AC/DC or Bust

Many of you who read this blog also followed this journey on Facebook, but I wanted to save it for posterity. Kyle and I went on a road trip to Charlotte, NC for an AC/DC concert on Thursday. This started several months ago when, after many years of trying to figure out what he was "into", Kyle decided he dug rock music. It has been such a joy to help him discover what he likes--Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Journey, Boston and the likes. But his favorite was AC/DC--the ultimate cliche in rock music, of course. And then he found out they were going to be touring. Unfortunately, the closest concert was either Charlotte or Atlanta--we chose Charlotte. (Interestingly, several weeks later, they decided to add a Tampa show, but by the time we found out the only tickets left were in the nose-bleed section almost behind the stage.) The deal was that he had to earn the money for the ticket, a t-shirt and a portion of the gas--$150. I'd let him skip school and we'd go.

He was looking forward to the concert, but I was looking forward to the road trip. He was so grateful that I was taking him, he said he'd talk to me the whole way. 16 hours with my 13 year old just talking and sharing--that is gold!

The road trip was AWESOME! 8 hours straight of AC/DC music. He set up my new iPhone and we read about AC/DC on Wikipedia on it. We learned about the history, the musicians and odd ways of dying (the old lead singer died by choking on his vomit while drunk). The night before we went to the dollar store so that on the ride we could munch on cookies and he could drink fake Mountain Dew. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to save money on Fast Food. He updated my Facebook page with cheesy puns of AC/DC titles. And we played the music really loudly.

After checking into the hotel (thank you Marriott points--the golden lining to all my traveling), we went out to dinner and we made a rule that--for that night only--we were not mother and son, just two people going to a concert. He told me stuff that I'd never heard (nothing dangerous, just more of a glimpse into the life of a 13 year old middle schooler). And we laughed. I let him drink Red Bull (I NEVER let him do that) and he let me try some in my beer.

And the concert--it was loud. Really loud. But the theatrics were fun, the music was decent and the staging was amazing. The concert was sold out and all the 40-something rock fans were in heaven. No one sat down the whole concert. The show was full of rock cliches--devil horns, rock trains, guitar solo tricks, video clips of babes and sexual innuendo.

Our ears were ringing after, continued ringing the whole trip home and Kyle's were still ringing today, 2 days after. But another memorable moment came on the way home when my son--after 24 hours of being an adult rocker, asked in his sweet, tired and kind voice, "Mom, I know I said I would talk to you, but do you mind if I just tune out and watch a movie?" I said fine. His choice after a hard day rocking and rolling? Disney's The Incredibles. Ahh....13 years old.

Reindeer Run Rules

So yesterday was our second 5K race and it was good! I had a crazy week--two projects in two cities, about 80 hours of work and a midnight flight home from NYC on Friday. But I was up naturally about 5:30 before my 6am alarm.

The big challenge was that it was COLD. Those of you up North will laugh, but it was in the low 50s and it was very cold for us. But I didn't want to overdress because as soon as my body warmed up I would be cold.

I was excited about the Reindeer Run because they give really great shirts. It was a long sleeve Under Armor kind of shirt. So that was going to have to do.

My goal with this race was to run--more than what I did on the last one where my times were pretty embarrassing. I wanted to lengthen my stride a little bit more and pick up my feet more.

We got off to a good start. I got kind of paranoid when just a little into the race I heard something drop on the ground and it was my car key that I had tucked into my sports bra. After that, I kept checking my bra, making anyone who was watching possibly wonder what was happening.

At the first mile, I was thrilled to see my time. 13.25. For those of you who run (who are some of the only ones who read my blog), this will make you laugh. But for me, it was a full minute off my time during the last run. I was thrilled.

The run went through some gorgeous home areas in Maitland. Once my body warmed up it was a PERFECT temperature to run. And no turtlenecks or santa hats this time--just comfy running clothes.

There were lots of people dressed up--like elves, Santa, snowflakes, etc. But the highlight was the Orange County firefighters who ran the whole race in their fire gear with heavy tanks on their back. For the last 20 minutes, one of them ran with Kyle (who was ahead of me, of course) and told him that Kyle wasn't to let him pass him. He especially encouraged Kyle on the last stretch to give it his all. He did and came in at 37.51.

