Time. Sometimes too much. Other times not enough. Short in the scope of life. Long on sleepless nights.
Tonight has been very long. We spent the late afternoon and whole evening at a car dealership. I hate the whole process of buying a new car. I know I am not alone in this. I am buying the same model car for the third time. Actually, leasing. Not black this time though. French Silk. Who makes up these colors? And why would French silk be the color of an pearl? Why would it not be all colors...It is silk. Getting a new car, takes a lot of time.
I believe there is more paperwork to do in buying a car than a house. I know there is. It is insane. I tried to do an online credit application today. Of course it said I would have an answer within the hour. Not. Too many credit apps going through right now since they came up with the clever gimmick of selling cars at employees costs. Great idea, saves a bundle and they sell cars like hot cakes. I waited all morning for the application to be approved and then take it the dealership...To save TIME. Not.
We haggled a bit about pricing, discounts, but not too much. I liked the saleswoman. We had an instant connection, wit wise. I was driving on the freeway and asked, "Can I get off here?" She says, "That's up to you!" I laughed. Instant like. We have to go back in the morning with proof of insurance. It is sitting right here. I didn't think to take it. More time at the dealership. Papers are all signed, just an exchange of cars. From black to French silk! The saleswoman wants to have dinner with me. She thinks we have a lot in common. I told her she would have to come south...I don't like leaving town at night. She said she used to live south of us, she will come. We will see. More time.
My husband was great. He put up with all the joking, even added his own. He played games on his phone and said he just wanted to know the monthly payment. It was higher than we liked. He said he wanted me to be happy and we got the car. How wonderful is he? Very. I am very lucky. Not just the car, but him. He is funny, loving, caring, hard working and a great father too. Not enough time in the day for him. He works very hard. He would like to spend more time with the kids, me, the dog. Time.
The girls were great too. Katharine had a friend along. They watched TV and raided the vending machines. Zoe sat with us and listened. Learned. Took it all in. She has grown up so fast. Toward the end of the transaction, all the girls, David and I were in the saleswoman's office. The general manager was working up the paperwork and taking too much time. I told the girls to go stand in front of his office and stare. One did, came back laughing at his reaction. We all cracked up. He didn't take too much more time to come in with the final paperwork!
I am sitting out here on the deck. There are beautiful flashes of lightening off in the distance. Summer storms in the desert. The dog was munching on a rawhide bone, but it crashed down to the deck below. His bedtime anyhow! The crickets are loud. The frogs are croaking. The talking has stopped. The laughter and giggles have ceased, at least for tonight. All is quiet, soothing. This is my time.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Petco and the Psychic Clerk
This is Patric on his new cat post...
Pat on his new post
Zoe and I went to Petco yesterday to get Patric (no K) a large cat post. It is larger than six feet and he jumped onto it while we were carrying it into my room. He loves it... I have been feeling guilty since Phoebe was here and would say that Patric was sad. See, Patric has been rather banished to the downstairs since we got Charlie the dog in December...Or Steve.
Anyhow, we have a gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep him out. He will eat socks, etc. I suppose he and Patric would become friendly if Charlie would calm down...He is very hyper though. He is a rat terrier and only ten months old.
So, Phoebe who owns a Wild Bird Center in NJ, has a cat now...Nicholas. He is beautiful, but I never pictured her with a cat and at her store no less! He has his own column in her newsletter! So, for the benefit of Phoebe who feels bad for Patric and for Patric who used to have free rein of the top out back deck, he is now a downstairs, in the bedrooms, cat. He sleeps in my bathroom sink and is very loved. He has become much more affectionate since he moved downstairs. Charlie sleeps in a crate at night and Patric comes up and explores. Poor thing used to have two cat posts out here on the deck, but Charlie peed on them and even used one to climb in when he was young. They have long since been dumped. What cat in its right mind would want to use them after that? Like using somebody else's undies...YUCK.
So, Patric has taken to the top of the cat post. He is so high I can barely pet him. He can see the street below and watch the birds from the feeder on the upper deck. His tail wags. He is happy.
While checking out, the clerk says to Zoe, "You are very artistic aren't you?" Zoe just stared at her. I said, "She does sing and draw Anime characters." The clerk says, " I thought so. I can feel that you are artistic and you should follow that. I feel you don't think you are very good. But keep with it, because your are." Zoe said, "Okay..." We get outside and Zoe tells me that was weird. "Why did she do that?" I said, "Obviously, she had another job before clerk at Petco. She thinks she is obviously psychic" Zoe says, "Well, I am more of a poet than an artist." Yes, she is definitely that!
I do believe that some people have premonitions, maybe see things, can predict things. But as I am always skeptical, I question your average clerk/psychic. I have had two dreams that actually happened. One was our windshield being shot out and another was going down a gang street and getting shot at. It was like a riot. I asked my friend if we had ever been in one or did I just dream it...Within a week, both things happened! I also believe we can talk to the dead. When my father died, I know he spoke to me the night before my mother's funeral to tell me to take care of everyone and my mother. I awoke and told David I had just seen my father. He told me it was a dream. But, I saw him, felt his hug, smelled him, woke up crying from our talk...So, please keep the "I believe in psychic shit," to a minimum...I do believe in some things. No stones please.
One day we were selling girl scout cookies and a mother introduced me to her psychic. I said, "Nice to meet you," and when she left, I asked the mother, "Did she tell you how many cookies we are going to sell today?" One of my very best friends goes to a psychic once a year...Whatever floats your boat....It's all good....
But, the clerk was just out there. Last thing I expected when I went into Petco was to have a chat with a clerk/psychic...
And Charlie/Steve, our very smart Rat Terrier....Below
Charlie
Pat on his new postZoe and I went to Petco yesterday to get Patric (no K) a large cat post. It is larger than six feet and he jumped onto it while we were carrying it into my room. He loves it... I have been feeling guilty since Phoebe was here and would say that Patric was sad. See, Patric has been rather banished to the downstairs since we got Charlie the dog in December...Or Steve.
Anyhow, we have a gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep him out. He will eat socks, etc. I suppose he and Patric would become friendly if Charlie would calm down...He is very hyper though. He is a rat terrier and only ten months old.
So, Phoebe who owns a Wild Bird Center in NJ, has a cat now...Nicholas. He is beautiful, but I never pictured her with a cat and at her store no less! He has his own column in her newsletter! So, for the benefit of Phoebe who feels bad for Patric and for Patric who used to have free rein of the top out back deck, he is now a downstairs, in the bedrooms, cat. He sleeps in my bathroom sink and is very loved. He has become much more affectionate since he moved downstairs. Charlie sleeps in a crate at night and Patric comes up and explores. Poor thing used to have two cat posts out here on the deck, but Charlie peed on them and even used one to climb in when he was young. They have long since been dumped. What cat in its right mind would want to use them after that? Like using somebody else's undies...YUCK.
