Life is busy, but that's good

It's good because there is less time to dwell on that danged diagnosis of breast cancer I got last year.

My latest news is I'm going to be part of a new cancer survivorship program at the hospital. And it sounds like it's all free of charge.
I'm looking forward to participating, and of course writing about my experiences. 

 
I have been doing a lot of bloggin', but not here. I've been working on the View from the Valley blog for my job at the New Haven Register.
This morning I wrote a post about love and romance and all the stuff that makes life worth living.

My latest thing is checking the blog stats several times a day. The page views have been increasing! Yay!

Page views equal job security, I think.

If you get a chance, could you please give me a click?  

Thanks in advance.

Breast cancer, blogging, being healthy: the 3 Bs

I seem to be busy with work and life in general and my blog has been ignored.
That doesn't make me feel good. But I have returned.

What does make me feel good is I'm blogging away as part of my job.

Yesterday I wrote a story for the newspaper about Saturday's second annual Women's Day of Health at Griffin Hospital (in Derby, Ct.) and also wrote a blog post about it. I even mentioned my own breast cancer surgery. I'm not one to reveal too much about myself, but it was in me to write.

I knew quite a few of the ladies there, and enjoyed chatting with them. There were slightly more than 100 registered.
Darling daughter, one of the youngest participants by far, accompanied me and we had a great time, as we did last year. And we ate! Yogurt and fruit for breakfast and a delicious chicken wrap, apple, and goodies (cookies and pretzels - Ralph got the pretzels) for lunch were included.
All in all a wonderful event. We're looking forward to next year.

Please click on the link above and tell me what you think.

~ And so my breast cancer journey journal continues...thanks for reading.

Polly wants a ...

Last week I attended a parrot program. (Like the alliteration?)
It was a fun event at a local bookstore and I actually learned a lot about parrots. Turns out they are a lot like children!

Here's a link to the story. Hope you enjoy!

Go away, WAFs!

WAFs =>Worries, Anxieties, and Fears, are the things that hold many of us back from reaching our full potential, according to a speaker I heard last week.

On Thursday I attended a business event that featured motivational speaker Joy Baldridge. She was so lively and upbeat I got tired watching her. Well, not quite, but she made me feel like I have no energy!

I wrote about her talk for the paper and it was published today. Here's the link.

Now tell those WAFs to take a hike. (If only I could follow my own advice.)

Look what I won

I covered an annual tea hosted by the Derby Historical Society and won the centerpiece. It's full of beautiful fresh flowers arranged in a teapot with a kitchen rooster motif.
A local actress portrayed the life of Amelia Earhart at the fund-raising event, and I wrote a story for the paper that you can read here.

P.S. One thing I never understood: why would a company call a line of luggage "Amelia Earhart" luggage? Wouldn't that name jinx the travels of the owner of the suitcases?
Just wondrin'

Hoping things will improve

The Journal Register Co., my employer, announced Saturday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
We expected it, but it's not something you want to hear.
Please send some good thoughts for me and my co-workers.

Linking to a friend's blog today ~

Last week I wrote a story for the newspaper about high school students raising money for the local animal shelter, and today one of my editors reprinted it here on Tesla's Love, her blog about animals and why we love them. Last I knew she is taking submissions, if anyone is interested in writing about their pets.


Behind the scenes: while the photographer and I were there at the school Dixie, the dog in the photo, peed on the carpet. Poor thing was nervous, she was getting so much attention. Fortunately that is all she did. ;-)

Putting things in perspective

For the past month or so I've been busy, and as I read friends' blogs I see a lot of other bloggers have been as well. I didn't post much this past week because I was working on a story for Sunday's (today's) paper. The writing is the easy and enjoyable part; scheduling interviews and photos is often what becomes more time-consuming.

To top if off, the story I worked on with my friend and colleague, Michelle, was emotionally draining. It deals with homelessness and was published today.

Since I am not one to mix business and pleasure, I don't link my stories to my blog. But after talking to Ralph, I decided to go for it. Sitting down with people who for a variety of reasons have become homeless is eye-opening.

It may be a cliché, but it does indeed put things in perspective.

For our story, click here.

I'm not happy :< (

So yesterday afternoon we find out they are going to close our three-person office. Just not sure when.
This does not make me happy.
This office is two miles from my house, and even less than that from my son's school. It couldn't be any more convenient for me.

My husband and I both thought this would eventually happen, the newspaper business being what it is these days.
I don't know too much about what my job future holds and don't want to get into specifics here, at least not at this point.

Just looking for a bit o' sympathy.