For me, each mile was almost exactly 13.25. My second mile was at 26.5 and my third at 40. I ended up the race at 41.55. As I came across the line, they said "And here's Christine Haskins from Oviedo, FL" which cracked me up.

My lungs felt this race, which made me feel good. I didn't want to coast through it. I felt better about this race than the last one--ironic. Even more ironic since I had such little sleep and a flight the night before. I felt real good.

By the time I found Kyle at the food table, he had eaten at least 5 Rice Krispy Treats (of course). I had a banana and then we had to rush home because the poor kid had a football game for an hour as soon as we got home.

2 down. More to go....

First Step to the Tri--my first 5K

So, I ran my first race last week--the Turkey Trot 5K. I was actually feeling quite confident about it because I had run 3.5 miles earlier that week without much incident. I'm actually finding that the first mile is hard for me, but then, as long as I don't get bored, the rest comes pretty easily.

Kyle did this with me and that made it six times more fun (Much more than twice as much fun, not as much as 10x).

We went to go pick up our friends at 7am (as I have access to the parking garage across from my work, right by the race start). At the start, people were dressed up with Turkey hats, Xmas gear, etc. I had a Santa hat (which was terribly impractical--I stuffed it in my waist band within the first quarter mile). There were about 5,000 people. Kyle wanted to start right when the race began--I wanted to wait to let the crowd thin out a little. It was hard to let him go--I wanted to see him succeed. And there was that feeling that if I let him go into that crowd, I may never see him again!

I started three minutes in. Got a pace faster than what I normally run and realized that I was winded by the end of the street already. So I slowed to my normal pace and went from there.

It was a beautiful run. Gorgeous cool day, cute houses along the way, really nice people out watching everyone and waving. I hit the one mile marker and it felt like 2 miles already, but I was enjoying it. And then, before you knew it, I hit the 2 mile marker. Where'd that go?

The amazing feat of the race was "de-layering." I know understand why runners layer their clothes. But I, the newbie that I am, put a holiday turtle neck UNDER my race shirt. And, of course, when my body started to warm-up, I was stuck. So, I took my arms out from both the shirts, put them back in the top t-shirt and pulled out the turtle neck and tied it around my waist. ALL WITHOUT EVER STOPPING RUNNING.

At the finish line, this all felt very anti-climactic. People were cheering the whole length of the street, but my time was very slow. There were speed walkers who were passing me. But then I realized it. I ran a race. I ran the whole thing. I never stopped. A few months ago I couldn't run a mile. I sped up a little bit the last bit and a woman running next to me started congratulating me. Then I felt good.

Kyle finished about five minutes before me. He ran really hard the first mile, stopping once. But then he was burnt out and stopped like 10 times during the second mile. He was waiting for me at Panera, quite pleased with what he had accomplished that morning.

As for me, I finished. I've already forgotten my time (isn't that pitiful? Aren't I supposed to be a runner and obsessed about my time?), but I think it was around 45 minutes. I was running 14-15 minute miles. That's barely jogging. I need to speed that up. But I ran. A race. A whole race.

That's step one...4 months to go to the triathlon.

Quote of the day for the strong women in my life (and those who love strong women):

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit."

Happy Halloween. From a true witch.





While it is a little bit of a risk coming out of the "broom closet" as a witch, I am trusting that the few people who read this blog know me and have open minds enough to understand what that means. AND, I think you may be interested in the broader meaning of witches and Halloween from a real witch on this day...





Witch actually is from the Saxon word wicca. It actually means “Wise One.” In the old days, witches were very connected to the earth—they were the local herbalists, midwives, and healers. But when the Christians were trying to convert the pagans, they needed to take away the power from these spiritual healers and therefore made caricatures of them as green and warty and they made their healing pots seem like scary cauldrons.

Halloween is called Samhain (Saw-Wane) in the pagan world. People celebrate when a baby is born, when someone has a birthday, when someone gets married. But how do we remember or celebrate the people who have died who have been important to us. Samhain is the time to remember those who have died and for us to celebrate their lives.

Many of us believe that the spirits of people who we loved but who have died are still with us. And that they love us and want us to be happy. Samhain is when we celebrate them and ask them to come back and visit us. Because this is the beginning of the dark time of the year (turned clocks back last night, right?), the change of this seasons is when the veils between the dead and the living are the thinnest.