So, Patric has taken to the top of the cat post. He is so high I can barely pet him. He can see the street below and watch the birds from the feeder on the upper deck. His tail wags. He is happy.
While checking out, the clerk says to Zoe, "You are very artistic aren't you?" Zoe just stared at her. I said, "She does sing and draw Anime characters." The clerk says, " I thought so. I can feel that you are artistic and you should follow that. I feel you don't think you are very good. But keep with it, because your are." Zoe said, "Okay..." We get outside and Zoe tells me that was weird. "Why did she do that?" I said, "Obviously, she had another job before clerk at Petco. She thinks she is obviously psychic" Zoe says, "Well, I am more of a poet than an artist." Yes, she is definitely that!
I do believe that some people have premonitions, maybe see things, can predict things. But as I am always skeptical, I question your average clerk/psychic. I have had two dreams that actually happened. One was our windshield being shot out and another was going down a gang street and getting shot at. It was like a riot. I asked my friend if we had ever been in one or did I just dream it...Within a week, both things happened! I also believe we can talk to the dead. When my father died, I know he spoke to me the night before my mother's funeral to tell me to take care of everyone and my mother. I awoke and told David I had just seen my father. He told me it was a dream. But, I saw him, felt his hug, smelled him, woke up crying from our talk...So, please keep the "I believe in psychic shit," to a minimum...I do believe in some things. No stones please.
One day we were selling girl scout cookies and a mother introduced me to her psychic. I said, "Nice to meet you," and when she left, I asked the mother, "Did she tell you how many cookies we are going to sell today?" One of my very best friends goes to a psychic once a year...Whatever floats your boat....It's all good....
But, the clerk was just out there. Last thing I expected when I went into Petco was to have a chat with a clerk/psychic...
And Charlie/Steve, our very smart Rat Terrier....Below
Charlie
Friday, July 29, 2005
Sleep Eludes Me
It is 3:30 in the morning...No coffee yet, I might be able to get more sleep in...And believe me, I will try. Some mornings I would just turn on the coffee and forget it. Today, I think I may continue on for a couple of hours of dreamland.
Good thing I didn't turn on the pot of coffee yesterday. I thought it was four in the morning and it was a half hour before I realized it was 1:30. For somebody who has to get up and go to work, this would be a windfall. For somebody like me, who wonders if I will be able to go back to sleep, it is decision time..Coffee and forget it, or no coffee and try again...I hate lying there trying to go back to sleep...Too many things start popping in my head....Things to do, things not done, worrying.
Yesterday was one of those days when all I wanted was an hour nap...I took my daughter and her friend to get cake mix. I waited in the car so my daughter's friend could buy what she needed to make her mother a cake. Over thirty minutes in the car. She started telling me what the rags had to say about so and so...I told her I didn't want to hear about that and I knew the cake isle was nowhere near the rags! My daughter said, She has a short attention span...This I know. But some manners are in order here. I would never let my girls do that to somebody's mother. Then back to our house for cake pans...Back to her house so the girls could make FOUR boxes of cake. She couldn't get the concept of splitting the box into two pans for layer cake....
I called at 12:30 on my way to pick up my other daughter from rehearsal...She puts me on hold and then asks if she can call me back. I said, "NO, you may not call me back. Is she ready or not? They go back and forth...5:00, no 3:00. They decided on 3:30.
On the way home from rehearsal we see my hubby outside his office. He starts talking to us, I could not hear and was able to turn into the parking structure thru the clusterfuck of traffic! He asked if there was anything to eat up at the house...I dunno...He says, I am coming up for a fruit salad....
I rant to my daughter and her friend about my other daughter's friend. Both sat quietly and said nothing. I realized they didn't want to hear it. I thought they needed to hear what rude really is! My daughter says, "I would never ask my friend's mother to do that, let alone for that long, then go back to the house for pans." Well then, I have done my job!
Hubby comes up for lunch. Meanwhile, my daughter was trying to get in touch with her friend who had invited her over. No luck...Could happen at any moment though. Hubster goes back to the office, I tell my daughter, I am taking a NAP! Tell your sister, I will be there at 4:00. The phone rings four times in the hour I was trying to nap! "How do we make frosting?"
When I picked up my daughter, she got an earful....About waiting on her friend, waiting for them to call me for a ride, when they felt like it, then calling when they knew in the morning how much I needed a quick nap, I finally get one and they keep calling anyhow...
I think yesterday was the day of Nancy's Rant...Almost like a PMS day.
Then contending with tourists who want to stop at crosswalks, with nobody in them, nor a stop sign. Or stopping at a yield sign...Gotta merge people, get moving....Last day of workshop and rehearsal in the canyon, next to the Sawdust festival, today! Only down to the high school. Out of tourist traffic, before town, starting next week. In the theatre where Suessical will be held, opening on the sixth...Then to Leisure World the next weekend...Only two days of fighting traffic to get there. UGH...All in the name of love!
Okay, enough of that crap....I am going back to sleep. I hope. Today is going to be a great day...I am thinking positive thoughts now...Can you hear me???
Good thing I didn't turn on the pot of coffee yesterday. I thought it was four in the morning and it was a half hour before I realized it was 1:30. For somebody who has to get up and go to work, this would be a windfall. For somebody like me, who wonders if I will be able to go back to sleep, it is decision time..Coffee and forget it, or no coffee and try again...I hate lying there trying to go back to sleep...Too many things start popping in my head....Things to do, things not done, worrying.
Yesterday was one of those days when all I wanted was an hour nap...I took my daughter and her friend to get cake mix. I waited in the car so my daughter's friend could buy what she needed to make her mother a cake. Over thirty minutes in the car. She started telling me what the rags had to say about so and so...I told her I didn't want to hear about that and I knew the cake isle was nowhere near the rags! My daughter said, She has a short attention span...This I know. But some manners are in order here. I would never let my girls do that to somebody's mother. Then back to our house for cake pans...Back to her house so the girls could make FOUR boxes of cake. She couldn't get the concept of splitting the box into two pans for layer cake....
I called at 12:30 on my way to pick up my other daughter from rehearsal...She puts me on hold and then asks if she can call me back. I said, "NO, you may not call me back. Is she ready or not? They go back and forth...5:00, no 3:00. They decided on 3:30.
