They don't mind the heat

Look what happened! Months ago I dumped a packet of sunflower seeds (which I got for free for making a pledge to my local NPR station) into a shallow trough I dug by the back patio and what do you know — it actually worked! I feel like a second-grader whose bean plant just unfurled in its Styrofoam cup sitting on the classroom windowsill. Ahhh, the magic of nature. Sadly, they won't last long. But, they're glorious while they're here.

Sunday column: Maybe being a yuppie isn't so bad

My brother and I have a recurring argument that surfaces nearly every time we see each other: Who is the bigger yuppie?
He contends that I'm the yuppie of the family, since I drive a Volkswagen and have a Mac computer at home. I say he's the yuppie, because he's a coffee snob and has a downtown loft apartment filled with "modern" furniture.
Just for the record, I think I've got the majority of the family siding with me. But, he'd never accept that.
Phillip is a fellow Louisiana Tech graduate, but his Tech experience was a little different from mine. He majored in electrical engineering and immediately upon graduation went to work for Entergy in Little Rock, Ark.
I, on the other hand, was a liberal arts student whose first job after college graduation was waiting tables.
His starting salary out of college was more than I made after three years spent working as a journalist. Go figure.
The good thing is we both like what we do, and that's what's really important, right?
Despite the disparity in our paychecks and our ongoing "who's the yuppie" feud, Phillip and I see eye-to-eye in one area. We're both trying to reduce waste and energy consumption in our lives.
When I talked to Phillip earlier this week, I realized how his life is an example of our generation's heightened awareness of global climate and energy issues.
As a single working professional, he's not feeling the squeeze of the high cost of gas and everything else as sharply as the rest of us are. For example, he recently purchased a brand new computer desk in his favorite "modern" design which, despite its sale price, was more than I'd dream of spending on a piece of furniture right now.
Nevertheless, Phillip is downsizing in other areas. He recently moved to downtown Little Rock, within walking distance from his office. He bought a bike and rides it to work and to the Little Rock River Market, where he buys fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.
And, even more telling, he sold one of his two BMWs (yes, he had two BMWs and he's not even 30) and is considering selling the other so he can get a smaller, more efficient vehicle.
Why is my brother making these changes when he clearly can afford two car notes and gas for both cars, not to mention insurance and extra cash for enjoying Little Rock's abundant night life?
I think it's because he's aware of the impact his lifestyle has on the world, and he wants to be a conscious and thoughtful citizen.
This really isn't that novel of an idea for Phillip, who is also an avid outdoorsman. In his many years of Boy Scouts, camping trips and hiking trails, he's always been a low-impact camper. He feels it's important to leave a campsite the way he found it in order to preserve the wilderness area.
Along with many others, he's taking the ethical idea of low environmental impact and applying it not only to camping, but now also to day-to-day life.
There are many ways to apply this principle in real life; it just takes thoughtfulness and a shift in priorities.
Maybe people like Phillip are helping to redefine the word "yuppie." Much has changed since the term first became part of the American vernacular back in the '80s. Instead of simply referring to elitist young urban professionals with money to burn, maybe it's evolving to describe young professionals who are a little more concerned about the environment they're leaving future generations and a little less worried about buying the latest brand name products.
If that's the case, then Phillip and I might be a little more eager to be named "biggest yuppie in the family." It could be a label to take pride in, rather than something to be ashamed of.

Why we're excited

Here's one of the main reasons Nick and I are excited about going to Saints Training Camp at Millsaps College this weekend: Jeremy Shockey. Nick has been a big fan of his since he was with the NY Giants, so he was especially excited when Shockey signed on with the Saints earlier this week. And me, well I think he's cute. It's a win-win.
Plus, how cool is the name Shockey? I'm just saying ...

Sneak peek

Finally! Remember that bare patch in my backyard flower bed I blogged about here? Well, take a look at what we've got going on there now! This, my friends, is our very first sunflower. And, there are many, many more to come. It looks like they're just days away from bursting forth in all their sunflower glory. I promise to post pictures when it happens. For now, though, this little guy is making me happy.

Hey, bartender!

Caddy must have had a hard week, because by Friday night she was ready for a drink. She bellied up to the bar and ordered a glass of white wine and didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. I suppose I can understand ... it must be so stressful laying around all day and getting up only to eat and terrorize the dog. Poor thing.