Samhain has been celebrated in some form or another for almost 3000 years. It was thought to have first started with the Druids in 700B.C. But most earth based religions (from the Native Americans, to the Nords, to the Celts) have celebrated some kind of celebration of their ancestors who have passed on. And they all happen around this time of year.

At our house, we have a Samhain Altar. It has pictures and items from the people (and animals that have died. From photos to quilts to shells to our dog's collar, we look forward to pulling them out and telling stories about all of them. With our altar, we encourage spirits of those who love us to come back and visit us. So we leave out food for them. My grandfather loved Lima Beans and tried to make me eat them every time I was there. So we leave out beans for him. For me, it is important to teach my kids to celebrate our ancestors. It is who we are.


So, what about the different items you know about Halloween--how did they become what they are now?

Jack-O-Lantern--Back in the old days, they were worried about bad spirits coming back as well. So they would paint their gourds to scare them away, like a scarecrow in a garden.

Costumes--They would wear scary costumes to keep those scary spirits away as well. Ghosts, scary witch and goblins. Still the most common costumes today.

The Name Halloween--When the Catholic Church started taking over the lands of the people who celebrated Samhain, they didn’t like their holidays, especially ones that included any talk of magic or dead people. But it was really hard for the people not to celebrate this holiday because it was so important to who they are. So the church created a different holiday, called All Saint’s Day (or All Hallows Day—which means holy) where they would celebrate all of the Saints of the church. So the people celebrated All Hallows Day on November 1st. But on the evening before, they celebrated Hallow’s Eve—or what turned into Halloween. They couldn’t keep the people from celebrating this important night.

Pranks--The Druids had a very hard life. They had a lot of rules and things to do. But during Samhain (from Oct 31 to Nov. 2) they let loose. They did crazy stuff. Men dressed like women, and women dressed as men, farmers gates would be unhinged and left in ditches, people’s horses were moved to different fields, etc.

Trick Or Treat--There are two theories about this. The first is that it came out of the pranks—everyone dressing up and going around their neighborhood. But the more commonly known one is the precursor of the Good Samaritain Legend. People back then (and many now) believed in fairies. Fairies were always good and they liked it when people were good to each other. So sometimes they would disguise themselves as beggars and go door to door asking for leftover food. Those who gave them food were rewarded (with a treat). Those who didn’t take care of those less fortunate, often got some kind of unpleasant trick. So we dress up to be like the fairies. And go door to door to see if they will give us a Trick or a Treat.

Full Moon--Many pagans celebrate their spirituality each month on the full moon. We think that is when there is an extra amount of “power” to make wishes. We know that the full moon affects the ocean tides. We know that more babies are born on the full moon than any other day of the month. And we know that women’s cycles will get attuned to the moon if left unregulated by medication. So, since it is the time of power for the witch, it is a natural symbol for Halloween.

So, for me, Halloween or Samhain is special to me because:

• It is a time to celebrate the spiritual beginning of the new year.


• It is a time to confront our personal and cultural attitudes towards death and those who have passed on before us.


• It is the time to lift the veil between the worlds to gain spiritual insight about the pasts and futures.


• It is a time to deepen our connection to the cycles of the seasons, to the generations that have come before us and those that will follow, and to the Gods and Goddesses we worship.


• It is a time to let our inner children out to play, to pass on our childhood traditions to our children and to share the fun with our friends and neighbors of all faiths.

Happy Halloween and Happy Samhain to all of you.

Social Capital

So, my friend Karin responded to one of my posts and explained the idea of "Social Capital" to me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Consider this...just like we have (or don't have, given what's happening in the financial sector... but that's another post) financial capital, we also have social capital. How many friends we have, connections, liaisons, etc.

I've been thinking about this on a lot of levels.

First, I went to my experience in business. I have found that social capital (now that I know about it) is more important than almost anything in succeeding in business. After working in Corporate America for 11 years and then consulting and seeing employees of Fortune 500 come in and out of my doors each week, I've seen it in play. Of course competence is important. But I've seen some VERY competent professionals who don't know how to gain social capitol. They remain isolated in their offices. They don't engage in social conversations where a lot of real decisions are made. They're not part of the gossip channel where people get heads ups about opportunities. And, I've seen some pretty incompetent people play the politics game really well and succeed. It is, in fact, one of the things that drove me out of Corporate America.