On the way home from rehearsal we see my hubby outside his office. He starts talking to us, I could not hear and was able to turn into the parking structure thru the clusterfuck of traffic! He asked if there was anything to eat up at the house...I dunno...He says, I am coming up for a fruit salad....
I rant to my daughter and her friend about my other daughter's friend. Both sat quietly and said nothing. I realized they didn't want to hear it. I thought they needed to hear what rude really is! My daughter says, "I would never ask my friend's mother to do that, let alone for that long, then go back to the house for pans." Well then, I have done my job!
Hubby comes up for lunch. Meanwhile, my daughter was trying to get in touch with her friend who had invited her over. No luck...Could happen at any moment though. Hubster goes back to the office, I tell my daughter, I am taking a NAP! Tell your sister, I will be there at 4:00. The phone rings four times in the hour I was trying to nap! "How do we make frosting?"
When I picked up my daughter, she got an earful....About waiting on her friend, waiting for them to call me for a ride, when they felt like it, then calling when they knew in the morning how much I needed a quick nap, I finally get one and they keep calling anyhow...
I think yesterday was the day of Nancy's Rant...Almost like a PMS day.
Then contending with tourists who want to stop at crosswalks, with nobody in them, nor a stop sign. Or stopping at a yield sign...Gotta merge people, get moving....Last day of workshop and rehearsal in the canyon, next to the Sawdust festival, today! Only down to the high school. Out of tourist traffic, before town, starting next week. In the theatre where Suessical will be held, opening on the sixth...Then to Leisure World the next weekend...Only two days of fighting traffic to get there. UGH...All in the name of love!
Okay, enough of that crap....I am going back to sleep. I hope. Today is going to be a great day...I am thinking positive thoughts now...Can you hear me???
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Sell on eBay?
I have been emailing with Cindy, who does eBay. I have bought on eBay, but never sold. I just mentioned to Cindy that a friend's husband sold a broken TV for $25 on eBay. He said it was broken and that the buyer would have to pick it up. It sold very quickly and was gone! Probably something my father would have bought. He could fix anything. Thank God eBay wasn't popular when he was alive, or at least he was not on the internet! It would have been like a garage sale of all garage sales to him and my mother who actually had a bumper sticker that said, "I brake for garage sales."
I am the worst at taking things back to the store. I am horrible at mailing things. I have several things in my clean garage that I could sell. They are taking up space for no reason at all. I wonder if I could actually sell them???? I think I may try it out and see if that can become a new hobby! Hell, I could use the money and it could be fun...
Just a quick thought on things to sell. A pair of Lucky Brand black pants, girls size 10. Brand new, daughter hates them!
Four pair of size 9 1/2 shoes, that I don't like....Too late to return.
Boxes of yarn that my mother bought and never used!
Several clothing items, never worn, brand new, too late to return.
Fake gold plated flatware, I have never used, but have owned for 15 years!
Several bins of Barbie paraphernalia. Barbies are naked, but hundreds of outfits to choose from! Hotels, Airplanes, Cars,
kitchens with everything they need, hair salons and much more.
Two dolls that have their own insides. They talk, they crawl, they cry, they cry when wet, when hungry...Batteries removed shortly after my daughter got them because, well, they kept her up!
LP's. Cassettes. No eight tracks though.
Lots of kids clothes and coats that have been outgrown. Some never used.
I wonder if I can sell all those Happy Meal toys???
Books, books and more books! Kids books, Nora Roberts books, Patricia Cornewll books....I pleaded with my step daughter, her hubby and my sister in law to go thru David's thousands of books to see if there were any they wanted. Got rid of about 15! Hubby had veto power, only used it once...Good Hubby!
Cassette tapes to learn Russian, Spanish, maybe others.
Two tall kitchen size bags with unmatched socks...Think somebody would find the matches at their house? Hmm.
Video tapes. All for sale, except Disney...Feel the need to keep those. Don't know why!
Bicycles. Girls bikes are like new and too small for them. One pink one purple, both Trek.
A iBook battery that was not needed. Got a new computer at the time.
A few cameras, digital and others that don't work!
Printers, two Mac computers, a Mac version palm pilot. Never used. I sight, never used....
Man, the list is endless! I should take a serious approach to this and get rid of all this stuff. I still do a double take when I walk into my clean garage and see my pool table! I suppose I will get over that, but it sure feels good!
Yes, I think eBay may be my next project. Don't be afraid to speak up if any of the above items strike your fancy! I do accept PayPal! LMAO
I am the worst at taking things back to the store. I am horrible at mailing things. I have several things in my clean garage that I could sell. They are taking up space for no reason at all. I wonder if I could actually sell them???? I think I may try it out and see if that can become a new hobby! Hell, I could use the money and it could be fun...
Just a quick thought on things to sell. A pair of Lucky Brand black pants, girls size 10. Brand new, daughter hates them!
Four pair of size 9 1/2 shoes, that I don't like....Too late to return.
Boxes of yarn that my mother bought and never used!
Several clothing items, never worn, brand new, too late to return.
Fake gold plated flatware, I have never used, but have owned for 15 years!
Several bins of Barbie paraphernalia. Barbies are naked, but hundreds of outfits to choose from! Hotels, Airplanes, Cars,
kitchens with everything they need, hair salons and much more.
Two dolls that have their own insides. They talk, they crawl, they cry, they cry when wet, when hungry...Batteries removed shortly after my daughter got them because, well, they kept her up!
LP's. Cassettes. No eight tracks though.
Lots of kids clothes and coats that have been outgrown. Some never used.
I wonder if I can sell all those Happy Meal toys???
Books, books and more books! Kids books, Nora Roberts books, Patricia Cornewll books....I pleaded with my step daughter, her hubby and my sister in law to go thru David's thousands of books to see if there were any they wanted. Got rid of about 15! Hubby had veto power, only used it once...Good Hubby!
Cassette tapes to learn Russian, Spanish, maybe others.
Two tall kitchen size bags with unmatched socks...Think somebody would find the matches at their house? Hmm.
Video tapes. All for sale, except Disney...Feel the need to keep those. Don't know why!
Bicycles. Girls bikes are like new and too small for them. One pink one purple, both Trek.
A iBook battery that was not needed. Got a new computer at the time.
A few cameras, digital and others that don't work!
Printers, two Mac computers, a Mac version palm pilot. Never used. I sight, never used....
Man, the list is endless! I should take a serious approach to this and get rid of all this stuff. I still do a double take when I walk into my clean garage and see my pool table! I suppose I will get over that, but it sure feels good!
