Why do creative people get notes like this all the time?

“Hope your having a great day!

I stopped by your desk, but you weren’t there so I just left my notes for you, I hope you don’t mind

I only have a few changes, I know we thought we were done, but I just showed it to my boss for the first time, and she wanted to make a few edits.

First, her name is spelled wrong. (Oops!) We better get that right! And the one address on the back is out of date. Also, apparently we are changing the rate that’s on the inside. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you so much!”

What if my auto mechanic decided to send me the same sorta message… “By the way, I actually have this bolt that was supposed to be somewhere on your car, I just forgot all about it. You don’t mind coming by to let me fix that up for you, do ya?”

The sandbox has been fun, but I’ll be moving on. The new test site is HERE, and I hope to unveil it as the new DCGrrl.com on Drupal soon. I’ll be interested to hear your feedback as I move through this process. Thanks to everyone who is supporting me on this venture!

The National Walk for Epilepsy is next week , and it’s a chance for me to walk with other people, other families, that have been effected by seizures. I am lucky that my seizures can be controlled by medication, but not everyone is so lucky.

There is more research to be done, and more education needs to be done.

• It’s important to understand that some kids have to live with seizures, but they still need to, and CAN go to school.
• It’s important to teach first responders how to react to a seizure.
• It’s important to be sure that health insurance covers seizure medication.
• Medication can be made more predictable, effective and less toxic.
• And the medical community still needs to learn more about why seizures happen and what damage they do to our brains and our bodies.

So, my husband and I will be walking bright and early on a Saturday morning in March, on the National Mall.

I know that children and animals are much more compelling causes than your friend DC Grrl who seems just fine; So, here are some stories about kids and animals. These are the families we’re really walking for:

Andrew, in Fairfax: “Dog that helps epileptic boy will get 2-week tryout at school”

And a great book BY Evan, who wrote this book to help fund his own seizure dog, which I now have in my library. It is AWESOME:
My Seizure Dog

Coming soon: the Concert for Epilepsy this fall, so be on the lookout for more information about that. This guy, possibly the most excellent brother in the world, has been working tirelessly on this project for years, in honor of his little sister who has epilepsy, and this year’s concert should be an amazing event!

Interested in learning more? Here are some places to get some information: Epilepsy Foundation and TalkAboutIt

Not too long ago, there was talk about drilling off the coast of Virginia. I was not happy. After the BP incident in the Gulf of Mexico, I was frightened. Every year I look forward to visiting the beaches of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, and I’d be devastated if MY beaches looked like the beaches in the Gulf.

Luckily we haven’t started drilling in the Atlantic yet. And our beaches still look awesome. We still have challenges with pollution from runoff to our rivers and to the Chesapeake Bay, but we’re working on it. Let’s keep it that way!

I just took a trip to Chincoteague, Virginia. I really enjoyed seeing the wildlife refuge there and all of the coastal and wetland creatures, including pelicans similar to the ones we’re seeing covered in oil down in Louisiana.

Let’s cut our losses. Damage like we’re seeing in the Gulf, like we saw from the Exxon Valdez, can’t happen if the oil rigs aren’t there.

I have always considered myself against killing anyone on purpose. That is for the movies. But tomorrow, the man convicted of being the DC sniper — the mastermind of over 20 shootings of random innocent people — is scheduled to be put to death.

About a year ago, I went to the Newseum because I heard they had a great new exhibit on “G-Men and Journalists: Top News Stories of the FBI’s First Century.” I expected Patty Hearst and even the Unabomber’s cabin. But when I saw that they had included a life-size model of the DC sniper’s car trunk, from which Muhammad and Malvo shot people, I felt weak in the knees.

I recently talked with a friend about living through the days of the sniper shootings (Sept. – Oct. 2002). We recalled the fear we all experienced as the this murderer, with his accomplice, shot innocent people as they pumped gas, vacuumed their car, went shopping and did other daily tasks. We hid behind gas pumps and looked out for white box trucks. We walked in erratic patterns as we moved from stores to our cars in the hope that we might make hard targets.

I live near and shop at the Home Depot where a woman was killed in 2002 as part of this horrible killing spree. I went there this weekend, and the place was teeming with people. For that I am grateful.

We are healing.

The younger of the two men, Malvo,  involved in these shootings is serving a life sentence without chance for parole.

I don’t know if putting this man to death will help any of the victim’s families heal. My sincere condolences to all of you. I would have a hard time throwing the switch. But I would also have a hard time stopping it.

My husband and I just got back from our second trip to Culebra. I haven’t been on a lot of Caribbean vacations, but from what I’ve been told, Culebra is not typical.

Some know Culebra and its neighboring island Veiques because they were used by the US military as training areas up until 1975.

Culebra takes a bit more effort to get to, and it’s still fairly unknown. But for those of us who like to go the road less traveled, it’s a great payoff.

The beaches are unspoiled and the opportunities for snorkeling are plentiful. You can walk into the surf and find a coral reef on nearly any beach on the island. Still, it’s not as easy to get to as booking a trip to Disneyworld, and there is no Starbucks or McDonald’s on the island. So Culebra is not for everyone. You need to be ready to carry your own luggage, and expect to see some chickens in the middle of the road.

Some tips if you decide to follow me to Culebra:

1. Getting there: You need to take a small plane or ferry to get there from Puerto Rico’s big island. The small plane is easiest. These fly out of Isla Grande, a small airport near SJU in San Juan. Be prepared for a $18 taxi trip.
2. Accomodations: You can stay in a ‘hotel’ in Culebra, or rent reasonably priced guest houses that will provide you more space and a kitchen of your own. If you’re staying for a length of time, I recommend renting.
3. Transportation: You can rent scooters, Jeeps, or golf carts while you’re on the island. If you want to reach the more remote beaches, you’ll need a Jeep. Many roads are unfinished.
4. Guidance: If it’s tourism advice you’re looking for, head to one of the local bars – Dinghy Dock or Heather’s Pizza. Your bartender can direct you towards a captain who can sail you around the island, or to the dive shop for scuba lessons. Everyone knows everyone in Culebra.
5. Timing: Many local establishments, restaurants included, have different hours or are just closed in the off season (Labor Day through Halloween), so keep this in mind when planning your trip.
6. Language: Don’t be scared if you don’t understand Spanish. A good part of Culebra is made up of gringos (white folks) that moved from mainland USA to enjoy the island life. Some, I’m told, came down after Hugo decimated the island in 1989 to help with the rebuilding effort and just never left.

Some links to help you research:

• Air Flamenco
• Casa Ensenada
• Carlos Jeep Rental
• Mamacitas
• I found it was best to make reservations via telephone.