Now, it is sometimes important to have the financial capital to get the social capital. For instance, you have to be part of the country club scene to get access to all the social opportunities of that type of people. But I do know that without the social capital, the financial capital is harder to come by.

I also assume that there are a lot of different types of social capital. The social capital of a business is very different than the social capital of a NFL football team which is different from the social capital of the slums which is very different from the social capital within the Catholic church.

This has also made me think of what other kinds of capital there is. For example, I think there is a "Physical Capital." Those who have looks going for them have more opportunities. There is data that men that are over 6 foot are perceived as having stronger "leadership" skills--even if people don't know anything else about them. Ever since the Kennedy-Nixon debate, it has been known that the physical attributes of presidential candidates can help or hinder them. Attractive people often marry other attractive people and so on. I don't think it is right. I think it is what is inside that should matter. But what should matter isn't always what does matter.

I look at my boys who are both in Middle School. Their world is all about Social Capital. Two years ago it was about who had the rarest Pokemon cards. Now it is about who has gotten up to what level of a certain video game. And, of course, they all know who has what technology, be it the iPhone or video consoles, etc. I saw it last weekend with little girls--they were all comparing who could do the most elaborate gymnastics tricks. The one who could do the back handspring had the social admiration of the others.

What does it all mean? Who knows. Again, my thoughts first go to those who don't have social capital. And why aren't we aware of that and help them more? As my friend Karin said, more people die of social isolation than of smoking. And, if someone really wanted to make a difference, they should find a cure to loneliness. What is sad is that we CAN cure that. We say that no one should live without insurance, but truly no one should should live without human connections.

What? We're Not Immortal?

I got an e-mail yesterday that someone that Lynn and I went to high school with passed away from cancer.  His name was John Cullen.  He was a grade ahead of me.  I remember him as the real hottie in our school.  Someone reminded us today that he was totally crazy about Def Leppard. 

We went to a very small school--the American School in Madrid.  There were only about 40 or so of us in each grade, so we often had classes and hung out with people from all the other grades.  We basically knew everyone at least two grades above and below.  And, because there weren't THAT many Americans over there at the time, we knew each others' families.  I knew John's siblings Mike and Kim.

John was married with two kids.  He was just 42.  

One of the joys of Facebook has been finding all of these high school friends again.  After graduation, we scattered all over the globe and, for the most part, lost track of each other.  But on Facebook we've reconnected.  And we've realized that we share a really tight bond because no one else truly understands the truly unique experiences we had as teenage Americans in Madrid in the 80s.  It shaped us in so many ways that are hard to explain.  

And because when I talk to any of them or think about them, I'm reminded of high school.  And, of course, in high school we were invincible.  So, it is inconceivable that one of us is gone.  

Go with peace, John....

Categories of People

I find that I need to put things into categories. It is my way of creating a modicum of order in my little corner of the world. I realize that I do that with people who I know as well. Overall, I have general love and affinity to most of the people in my world (with a small exception of someone who totally got under my skin last week). But I definitely feel differently about many of them. Let me try to clarify as I classify:

• Family--long-term investment people. Some I talk to or see all the time, others after long periods of times. But there's that understood thing that, after eveyone else is gone, we'll all still be there. No matter what they do (even though we are the first to complain), I'll love them always. Deep, deep bonds. My husband and children, parents, sister, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents all fit into that category.
• Acquaintances--those people who I know, and some I even like. But they are people who come in and out of your life without much meaning. They may feel more or less connected to me, but they are the type of people who I realize that--when I see them after a long period of time--that I haven't really thought about them much.
• Working Friends--I am very lucky that there are few people I've worked with that I haven't had good experiences with. But I always keep that "professional" veil on. There are a few who transition to "Friends" and I love that!
• Friends--I am so blessed to have many who fit into this category. These are more than acquantances. These are people who, when I think of them, I smile. I have bonded with these people in very interesting ways. I usually know them on a deeper level and they know me. I know in a pinch, I could call on them. Or, if I were in their town, I could call on them for a dinner out. I always feel like I have more to learn from them and look forward to that! Many in my church community fit into this, but also other categories. There are higher and lower degrees of friends, but the key attribute is that they make me happy thinking about them.
• Soul Friends--I have a few people who fit into these categories. These are people who know me on a very deep level, challenge me, love me deeply and I love them back in return. I'm not whole unless I am able to touch base with them on a regular basis, even if it is in little ways.

