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Brookfield Wannabe
Roxanne Suson, a Brookfield native and graduate of Brookfield East High School, provides readers with an eclectic mix of topics. Once a trial attorney, now a full-time mom, Roxanne blogs about the happiness, sadness, and absurdity of life and family in the suburbs.
February 2007 - Posts
By Roxanne Suson
Monday, Feb 19 2007, 04:35 PM
Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, new passport requirements affecting only air travel between the United States and various countries went into effect on January 23, 2007. Canada and Mexico, nations to which U.S. citizens formerly could travel by air without passports, are among the countries affected. If you are applying for a new passport or are in another situation where you need to apply in person for a passport, you need to appear at a passport agency or an official passport acceptance facility. I learned last week that the main Brookfield post office, the one located on Civic Drive, across the street from the Brookfield City Hall, is one such facility.
Because my family has always maintained current passports, I didn't think too much about the new requirements until I was standing in line at the post office recently and saw a sign indicating that the post office accepted passport applications. Coincidentally, last week, my father mentioned that his passport was set to expire in June. So, in the interest of obtaining information for this blog, I went to the Brookfield post office to check it out, even though I assumed that I could get the necessary renewal forms somewhere in cyberspace.
The postal clerk gave me a renewal application and stated that renewals are handled by mail, meaning that you don't have to appear anywhere in person. In order to use the renewal form, your situation/passport status must fit certain requirements listed on the front of the form. If your situation does not fit the requirements, you cannot use the renewal form, and you will need to apply in person with the necessary documentation. For example, if your most recent passport was issued under a different name (e.g. your maiden name), you cannot use a renewal form. If you are able to use the renewal form, the clerk advised me that, should I wish to send it via U.S. mail, most people send it by priority mail with signature confirmation. The clerk further advised me that the required photos for passports can be taken at the post office. (Although I did not ask, I assume that there is a fee for the required photos.) My father fit the requirements for renewal by mail, so that was all the information I needed from the clerk, who was extremely helpful by the way.
To find out whether you need to apply in person for a passport and what documentation you will need, you can consult the website for the U.S. Department of State. You can also download forms from their site. Note: Children, including infants, are required to have passports under the same travel conditions as adults.
The main Brookfield post office accepts in-person passport applications Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Although I did not ask, I assume that time range is when photos can be taken for renewal applications.) Note: The Passport Acceptance Facility Search Page on the U.S. Department of State website indicates that the Brookfield post office also has Saturday hours by appointment only. However, the clerk did not mention Saturday hours to me.
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By Roxanne Suson
Friday, Feb 9 2007, 11:00 AM
Oprah has a secret, and she was willing to share it with her audience yesterday. Generally speaking, I have neither the time nor the inclination to watch her show, but the promo for "The Secret" lured me in. The show was also a topic of discussion on the WKTI morning radio show today. After watching Oprah, I think "The Secret" is really not such a secret after all.
After doing research on her own, a woman (I'm sorry I can't remember her name) created a book and DVD called "The Secret." She explains the secret as "the law of attraction": that like attracts like, that what you put into the universe you will receive back. Although I haven't read the book or seen her DVD, I gather that they both are compilations of testimonials of people who have employed the law of attraction to create success in their professional and/or personal lives. On Oprah's show, four "teachers" were present to further explain how this law of attraction worked to their benefit. The four teachers were people from various backgrounds, all experiencing some sort of hardship in the past (drugs, prison, financial difficulties, underprivileged background) and all experiencing success in the present. One of them was the creator of the "Chicken Soup" books.
Although I am a person of faith and believe that there are things beyond the perception of human beings, I began to get a bit cynical when I started hearing words like "positive energy" and "visualization" being thrown into the mix. So, with skepticism, I continued to watch. After hearing the entire show, I think "The Secret" is really just a mixture of what I learned in Sunday School and common sense.