Yes, I think eBay may be my next project. Don't be afraid to speak up if any of the above items strike your fancy! I do accept PayPal! LMAO
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Hodgepodge
I have taken to calling my dog Steve. His name is Charlie...But, it is funny when I call him Steve. It confuses everybody. My daughters went with the flow and decided he could be Charlie Steve...
My step daughter knows of a pretentious little Pomeranian, clothed of course, named Steve. I thought that was funny so I thought I would try it. Not the clothes though.
My sister in law, Phoebe, and I cracked up every time we said it...Steve, get down. Dammit Steve why did you pee on the door again, it was open!!! Ah, Steve, you are such a good boy. Hey Steve, want a rawhide bone? Steve, knock it off, I want flowers on that plant! Sit Steve, stay Steve. Get your ball Steve. It's just a funny name for a dog!
My husband comes home and the kids tell him, Mommy changed Charlie's name to Steve...He looks at me and says, Why did you do that? Because it is funny. He doesn't agree. He calls him Carlos Enrique...I say, Carlos Estebon! Steve says, call me whatever the hell you like, just not late to dinner!
Phoebe and I have had the giggles a good part of the day. Not a sip of an alcoholic beverage either. Just silly giggles. She tells me a joke and I crack up. She tells me she doesn't know why it is so funny to her, but it is. I insist she tell the joke at dinner. It is all she can do to get it out, we were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our faces. The girls and David didn't get it. We weren't drunk with alcohol, just happiness and fun. Finally she tells her joke and David laughs with us. The girls are not amused!
Her joke...A duck and a drake walk into a very nice hotel. They get to their room and realize they do not have protection and call down to the bellhop to bring up a condom...The bellhop says, Shall I put that on your bill? Badumpump.
Anyhow, it was funny and later we were blog surfing and again laughing. David was reading and I called Steve for something and David looks up thirty seconds later and asked why I was calling him Steve. Again, I laugh and tell him, because it's funny. He told me I was really starting to bother him! I still laughed.
So, Phoebe went home to NY yesterday and I have been trying to get back on schedule. Bills, cooking, cleaning all that crap. Oh and of course being a taxi service.
But, that is all for now. Gotta make dinner....Hope all are well. And lightfeather, I am thinking of you often! You take care and stay strong! I know this has to be very hard for you and I am happy you are taking your life back! You deserve to be happy. Nuff said!
My step daughter knows of a pretentious little Pomeranian, clothed of course, named Steve. I thought that was funny so I thought I would try it. Not the clothes though.
My sister in law, Phoebe, and I cracked up every time we said it...Steve, get down. Dammit Steve why did you pee on the door again, it was open!!! Ah, Steve, you are such a good boy. Hey Steve, want a rawhide bone? Steve, knock it off, I want flowers on that plant! Sit Steve, stay Steve. Get your ball Steve. It's just a funny name for a dog!
My husband comes home and the kids tell him, Mommy changed Charlie's name to Steve...He looks at me and says, Why did you do that? Because it is funny. He doesn't agree. He calls him Carlos Enrique...I say, Carlos Estebon! Steve says, call me whatever the hell you like, just not late to dinner!
Phoebe and I have had the giggles a good part of the day. Not a sip of an alcoholic beverage either. Just silly giggles. She tells me a joke and I crack up. She tells me she doesn't know why it is so funny to her, but it is. I insist she tell the joke at dinner. It is all she can do to get it out, we were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our faces. The girls and David didn't get it. We weren't drunk with alcohol, just happiness and fun. Finally she tells her joke and David laughs with us. The girls are not amused!
Her joke...A duck and a drake walk into a very nice hotel. They get to their room and realize they do not have protection and call down to the bellhop to bring up a condom...The bellhop says, Shall I put that on your bill? Badumpump.
Anyhow, it was funny and later we were blog surfing and again laughing. David was reading and I called Steve for something and David looks up thirty seconds later and asked why I was calling him Steve. Again, I laugh and tell him, because it's funny. He told me I was really starting to bother him! I still laughed.
So, Phoebe went home to NY yesterday and I have been trying to get back on schedule. Bills, cooking, cleaning all that crap. Oh and of course being a taxi service.
But, that is all for now. Gotta make dinner....Hope all are well. And lightfeather, I am thinking of you often! You take care and stay strong! I know this has to be very hard for you and I am happy you are taking your life back! You deserve to be happy. Nuff said!
Monday, July 25, 2005
The Wonderful Teen Years
I talked to my brother last night and he is getting back together with his ex-wife. I think this if the fourth time. They have hurt each other so much in the past that it concerns me that they are going to do it again.
They have been seeing each other since he broke up with his long time girlfriend, whom we all love. We felt that she did the right thing in breaking up with him. He was being an asshole to her, among other things.
He got an apartment not too far from his ex and his son. I asked him at one point if he was dating and he finally fessed up that he was seeing his ex. He had not told me because he expected me to give him my usual schpeel (SP?). I didn't, at least not much. He said they were getting a house in a better neighborhood for his son's sake. They want him in a better school district for high school. I can see that. I understand that and I held my tongue, somewhat. It is not my life and I wished him the best.
I asked how my nephew felt about this. My brother said, "He is thirteen and we get no answers from him." This set me off a bit and made me wonder about the teen years. I get answers from my teenager. I get some of the attitude that comes with being a teen who doesn't feel like using more than monosyllables. But, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Should I be waiting for that?
When my girls were little, I would hear, "Oh, just wait until they are two." Nothing happened at two. They were not terrible. They were wonderful and fun. Three was a rough year in our household. Not that they were bad, but they were challenging and curious and testing the waters.
As they approached teendom, I got the same kind of comments. "Oh, wait until their teenagers." One is a teenager and the other almost there. I wonder if there is so much negative crap about teens, that parents let them have free rein to do what they like and get away with being disrespectful, because, they are just being teenagers. That was what I heard from my brother. That is what I have heard from others. And I believe those are the teens I hear about on the news....
My teenager has turned into a wonderful young lady. Once, not happy to help out around the house. Now, almost always wanting to help and happily. She helps cook, clean, empties the dishwasher without being asked. Does things to help her sister when she is sad and has become a great sister too. She has always loved her sister, but was not very affectionate with her. That has changed and while we thought she wasn't paying attention, she was. She knows how to deal with her sister, father and me! She does it beautifully. She really is a terrific person.
I guess I have been waiting for the monster teenager to come out and it hasn't. Same thing happened when they were little. I had been waiting for the bad part of two, now I am waiting for the bad part of the teen years. So, instead of taking all the warnings to heart. I am going to assume that everything will be fine and keep demanding that they be kind, respectful and caring young ladies. Just because they are teenagers, they do NOT have carte blanche to behave nastily, to be rude or be disrespectful, to our family or anybody else.
