Dana Daily

A few months ago my mom asked me to attend a mother/daughter retreat near my hometown of Franklin , PA. I figured what the heck. I’m entering a new phase of my life and I’m willing to go out a limb and try something new. For a short time this past weekend I wanted to curse this new-found adventuresome spirit, but more about that later. Anyway, my mom has supported me through the divorce process and I know it hasn’t been easy so I thought I would do this for her. It’s only a weekend, right? Well, a weekend can feel like a hundred years when someone drops a bombshell. My mom and I arrived at the retreat center, St. Thomas More House of Prayer to be specific, just in time for dinner. Fridays during Lent are always tricky for me. It's the issue of not eating meat. It’s not that I am the ultimate carnivore, but I am certainly not into fish or other seafood. I made her promise to take me to McDonalds if dinner was horrible. Over some kind of bread crumb crusted ocean/sea creature and v...

I was listening to a local country radio station this evening and the first few bars of a song came on. Sarah looked at me and said, "God is Great, Beer is Good, and People are Crazy. Then she went on to sing the entire song word for word. Let me tell you - you haven't lived till you've had a 4yo tell you beer is good (and now I know what her father's taste in music is these days). But, I guess it could be worse. Read on. . . My favorite song, for a short time, when I was about Sarah's age was Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers. I even named one of my baby dolls Becky after the woman in the song. I didn't know until years later what it all meant and I was mortified that my parents let me listen to it and call it a favorite. My poor baby doll. And, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I've included links for your listening pleasure. People are Crazy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKpQRjj_WbU Coward of the County: http://www.youtube...

What began as a research effort in the 1990s revolutionized life around the globe. The internet has forever changed the way in which people communicate and collaborate. As Clay Shirky discusses in Here Comes Everybody , the internet has given people the power to organize without organizations. However, as revolutionary as the internet has been to life as we know it, this is just another example of a culture shift. Equally revolutionary to everyday life was the printing press. ·          Books were available to the masses. ·          Literacy and education became widespread. ·          Professions, namely that of the scribes, faded into history. The internet parallels the invention of the printing press in what it has done for everyday people in their everyday lives. ·          Information is readily available. ·   ...

I remember March 20, 2007 as if it were yesterday. I remember waking up in unbelievable pain. I remember pacing. I remember eating Italian ice in a dark kitchen. I remember making a phone call. I remember riding in a car on deserted city streets. I remember white coats and blue surgical masks. I remember hearing “It’s a Girl”. Happy 4 th Birthday, Sarah! 6 weeks 1 year  2 years  3 years  4 years 

I promise you this simple phrase will invoke fear from the pit of your stomach if you hear it when you're on the wet side of the shower curtain, and up to this point, trusted that your two children are playing nicely together in the living room, a mere three steps away. With great trepidation I threw back the shower curtain and took a look at the little person standing in front of me. I immediately started laughing; from relief, because it's the last thing I expected, and because she's just so darn cute. Here's is the sight that met my eyes (staged after my shower of course, for the purpose of this blog):

When Sarah was a baby I was talking to someone at work about things we remembered from the 1980s. Our list included Rainbow Brite, Cabbage Patch Dolls, stirrup pants, and Mr. Yuk (among other things). I wondered if Mr. Yuk was still around so I googled and found out that he is indeed alive and well. I printed a Mr. Yuk logo and hung him on the refrigerator so that I would have easy access to the poison control center number, just in case. Well, I've now called twice in four years. The first time Sarah decided to taste some Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer. I don't think she ate much and the particular flavor she ingested was not harmful. The second time, Sarah got ahold of a tube of glue and bit off the cap. Her mouth filled with the glue which turned to string instantly when it hit saliva. Again, not harmful, but it shaved a few years off my life. . I walked by Giant Eagle Pharmacy yesterday and saw a sign that next week (March 20-26) is Poison Prevention Week. It made m...