About a year ago, I heard a terrifying statistic--that one in four people didn't have anyone they could confide in. To me, that meant having good friends, family or soul friends. I realized how MANY people I had who could fit into that category and I realized how blessed I was. And how sad I was for others. Unlike money, food, clothes or electronics, that is something I can't donate.

Update on The News Cycle Junkie

I'm trying. I'm really trying. My goal was to step away FOR ONE WEEKEND from the news for general ulcer-avoidance.

I went to have a pedicure and the TV was on. I read and tried not to watch it. But when they put me somewhere to dry, I was RIGHT UNDER the TV and it was loud right over my head. I had to check the weather online last night and couldn't help seeing the headlines (I didn't check though). Regular radio is AWFUL. Even my favorite part of Saturday Night Live is the opening skit about politics (and last night was particularly funny). I wasn't going to watch it, but the kids found it this morning! ARGH!

Why is it that so many people can avoid the news like it doesn't exist...but yet they can tell you day-to-day who Britney Spears is dating. For me, even when I want to, I can't get away from it.

The News is Killing Me!!

Okay, so I am a news junkie. I wake up to NPR news. I look forward to long drives where I can hear the full two hours of a NPR broadcast (either Morning Edition OR All Things Considered). In addition, I have XM Radio. On that, I usually listen to one of four stations:

• POTUS08--All election, all the time. 24/7. EXCELLENT coverage. Great commentaries. No arguing. Intelligent. And fascinating.
• CNN--Only when POTUS 08 is presenting a stump speech I've already heard or don't care about.
• America Left--yes, talk radio for the left. The anti-Rush Libaugh. I actually don't like the hate on left radio either, but I can't help it.
• Entertainment Channel--for a little fluff.

But with all that is happening--the false messages, the economy, our debt that just reaches astronomical levels, the greed, the power, the war--I have found myself at the beginning of an ulcer. When I listened to the news this morning, my stomach got upset. And continued all day.

So, I'm cutting myself off from the news this weekend. NO NEWS. It's not as easy as it sounds. My homepage has headlines on it--I can't go there. I have to listen to music in the car (boring). It's kind of like after 9/11 or during hurricanes. Sometimes you just have to step away.

I think that is why I'm blogging. Without my news, what else am I going to do?

Small Ways I Change The World

So, this week I evolved from believed that she wanted to change the world but didn't think she was doing much, to someone who realized that she IS changing the world, but in a bunch of minor ways. I realized that I don't fit the typical "change the world" mold. I don't join organizations, go to fund-raisers, send a lot of money to organizations. I do it much like my life--I do it my own way, mostly run or initated by me, and I only do it in a very personal way. I also don't do it for any one cause--but more scattered across many different ways. So, I started a list of what I do. This may inspire someone else...or maybe not. But I feel pretty good about it.

• I buy eggs only from cage-free chickens (thanks Libby)
• I don't eat chicken (because of a really long story about me bonding with chickens)
• I coach individuals and groups so that they can be more enlighted, intentional and then they can change the world.
• I sang in a choir that sang songs about social justice (musechoir.org)
• Camp Namaste--rather than supporting a camp, we created our own.
• I give money to people who are doing things themselves—much more than to organizations—including Jeannie. And I like to see what is being done (Nepal, etc.)
• I go online to the “Daily Click” sites—where every day they’ll donate a cup of rice, etc. if I click on the site (thehungerspot.com).
• I do all my searches through goodsearch.com instead of Google (which then donates 1 penny per search to the organization of my choice—in this case the choir listed above).
• I have given chickens and pigs through Heifer International to all my relatives and my kids’ teachers for Xmas presents for the last 4 years (I love how it confounds the teachers).
• I'm eating mostly vegetarian because it does more for the environment than switching from a Hummer to a Prius.
• I carry around a fabric bag in my purse and use plastic bags at shops only when necessary.
• I read e-books instead of paper books, saving the trees from the paper and the shipping and disposal waste.

It makes me want to find other small things.

Christine's First Blog

Okay, I am feeling empowered. Although I'm 41, I am going to try to act like I'm in my 20s. I have no idea if anyone wants to read this. But I'm going to do it anyway. What is motiviating me to do this is a combination of feeling empowered, gutsy, impulsive and this tiny voice that thinks that I may have something to say.