It bothers me that my brother and others let their teens behave badly and not have repercussions. That they shrug their shoulders and say, "They are just being teenagers." I believe that is a cop out for parenting properly. I think it is even more important than ever to be a presence in their lives and to call them on what is not acceptable behavior. Not a time to back off and give them space. I hope I am right!
They have been seeing each other since he broke up with his long time girlfriend, whom we all love. We felt that she did the right thing in breaking up with him. He was being an asshole to her, among other things.
He got an apartment not too far from his ex and his son. I asked him at one point if he was dating and he finally fessed up that he was seeing his ex. He had not told me because he expected me to give him my usual schpeel (SP?). I didn't, at least not much. He said they were getting a house in a better neighborhood for his son's sake. They want him in a better school district for high school. I can see that. I understand that and I held my tongue, somewhat. It is not my life and I wished him the best.
I asked how my nephew felt about this. My brother said, "He is thirteen and we get no answers from him." This set me off a bit and made me wonder about the teen years. I get answers from my teenager. I get some of the attitude that comes with being a teen who doesn't feel like using more than monosyllables. But, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Should I be waiting for that?
When my girls were little, I would hear, "Oh, just wait until they are two." Nothing happened at two. They were not terrible. They were wonderful and fun. Three was a rough year in our household. Not that they were bad, but they were challenging and curious and testing the waters.
As they approached teendom, I got the same kind of comments. "Oh, wait until their teenagers." One is a teenager and the other almost there. I wonder if there is so much negative crap about teens, that parents let them have free rein to do what they like and get away with being disrespectful, because, they are just being teenagers. That was what I heard from my brother. That is what I have heard from others. And I believe those are the teens I hear about on the news....
My teenager has turned into a wonderful young lady. Once, not happy to help out around the house. Now, almost always wanting to help and happily. She helps cook, clean, empties the dishwasher without being asked. Does things to help her sister when she is sad and has become a great sister too. She has always loved her sister, but was not very affectionate with her. That has changed and while we thought she wasn't paying attention, she was. She knows how to deal with her sister, father and me! She does it beautifully. She really is a terrific person.
I guess I have been waiting for the monster teenager to come out and it hasn't. Same thing happened when they were little. I had been waiting for the bad part of two, now I am waiting for the bad part of the teen years. So, instead of taking all the warnings to heart. I am going to assume that everything will be fine and keep demanding that they be kind, respectful and caring young ladies. Just because they are teenagers, they do NOT have carte blanche to behave nastily, to be rude or be disrespectful, to our family or anybody else.
It bothers me that my brother and others let their teens behave badly and not have repercussions. That they shrug their shoulders and say, "They are just being teenagers." I believe that is a cop out for parenting properly. I think it is even more important than ever to be a presence in their lives and to call them on what is not acceptable behavior. Not a time to back off and give them space. I hope I am right!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Pink Eye and Goodbye, Etc.
Well, David's daughter Daniela and family just left for the airport. Home to Houston. Wonderful to see them.
David and Phoebe are watching Lance capture his seventh Tour de France title. Leaving on top and nice of him to let others have a go at winning next year! I suppose he will be a commentator next year. One woman on NPR has been giving reports and said there are flags from many countries. She said one fan was dressed in bike clothing and wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots holding an American flag. Not that the French would think him a crazy American. That would be redundant.
Katharine climbed into bed with David and me last night. She has been sleeping with Zoe and Zoe was watching Anime, which Katharine hates. I felt bad for her. No country to go to. She slept with us and I don't know when she left. But, tonight, she will have her room back and that will be good to be "home" again. She very graciously gave her room to her big sister and brother in law and nephews....
We played Loaded Questions, the game, without the board, last night. Hard not to answer without puns. Fun though. For example, What is your favorite kind of dog? Daniela says, "Hotdog!" That kind of thing...
I had a suspicion I was getting a cold last night. I woke up with pink eye. I looked it up and it seems I have the viral kind...No clue where I got it. Itches and is red and unsightly! Pun intended. I can't remember the last time I had it. I know it is highly contagious though. David said, "We better not eat anything you cook then!" That would be the good side effect! I just remembered Zoe asking me if I was okay last night because my eye was red and she thought I had been crying. I told her I was just tired. Hope nobody else gets it...I should stay in my room and watch movies all day, just in case! LOL
It is going to be cooler again today. Yesterday was perfect weather. Today we have cloud cover and I am wearing a sweater. I think we are in for a few days of beautiful weather. I have a superstition about putting away the fans in October or November. I think if I put them away, the hot weather will stay. So, as silly as it is, I leave them out til I put up Christmas decorations!
So far, we have been fortunate not to have fires. Last year we were surrounded by fires. Not our house, but the areas in all directions. The smoke was thick and mixed with the heat, very ugly. I just heard about the seventy-thousand acre fire in Arizona...I know that fires are part of nature, and necessary, but not the man made kind...The idiots who toss cigarettes out a car window or start a fire while camping or the pyro who wants to see his handiwork, while watching the destruction of people's lives.
There was a fire here in October 1993. We lived in an adjoining city then. Over three hundred homes were destroyed. Santa Ana winds and very high temperatures. I don't think they ever figured out what started the fire. However, very devastating.
Well, they stopped the clock due to the weather in the Tour de France. Just waiting for Lance to cross the finish line. And on that note....I shall bid you adieu.
David and Phoebe are watching Lance capture his seventh Tour de France title. Leaving on top and nice of him to let others have a go at winning next year! I suppose he will be a commentator next year. One woman on NPR has been giving reports and said there are flags from many countries. She said one fan was dressed in bike clothing and wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots holding an American flag. Not that the French would think him a crazy American. That would be redundant.
Katharine climbed into bed with David and me last night. She has been sleeping with Zoe and Zoe was watching Anime, which Katharine hates. I felt bad for her. No country to go to. She slept with us and I don't know when she left. But, tonight, she will have her room back and that will be good to be "home" again. She very graciously gave her room to her big sister and brother in law and nephews....
We played Loaded Questions, the game, without the board, last night. Hard not to answer without puns. Fun though. For example, What is your favorite kind of dog? Daniela says, "Hotdog!" That kind of thing...
