Alison Hodgson

Expert on the etiquette of perilous times.

Archives for February 2008

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My brother, Tanner is a filmmaker.  He is currently working in northern Iraq on a documentary about Islam.

The Turks invaded northern Iraq a couple of days ago, but I didn’t know.
Today at 4:30, while I was driving I thought of Tanner out of the blue and felt strongly compelled to pray for him.  That happens to me at times.  Although I did not feel a heavy stress, I did note that I was praying for him.  I didn’t have fear, but I was concerned.  
Tonight I came home and found out about the bombing/invasion.
Would you please pray that Tanner will be safe?
Thank you.

https://alisonhodgson.com/2008/02/522/

Why we have a king size bed:

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Of course, I’m on here too and Jackie Boy is lying on the floor beside it.  Christopher has thrown up twice this morning.  Paul HAD to go to work this but is coming home at lunch.  I didn’t sleep well last night and the girls seemed to cough non stop.  I still feel really terrible, but I managed to get water and toast for everyone, dole out medicine and feed the dog. 

This sickness just sideswiped me.  It seemed to come on so fast, or I wasn’t paying attention.  And I haven’t been sick this long in years.    
Eden is drawing now, Lydia is reading Little Women and Christopher is doing a word find, but he’s pining for my laptop.  I wish I felt better, so I could pamper them more.  As it is I am just using gentle touch, when I get them things and smiling.  That’s what I’ve got.

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I’m still sick.  Today was actually the worse.  I know now, that I haven’t had a “bad cold,” but the flu.  Paul stayed home from work today to take care of me and the girls.  He and Christopher are flirting with feeling poorly.  

I went to the doctor and didn’t have the strength to get dressed.  I pulled on jeans, but wore my pajama top under a sweat shirt of Paul’s.  I had come in to discuss my insomnia, with the hope of getting some sleeping pills.  Only a person who has been waking at three every morning would think that you can just waltz in and get drugs, without all sorts of procedures.  I had actually  hoped the doctor would call in a prescription, without needing an office visit.  Obviously that didn’t happen.  But it worked out well as I awoke today the sickest I have been. The doctor did get me hooked up with a plethora of things to get me through this illness and then recommended I do a sleep study when I’m better.  She said that anxiety and depression can be an underlying cause of sleeplessness and those would need to be considered and addressed if necessary.  
She looked at me with wide eyes as did the resident who accompanied her.  I always feel so vulnerable perched on the table and today I felt especially so.  I had taken no pains with my appearance and began to feel like the stereotype of the beleaguered housewife.  I had to reassure myself that it was OK to look like total crap because that’s how I feel and it was all I could do to get there.  Being a human is so humbling.
Eden was running around and dancing tonight before bed.  It was so good to see her like that.  She has been so sick.  Lydia is still feeling poorly, but better than this morning.
We are praying that Paul and Christopher don’t get sick and that we all have good, long, restorative sleep.

https://alisonhodgson.com/2008/02/527/

Press Release

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Have you heard the press release regarding the latest study on laundry? It was an analysis of whether or not, given enough time, laundry would wash itself.   I can’t say a lot, but I can tell you I was one of the participants.    

Regretfully, the findings were that laundry does NOT wash itself, this was concluded after exhaustive analysis.  Because of the nature of the study, I had to sign a confidentiality agreement.  It wasn’t easy all these years, keeping silent and watching the laundry pile up, filling out my forms, hoping and hoping, but letting the data speak.   This was one of those times that you know you are a part of something larger than yourself, that your own sacrifice of pride is worth the possibility of something great.  
I’ll be honest, I’m disappointed.  I had really hoped that laundry did wash itself.  But as time went on the results became obvious.  I’m no scientist, but I began to put it together, even before the study was completed.
It’s published now and  you can read it for yourself.  If you don’t feel like trudging through all the technical jargon, I’ll just tell you, in addition to not washing itself, laundry, does not fold itself, nor will it put itself away, no matter how long it is left in a basket.  However, it was determined, in homes where the participants were married, that the spouse outside the study would some times pitch in and “help” the participant.
I know that there were thousands of people in this study, who gave their time and floor space for YEARS in the pursuit of knowledge.  It was certainly a relief to come out to my family and I would love to hear from any other participants, now that we can speak.