Dad on CNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my dad on CNN. He is at the very end so watch all the way through. Click here.

Sunday column: I'm not yelling, this is how I talk

There are plenty of ways to categorize people: young, old; fat, skinny; outgoing, shy; neat, messy. You get the idea.
It recently occurred to me that there is another, very telling, way to separate the people you meet at any given time: loud and not loud.
You may think that there are plenty of people who don't fall into either category, but this is not the case. It may take time, but eventually you will find that a person is either loud or not loud. There really is no in-between.
I am a loud person. I realize this about myself, and I accept it. I'm OK with being loud and I don't particularly want to change that about myself. Not all loud people feel this way, though, which I think is a shame.
Maybe the reason I'm so comfortable with my loudness is because I grew up in a very loud family. My dad is Italian, so high volume and explosive outbursts are to be expected. My mom's side, which doesn't boast a stereotypical loud lineage, also has two levels: loud and louder.
As you can see, I come by it honestly.
Our family home was always humming at varying levels of loud. There was the everyday loud, which consisted of yells of "Mom!" ringing throughout the house, someone talking in an eardrum-bursting high pitch to one of the many pets and music blasting from a stereo.
Then, there was mega-loud, which happened anytime someone did something — either good or bad — out of the ordinary. This includes birthdays, holidays, arguments, exciting purchases, a friend coming over … that type of thing.
Clearly, it doesn't take much for us to turn up the volume.
Now, some people don't think that being loud is an endearing quality. I can't understand why, but there are people who simply do not feel the need to raise their voice.
How you can get though life without yelling, squealing, cheering or otherwise being loud is beyond me. But apparently, it happens.
Fortunately, I've always surrounded myself with fellow loud people. This wasn't a conscious decision on my part, but it has worked out nicely.
My best friend and her family are another group that embraces their loudness, which could be one of the reasons we've always gotten along so swimmingly.
Both of us absolutely hate for someone to tell us, "Calm down." Those two simple words are guaranteed to make us even more excited, usually not in a good way.
I think that most loud people are built differently from not loud people. Our sense of volume is skewed, and there are times when we honestly don't think we're being loud.
I can't count the number of times I've been talking with someone when they'll interrupt me to say, "Emily you are really being loud." Usually, it's in an inappropriate place, such as in the middle of a class or when a couple is exchanging vows during their wedding or something. The thing is, I thought I was whispering. Oops.
Here's what happens when a loud person such as myself marries a not loud person: The not loud spouse says the phrase, "Why are you yelling?" as much, if not more, than he or she says, "I love you."
It's something both people will just have to get used to.
I try to monitor my volume, really I do. But it's just so unnatural for me to lower my voice.
To all the not loud people out there, I ask you to not look down on emotional, over-the-top people like me. What we have to say is just as legitimate as what you have to say — we just want to make sure everyone can hear us.

Sunday column: Honey, do you have to do that?

Sure, he's cute, but he sure knows how to get on my nerves!

With nearly a year of married life under my belt, I can say I've learned a lot. I also know I have a lot left to learn about marriage, but I'll just take it one year at a time.
At the top of the list of lessons learned during Year One is compromise. It's something I still haven't mastered, but I'm getting there, slowly but surely.
I've also learned plenty about my husband in the course of the past year — things I didn't know before we tied the knot.
He's got a lot of, shall we say, quirks that have taken some adjustment on my part. But, I've also learned what a good sport he is, because he has no problem with letting me air my complaints about his idiosyncrasies right here in the newspaper.
So, here's some of the top things about my husband that bug me — in no particular order:

1. The man is physically unable to eat unless he is parked in front of a TV turned on to something — anything! Since we don't have cable, many times he's on the couch, plate balanced in his lap, happily munching away to the ever-enthralling Time Life infomercial or some other, equally stimulating, half-hour sales pitch for a useless product. I dare not suggest that we turn off the TV and have a nice quiet dinner, because he simply would not be able to digest his food.

2. Nick drinks a lot of milk; I knew this when I married him. I quickly got into the habit of buying two gallons of milk at a time, which may seem excessive for a household of only two people. But, it's not. The drinking of the milk isn't the problem. It's the empty milk gallons. For some reason, he cannot bring himself to put them in the trash can. They're always left sitting empty on the kitchen counter. With a trash can located a mere six inches away, I can't for the life of me understand why he doesn't throw them away. I guess it's just one of those mysteries that can't be explained.