I had a suspicion I was getting a cold last night. I woke up with pink eye. I looked it up and it seems I have the viral kind...No clue where I got it. Itches and is red and unsightly! Pun intended. I can't remember the last time I had it. I know it is highly contagious though. David said, "We better not eat anything you cook then!" That would be the good side effect! I just remembered Zoe asking me if I was okay last night because my eye was red and she thought I had been crying. I told her I was just tired. Hope nobody else gets it...I should stay in my room and watch movies all day, just in case! LOL
It is going to be cooler again today. Yesterday was perfect weather. Today we have cloud cover and I am wearing a sweater. I think we are in for a few days of beautiful weather. I have a superstition about putting away the fans in October or November. I think if I put them away, the hot weather will stay. So, as silly as it is, I leave them out til I put up Christmas decorations!
So far, we have been fortunate not to have fires. Last year we were surrounded by fires. Not our house, but the areas in all directions. The smoke was thick and mixed with the heat, very ugly. I just heard about the seventy-thousand acre fire in Arizona...I know that fires are part of nature, and necessary, but not the man made kind...The idiots who toss cigarettes out a car window or start a fire while camping or the pyro who wants to see his handiwork, while watching the destruction of people's lives.
There was a fire here in October 1993. We lived in an adjoining city then. Over three hundred homes were destroyed. Santa Ana winds and very high temperatures. I don't think they ever figured out what started the fire. However, very devastating.
Well, they stopped the clock due to the weather in the Tour de France. Just waiting for Lance to cross the finish line. And on that note....I shall bid you adieu.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Shut Up and Eat It
That is what I made for dinner tonight. Along with two pork tenderloins, fruit salad and fresh bread.
We went to the Farmer's market this morning and loaded up on okra, squash, watermelon, tamales, salsa, fresh chips. We had the tamales for lunch and they were yummy.
Everybody went kayacking and I took a nap! I am beginning to feel like my blog is turning into a family and food blog...That's okay though. It is fun to be different....And, things are good now...at least for me today!
"Shut up and eat it," is a dish that tonight consisted of okra, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, cornmeal and all thrown together and fried! YUMMY...
Daniela and family are leaving early in the morning. Phoebe will be here until Tuesday. Too short their visits...
Earlier night tonight...Off to bed soon...More tomorrow, and possibly something NOT about food!!!
Everybody take very good care of yourselves!
We went to the Farmer's market this morning and loaded up on okra, squash, watermelon, tamales, salsa, fresh chips. We had the tamales for lunch and they were yummy.
Everybody went kayacking and I took a nap! I am beginning to feel like my blog is turning into a family and food blog...That's okay though. It is fun to be different....And, things are good now...at least for me today!
"Shut up and eat it," is a dish that tonight consisted of okra, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, cornmeal and all thrown together and fried! YUMMY...
Daniela and family are leaving early in the morning. Phoebe will be here until Tuesday. Too short their visits...
Earlier night tonight...Off to bed soon...More tomorrow, and possibly something NOT about food!!!
Everybody take very good care of yourselves!
Nine is an Odd Number
We have nine people in the house right now and while fun, it is such an odd number. David was down the hill, out of town actually, and that left eight of us. We were all going to Benihana's for dinner. My car seats seven. So, Daniela used their rental and we ended up at Benihana's in three cars. David said there was no way he was coming back thru the canyon to come home and then go back out!
We had such fun. Benihana's has something for everyone. They cook in front of you and as bored as the chef may be, after doing this in front of thousands of people and for twenty-five years, he still smiles and makes us feel special.
Daniela asked a woman from another table to take out photo. Lens was dirty from sitting by the cooker, I think. But you can see all of us. We took a few other photos as well. Phoebe has a killer 8 pixel camera, mine is only 5. Here we are..........
Katharine, Zoe, Daniela, Phoebe, David, Rex, Nancy, Lee and Julian
We had a lot of fun and laughs. Great dinner. And I got the check!
We hung out for a while and talked, joked around, laughed. We finally inflated the queen size air bed in Katharine's room. So Daniela and family are now all in there. The mattress is quite nice. Will find out this morning how well they slept!
Phoebe took a couch and offered the other to me, since I don't sleep much. Very kind! Everybody went off to their respective sleeping areas. Daniela and I sat up til 1:30 and chatted about anything and everything. Lightening flashing in the distance. Clear sky with big moon over us. It started to get pretty cool and we realized we could no longer see the lights across the canyon. We went to bed. I turned on the TV and watched for a while and woke up at four and watched more. Stayed in our bedroom til 6:00 though!
It is fun with Phoebe here, everybody else too, of course, but Phoebe has her binoculars out upon arrival to look for birds. We have two bird baths, two feeders and a couple of pots with water in them. Always a bird show. She tells us about the birds.
In other news, a guy came to the door to introduce himself to us. He just bought the house next door. His name is Carlton. I said, "like the doorman?" Yes, like the doorman. He is very nice. Married. No kids. They bought this tiny little house next door, I didn't know it was on the market yet. He apparently got it thru somebody who knew the owners, our previous neighbors. They were staying there while remodeling their other home.
I told Carlton, I knew that his house is the cheapest in Laguna Beach. He asked how I knew that. I told him I know about the real estate in our town. Then I asked if he minded me asking how much he paid. He said, "That's pretty personal." I said, "That's okay, I will see it in the paper." Or to myself, I thought, I will ask my Realtor friend. I did say, you probably paid more than $600,000, he said, well, yes I did. Hmm, I think to myself, David and Susan got it for $500,000. This house is about 800 sq feet. Needs a ton of work, but he said he is not tearing it down and building a bigger house. I was happy to hear that. I love all the eucalyptus trees and don't want to see them go. It is an historical grove. So, this is good news. We didn't want the lowest selling house in Laguna to be right next door, but for that price, the comps won't be affected too badly, not that we are selling. But, it was nice of him to introduce himself to us....
So, this morning is the Farmer's Market and from there, who knows....
I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday!
We had such fun. Benihana's has something for everyone. They cook in front of you and as bored as the chef may be, after doing this in front of thousands of people and for twenty-five years, he still smiles and makes us feel special.
Daniela asked a woman from another table to take out photo. Lens was dirty from sitting by the cooker, I think. But you can see all of us. We took a few other photos as well. Phoebe has a killer 8 pixel camera, mine is only 5. Here we are..........
Katharine, Zoe, Daniela, Phoebe, David, Rex, Nancy, Lee and Julian
We had a lot of fun and laughs. Great dinner. And I got the check!
We hung out for a while and talked, joked around, laughed. We finally inflated the queen size air bed in Katharine's room. So Daniela and family are now all in there. The mattress is quite nice. Will find out this morning how well they slept!
Phoebe took a couch and offered the other to me, since I don't sleep much. Very kind! Everybody went off to their respective sleeping areas. Daniela and I sat up til 1:30 and chatted about anything and everything. Lightening flashing in the distance. Clear sky with big moon over us. It started to get pretty cool and we realized we could no longer see the lights across the canyon. We went to bed. I turned on the TV and watched for a while and woke up at four and watched more. Stayed in our bedroom til 6:00 though!
