You may have thought that I’ve been hiding out in some makeshift bunker waiting out the Mayan Apocalypse, but I’ve actually been trying to savor the holidays and the thought of what this new year holds for me.   It’s a year, that for the first time in many years, is filled with very real hopes, dreams and new adventures.  One of those new adventures is Twitter!  In order to play along with social media networking standards of today, I find myself with no choice but to tweet (my 19-year-old is mortified!).  For me, it’s all about getting the word out there, and if that means using Twitter, then Twitter it shall be.  I won’t be leaving behind my old staples…Facebook, e-mail, texting, my big mouth, etc.  And, of course, there’s the telephone.  Remember those?  Even though I have a Twitter account, @iammsslick (follow me, below, right), and even a few followers,  I have not yet tweeted.  Be patient…I’m working up the nerve.  Stem cell transplant?…no fear.  Twitter?…breaking into a sweat, right now.  I know.  It’s silly.

Much of today has been spent on the phone.  I was on hold with Vitalchek for 45 minutes while I tried to find out the status of my birth certificate request.  As my brother recently mentioned to my mom, “It’s not easy hauling a stone tablet out of their basement.” (he thinks he’s funny).  Then, on to calling the passport/visa concierge service in DC, www.g3visas.com, that we will be using to acquire our documentation required to travel to Russia.  A “concierge” service handles everything…one-stop shopping!  And, well, I just like to say the word “concierge” (kon-see-airzh).  It makes me feel swanky.  ha ha  Next up, I had to schedule a consultation with my dentist.  Given that I will be without an immune system for a certain amount of time and then I will have a tiny, little fledgling one as it grows, I need to take every precaution that any potential source of infection in my body is addressed before my arrival.  That includes my dental health.  So, I’m heading in for an inspection and a quote for services.  I’m going to see if they’ll throw in a tire rotation for free!

Yesterday, was spent going to the bank to deposit some generous donations (see my rising thermometer to the right) and trying to get organized for a planning meeting for a fundraiser that we plan to be holding in March (further details after the meeting).  I also had the pleasure of meeting with Kaylani Gunning of the Verizon store in Roaring Spring.  She saw that my daughter had made a post on Twitter about my quest to Russia (there’s that Twitter, again).  She spoke to her manager, and during the month of March, their Roaring Spring, Hollidaysburg and Huntingdon stores will be taking donations to benefit my trip.  What a wonderful and thoughtful surprise!!  Finally, last night, I had an in-depth interview with Janice Sell of the Morrisons Cove Herald.  I believe that article will be published within the next week or two.  Within the last two weeks the Broad Top Bulletin and Huntingdon Daily News have also covered my story.  In addition, Charlotte Ames, the Healthcast reporter from WTAJ TV-10, requested my phone number from a friend, which I gladly provided (Thank heaven, I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow!).

So, there you have it!  No apolcalypse…no fiscal cliff…no call from Ellen Degeneres, yet…just me, singing, “tweet, tweet, tweetly-tweet”.