received his apology, and drove to Burger King for a buy-one-get-one-free deal that we had a coupon for. Our 10th anniversary is a big deal, but failing to buy each other gifts or dine out — no big deal. We ate the burgers, then crawled into bed to watch holiday bowl games, content just to be together.

It sure beats hospital food.

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Bruce is taller than he looks here. He is slumping to show off where I “marked” him.

P.S. Happy birthday, Judy.

Goodbye, Ray

Suzy Taylor Oakley family, inspiration

My friend Ray died this morning. It is so fitting that he died on the day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Ray was all about helping people realize the significance of having the Lord Jesus in their lives. He lived it and breathed it. Nothing was more important than serving Him by serving others, of helping them think about where they would spend eternity, of putting others’ needs ahead of his own.

During his illness, I never once heard him complain that he had been given a raw deal. In fact, just after getting his diagnosis in February, he told me – right from his hospital bed, still sore from surgery – that he was ready to go if it was the Lord’s will but that he was ready to keep serving Him if God determined that He wasn’t finished with him yet. Ray still had a lot of living – and serving – to do. And he kept doing it, even while he was sick.

I hadn’t seen Ray much in the past few weeks. He was out of state a lot for treatments, and I have had my hands full with a new job and a sick husband. But the last time I saw him, he still had his sense of humor, his kindness and his concern for Bruce, along with a big hug for me. Ray prayed for Bruce, even while he himself was seriously ill.

There will never be another one like him.

And it is fitting that He went home to Jesus on this day, Christmas Day.

We will miss you, Ray. We love you.

Suzy

Dad

Suzy Taylor Oakley family, inspiration

Today is the 10th anniversary of my dad’s death. I was planning to write a tribute to him for this day, but, frankly, I’m exhausted and I don’t think I could do him justice.My dad was my hero. I will tell you about him someday. I’m going to look through our old photo albums next time Bruce is well enough to go to my mom’s with me. My family may come here next weekend for a belated Christmas celebration. Maybe I can have her find the picture I want and bring it to me.

You would like my dad.

We're home

Suzy Taylor Oakley family, inspiration

Bruce was discharged from the hospital Friday evening. We got home at 7:30. It makes me a little nervous to have him off the IVs, because they always seem to heal him better than pills, but the surgeon and the GI doc believe he will be okay without them.

I have to admit it’s much easier for him to go to the bathroom without having me trailing behind him with the IV pole. He makes multiple trips a day, so being free of needles, tubes and poles will take some of the stress out of the situation.

My job now is to make sure he gets enough food and rest, monitor his temperature and keep our two little dogs from walking all over him. They missed him a lot in the six days he was gone!

Please keep praying for both of us. I hate to complain when he is the sick one, but I’m pretty exhausted.

And in case I don’t get to post again before the 25th: We both wish you a very merry Christmas. We love you and thank you for your prayers, calls, visits, cards, donations and just general support for us this year. You mean a lot to us.

Suzy and Bruce