It is fun with Phoebe here, everybody else too, of course, but Phoebe has her binoculars out upon arrival to look for birds. We have two bird baths, two feeders and a couple of pots with water in them. Always a bird show. She tells us about the birds.
In other news, a guy came to the door to introduce himself to us. He just bought the house next door. His name is Carlton. I said, "like the doorman?" Yes, like the doorman. He is very nice. Married. No kids. They bought this tiny little house next door, I didn't know it was on the market yet. He apparently got it thru somebody who knew the owners, our previous neighbors. They were staying there while remodeling their other home.
I told Carlton, I knew that his house is the cheapest in Laguna Beach. He asked how I knew that. I told him I know about the real estate in our town. Then I asked if he minded me asking how much he paid. He said, "That's pretty personal." I said, "That's okay, I will see it in the paper." Or to myself, I thought, I will ask my Realtor friend. I did say, you probably paid more than $600,000, he said, well, yes I did. Hmm, I think to myself, David and Susan got it for $500,000. This house is about 800 sq feet. Needs a ton of work, but he said he is not tearing it down and building a bigger house. I was happy to hear that. I love all the eucalyptus trees and don't want to see them go. It is an historical grove. So, this is good news. We didn't want the lowest selling house in Laguna to be right next door, but for that price, the comps won't be affected too badly, not that we are selling. But, it was nice of him to introduce himself to us....
So, this morning is the Farmer's Market and from there, who knows....
I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday!
Friday, July 22, 2005
This and That
Well, they say fish and guests stink after three days...Maybe the fish do, but the guests are great.
And we pick up two more at the airport today. David's sister and son-in-law. One from NY and one from Houston, respectively.
I am convinced that Daniela (David's wonderful daughter) brought the monsoonal weather with her. We have been having a nice mellow summer, although, I knew it would not last. Their first full day here, we hit 95 with humidity to match. I know you have all been roasting this summer and have absolutely no sympathy for me, but we jumped 25 degrees! Then yesterday it was a mere and tolerable 85 with low humidity...Not good in fire country. And it looks like the monsoonal flow will be back for another five days or so! Crap! Might be time to get a room with a/c.
We have gotten to know the boys better. Daniela and her hubby have done a great job with them. They are very smart, very handsome and funny as can be. The youngest was watching a movie and Tivo was about to record, so I got out the DVD and asked him if he wanted me to start from the beginning or from where he left off. He says, "Ohhh, I don't know. I hate making decisions!" I took care of it and started it from the beginning. They have been playing pool too. Which is why we cleaned the garage! The boys decided to call their pockets, so there were no slop shots...The older one calls the younger one on his shot. You didn't call that. Oh, no, but I did want the ball to jump that other ball and go around and hit that ball into the pocket! At which time I interjected the rule, unless there is no doubt where the ball is going, you must call it. Then I left.
Zoe and David both read Harry Potter in a day. Daniela and the boys showed up with a Harry Potter book with four bookmarks in it. I believe Katharine finished it last night. At least she had less than a hundred pages left when they went off to the Angel game. Anaheim Angels, LA Anaheim Angels, whatever they are called these days! For the record, Anaheim is in Orange County, home of the Angels, Mighty Ducks and Disneyland...They seem to be doing okay without the name Los Angeles in their title. But, I digress. I believe with three Harry Potter books in the house, everybody will get thru it quickly.
I opted to stay home and catch up with a couple of friends via telephone. Then turned on the TV, fell asleep and have been up since 2:00. So, I got some cold water and my computer and came out here on the deck. It is quiet, cool and very peaceful.
Anyhow, the visit is going so well and we love having them all here. We just needed one more place for David's sister to sleep. She was going to get a hotel room, but David and Daniela got an air mattress instead. It inflates and deflates in about a minute. I expected him to get a twin size mattress, but he got a queen. I asked why he would do that and he said because he knew we had queen size sheets...Well, yes, and Katharine has twin bunk beds and we have a California King. Zoe inherited our queen bed. I guess I am lucky we didn't get a king size mattress. But the mattress will go on Katharine's floor and be used by Daniela and her husband. Phoebe will have a couch for a couple of nights. Then she can take one of Kate's bunks or the queen blow up mattress.
Even though we have a cat, I don't think he will go near the mattress. The dog on the other hand will look at it as lunch, so it is better on the floor in Katharine's room downstairs, instead of the living room upstairs. So, everybody will fit into our three bedroom home. Katharine is sleeping in Zoe's room. The boys are sleeping in Katharine's very very pepto pink room. The boys have not said a bad word about it though!
Before I headed to bed, I emptied the newer ice into a bowl and flipped the ice maker over in the sink and ran hot water on it to get out all the old clumped together ice. We needed new ice for these hot days. I took part of the ice sculpture out to the dog and another part to the cat, who sleeps in my bathroom sink. Both animals seemed happy to have ice to lick and crunch. The ice container is in the door of the freezer and lifts out easily.
And one more thing before I go...What the hell happened to CNN's Headline News? I guess it has been a while since I had seen it. Have they turned it into a chatfest? WTF? I liked getting a quick infusion of news. Now we get two people who sit and act like they are our friends and sitting in our living rooms chatting with us? I don't like it. I don't like the format, the anchors, if that is what they are still called, nothing about it. I will never go back to watch it again. When I first turned it on, a guy was giving tips on how to add mousse to your hair...Never in the hand he says. Shake and put it straight onto the head in three of four places and then dry....Who knew? And frankly, I could have gotten that information for my queer eye buds!
And we pick up two more at the airport today. David's sister and son-in-law. One from NY and one from Houston, respectively.
I am convinced that Daniela (David's wonderful daughter) brought the monsoonal weather with her. We have been having a nice mellow summer, although, I knew it would not last. Their first full day here, we hit 95 with humidity to match. I know you have all been roasting this summer and have absolutely no sympathy for me, but we jumped 25 degrees! Then yesterday it was a mere and tolerable 85 with low humidity...Not good in fire country. And it looks like the monsoonal flow will be back for another five days or so! Crap! Might be time to get a room with a/c.
We have gotten to know the boys better. Daniela and her hubby have done a great job with them. They are very smart, very handsome and funny as can be. The youngest was watching a movie and Tivo was about to record, so I got out the DVD and asked him if he wanted me to start from the beginning or from where he left off. He says, "Ohhh, I don't know. I hate making decisions!" I took care of it and started it from the beginning. They have been playing pool too. Which is why we cleaned the garage! The boys decided to call their pockets, so there were no slop shots...The older one calls the younger one on his shot. You didn't call that. Oh, no, but I did want the ball to jump that other ball and go around and hit that ball into the pocket! At which time I interjected the rule, unless there is no doubt where the ball is going, you must call it. Then I left.