The "law of attraction" is something that has existed in religious philosophies for a long time. In Christianity, there is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" or maybe even "Love thy neighbor." In the Hindu and Buddhist faith, there is the concept of "karma," that how one behaves and acts will determine what one will receive in turn. To put it in more secular terms, "what goes around, comes around."
Amidst all the talk of positive energy though, there was one man who I think put it best. It's not enough to have "positive feelings" and sit around just thinking about what you want to achieve. You need to ACT. That's where the common sense comes in.
But there was one more thing he said: you need to open yourself up to feeling gratitude. That's a hard one. How many of us in the midst of enormous personal/professional difficulty can focus on thanking the powers that be for what we already have? How many of us can take the focus off what is wrong and look to what is right? That's where some of us need help. Maybe that help comes from buying and reading "The Secret" book and watching the DVD. Maybe it comes from talking to trusted friends or a minister. Maybe it comes from simply watching Oprah and having what she calls an "Aha!" moment.
That's what it took for me. Last year was difficult for me. I lost my mother to cancer. I had major surgery, from which I am still recovering, and I have lately been feeling like I am not living up to my potential. But I am done with focusing on myself. For a long time, I have wanted to do some sort of volunteer work, to give back, but was never sure if I really had the time. I did some research, and I found that the American Cancer Society is looking for volunteers. So, I am going to make the time, and I am going to sign up. And then I'm going to give thanks that I'm still around to do it.
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By Roxanne Suson
Wednesday, Feb 7 2007, 11:21 AM
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It is a ritual I started in high school and continued through the early years of my marriage. Then, I had a baby, and ...phht, it went out the window. Reading the paper at the kitchen table, with a cup of steaming coffee at the ready, was one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday morning. Now, I’m lucky if I remember to retrieve the paper from the box by Monday, let alone read it.
Last week Sunday though, I was battling a virus that would have killed a lesser woman, and my family left me alone, either because they didn’t want to catch it or because my general level of crankiness scared everyone off. So, I spent the morning reliving the glory days of being able to read the paper in solitary peace. I knew the Journal Sentinel was being revamped, so I already knew that one of my favorite sections, “Lifestyle,” was being merged into a new “Cue” section. What took me by surprise was a feature that was missing. I decided to wait and see if it would make an appearance this Sunday.
This Sunday, I wasn’t so lucky. Still sick but not sick enough to be granted a reprieve of another solitary morning, I didn’t get to the Sunday paper until Tuesday afternoon. I searched the Cue section, but I didn’t see it. I think the powers that be have decided to axe it permanently.
I’m talking about Jacquelyn Mitchard’s Sunday column. Ms. Mitchard is from Wisconsin. I was a fan of hers even before her book, The Deep End of the Ocean, became the first book recognized by Oprah’s Book Club. In her weekly column, she wrote about “real” things -- life, death, family. When she wrote about the illness and death of her husband, I cried. When she regaled us with the antics of her many children, I laughed, and when she met and married her next husband, I rejoiced with her. It’s not often that you can find a writer who can do that in a single column. The woman certainly knew how to wield a pen (or a computer as the case may be). It’s a shame that the work of a writer of her caliber, and one from Wisconsin no less, is missing from our Sunday paper.
Speaking of authors, I have to put in a plug for another female author who will be in the area on Saturday, February 10. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, one of my favorite books, will be appearing at the Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore in Mequon (alas not Brookfield!) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Although I hesitate to characterize her book as “chick lit” because it is so much more than that, her book will probably appeal more to women than men. But if you’re in a place in your life where you wish you could just pick up and go on an adventure (or maybe you’re just dreaming about it), I would recommend her book. The book is an autobiography. In the aftermath of a difficult divorce, Ms. Gilbert undertook a year-long journey, traveling to Italy, India, and Indonesia. You’ll read about the beautiful places she visits, the extraordinary people she meets, and the details of her life-examining journey to find peace. Although some parts of the book may be a bit “out there” for some, I think it’s a great read. I believe it is now, or soon will be, available in paperback.
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