3. I recently diagnosed my husband with an illness: The plague of the cell phone download. This is an expensive disease for those unfortunate enough to live with someone who suffers from it. It rears its ugly head once a month in the form of the cell phone bill, which is consistently double the size it should be. The explanation — multiple downloads of cell phone games, ring tones, multimedia text messages, you name it. It's a compulsion he does not seem to be able to control, and we're paying dearly for it.

4. When we got married, we received a nice big wicker laundry hamper as a wedding gift. It's too bad I'm the only one who uses it. Nick doesn't feel the need to use a hamper. Instead, he just uses the entire house. He drops his laundry wherever he happens to be — there's an assortment of both clean and dirty laundry littering the floors of our house at any given moment. And he wonders where the dog keeps finding his socks to chew on. Hmmm.

5. Every Friday night Nick says the same thing when I get off work, "Let's go to the movie store!" And every Friday night, I respond with a groan. The movie store ranks right up there with the cell phone company in terms of the drain on our bank account. We can never seem to return a movie or a video game on time, so we rack up late fees more than double the original cost of renting them in the first place. Plus, we can never agree on a movie when we go to the store to pick one, so I say why bother even going?

6. Nick usually likes to drive whenever we go somewhere together, which is fine with me. But even on the rare occasions when he isn't driving, he still wants to control the music we listen to. And, as I said about movies, we seldom agree on what to listen to. He calls the music I like "weird" and I call his stuff "annoying," but for some reason we usually end up listening to his choice. I really need to get an iPod.

7. Remember how much Nick loves to download extras for his cell phone? That in itself is irritating enough. But to compound it further, I can never get a hold of him on the dumb cell phone. You'd think, with all those fancy ringtones, he'd hear it ring and answer when I call. But, no. For every one call he picks up, I have placed an average of five that go unanswered. Thank goodness I haven't had an emergency and been unable to reach him. Then I'd really let him have it.

As easy as it is to complain about the things he does to bug me, I admit that I like having my husband around 99 percent of the time. He makes me laugh, and we have fun together. The past year hasn't always been easy, but we were able to get through everything together. I have a feeling that's how the years ahead will be, too.

Vote for Casey, too!

Of course, Casey was entered into the Cutest Pet Contest, too. Click here to vote for her. But, be sure to vote for Caddy too!

Vote for Caddy!

Help me prove to the world that Caddy is the cutest pet around. Click here to cast your vote for her. She could win a prize!

First bloom

The zinnia seeds I planted about a month ago finally are ready to show their stuff. This is the first bloom of the summer, but many more are on the way! I can't wait to see how many different colors will soon be spotting my backyard garden. The celosias and lantana have been thriving; I've just been waiting patiently on the zinnias and sunflowers (hopefully, they'll open up soon too).

Au revoir

Julie has been living it up in France this week — doesn't she look like she's having a great time! We know she is, but we miss her. Can't wait to hear all about her trip when she gets home next weekend. I'll make her speak in French, of course!

A request

A small request for the readers of this blog ... Nick has 13 days left of his math class. He is working so hard to do well, and your prayers for his success will only help. Here's one we're saying to get him through the quarter. Thank you.

Daily Prayer of Students

Dear God, I start my day today, praying that I may be blessed and be brave to face all the challenges ahead. I praise you and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to study. Sometimes, it is so full of crisis, competition and comparison. I ask you dear God, to help me cope and study well. Show me how to put the knowledge to good use and live all I have learned with wisdom and compassion.

Guide my hands so I may write the right answer in examinations.
Guide my mind so I may absorb the lessons today.
Guide my heart so I may receive joyfully every challenge and turn them into
opportunities for my future.

Bless all those who teach me and touch my life.
Bless my parents, teachers and classmates.
Bless all those who make me grow as a student.

I ask you this through Jesus, my Brother and Friend, through Mary, my model and mother and through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Mary, Regina Rosarii, guide me and give me a sound body and a retentive memory.

All the angels and saints, watch over us, Amen.

Welcome Ava Grace

Ava Grace Hart finally made her appearance on June 30. Mom, Dad and baby are all healthy and at home. Congratulations to the new family!
Ava is definitely a 21st century girl ... she already has her own e-mail account!
Can't wait to see you in person Ava!