Zoe and David both read Harry Potter in a day. Daniela and the boys showed up with a Harry Potter book with four bookmarks in it. I believe Katharine finished it last night. At least she had less than a hundred pages left when they went off to the Angel game. Anaheim Angels, LA Anaheim Angels, whatever they are called these days! For the record, Anaheim is in Orange County, home of the Angels, Mighty Ducks and Disneyland...They seem to be doing okay without the name Los Angeles in their title. But, I digress. I believe with three Harry Potter books in the house, everybody will get thru it quickly.
I opted to stay home and catch up with a couple of friends via telephone. Then turned on the TV, fell asleep and have been up since 2:00. So, I got some cold water and my computer and came out here on the deck. It is quiet, cool and very peaceful.
Anyhow, the visit is going so well and we love having them all here. We just needed one more place for David's sister to sleep. She was going to get a hotel room, but David and Daniela got an air mattress instead. It inflates and deflates in about a minute. I expected him to get a twin size mattress, but he got a queen. I asked why he would do that and he said because he knew we had queen size sheets...Well, yes, and Katharine has twin bunk beds and we have a California King. Zoe inherited our queen bed. I guess I am lucky we didn't get a king size mattress. But the mattress will go on Katharine's floor and be used by Daniela and her husband. Phoebe will have a couch for a couple of nights. Then she can take one of Kate's bunks or the queen blow up mattress.
Even though we have a cat, I don't think he will go near the mattress. The dog on the other hand will look at it as lunch, so it is better on the floor in Katharine's room downstairs, instead of the living room upstairs. So, everybody will fit into our three bedroom home. Katharine is sleeping in Zoe's room. The boys are sleeping in Katharine's very very pepto pink room. The boys have not said a bad word about it though!
Before I headed to bed, I emptied the newer ice into a bowl and flipped the ice maker over in the sink and ran hot water on it to get out all the old clumped together ice. We needed new ice for these hot days. I took part of the ice sculpture out to the dog and another part to the cat, who sleeps in my bathroom sink. Both animals seemed happy to have ice to lick and crunch. The ice container is in the door of the freezer and lifts out easily.
And one more thing before I go...What the hell happened to CNN's Headline News? I guess it has been a while since I had seen it. Have they turned it into a chatfest? WTF? I liked getting a quick infusion of news. Now we get two people who sit and act like they are our friends and sitting in our living rooms chatting with us? I don't like it. I don't like the format, the anchors, if that is what they are still called, nothing about it. I will never go back to watch it again. When I first turned it on, a guy was giving tips on how to add mousse to your hair...Never in the hand he says. Shake and put it straight onto the head in three of four places and then dry....Who knew? And frankly, I could have gotten that information for my queer eye buds!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Comfort Food and Memorabilia
I love to fish. I have always loved to fish. I don't fish very often anymore. I miss it....
When we were kids we would take the boat out and catch baskets of fish. Without a fish finder, mind you. I would catch the most fish, always. And with all brothers, dad, male cousins and uncles, it rocked. I would drop my line in the water and catch fish so fast that everybody would start getting closer and closer to me. I would leave and go to a unoccupied area of the boat. I would do it again. They would follow!
We used to catch so many fish it was insane. But, we ate the fish too. We didn't have a lot of money so fish was a good way to feed our family. We would set up an assembly line at the fish cleaning site and get them cleaned in record time. We would feed the whole bunch of us at the lake and we would always freeze fish when we had too many.
One great thing about fishing is it gets hot fast, once the sun comes up and it is okay to start drinking beer. As long as I wasn't driving! I can't think of anything more relaxing to me than fishing!
I also love okra. Not nuke and slide down you throat okra. Gross. But the kind placed in corn meal and fried. Yes, fried.
We would buy ten pounds at a roadside vegetable and fruit stand. My parents, brothers and I would again set up an assembly line and clean, cut and put the okra into bags with cornmeal. We froze it and had it all the time.
When David and I got married, he knew how much I loved okra. I had a broken ankle and he was doing the cooking.
He told me we were having okra for dinner. YUM. Well, he gave me a bowl of nuked okra. WTF? This is not how you cook okra! I took one bite just to try it and my way was better. I suppose I should have realized he was cooking it
differently, since there was no smell lingering in the air, making my mouth water!
My dad's cousin, the one we went to see in Oklahoma every summer, always had okra when we came. His wife Jeri made the best food ever. A few years back, we went back and they had something for dinner called Shut up and eat it. I asked what it was and got the story. Bob, the biggest heart in the world, would give you the shirt off his back. When he goes looking for a tractor or another farmer's item, he would have to call around to find out who borrowed it. Anyhow, one night Jeri had dinner ready and Bob was being annoyed by a man who just wouldn't leave. He finally invited him in to eat with his family. When this man asked what it was, Bob said, Just shut up and eat it! This delicious dish is made with okra, in cornmeal, with tomatoes, onions and zucchini. All fried up together. Jeri never wasted food. Always came up with dishes like this, and it rocked!
When we were young, we always made our own ice cream too. The old crank kind with block ice that had to be chipped with an ice pick. We would sit in the front yard and take turns cranking the handle on the ice cream maker. I was sitting on the grass one day and found a four leaf clover. I still have it. We got peaches off the tree in the backyard and added them to the ice cream and it was the best of summer.
I learned how to cook primarily from my father. Mother was at work and if my father could get me to cook, it would be great for him. I learned how to make, chicken fried steak, gravy of every kind, pot roast, round steak, fried chicken, burgers, chicken with homemade noodles, stew, cream dried beef w/ scrambled eggs, potatoes of every kind, the best bacon and eggs around, pots of beans. We would get a ham, eat it for a couple of days and then make pinto beans with the bone and leftover ham. Then after a couple of days of pintos and fried potatoes, we would make chili. I would crunch a bunch of crackers into my chili, as I still do to this day and my brother still laughs. I learned how to make biscuits too. Listen to this recipe. I would put self rising flour into a bowl, make a hole in the middle, pour in one can of milk and some water and mix. The use the biscuit cutter and put them into a Pyrex dish that had a whole cube of melted butter. I would put the biscuits in and then turn them over coating both sides. Best damn biscuits...We used bacon grease from the fridge to make the potatoes. When I married Daivd, the potatoes stopped except a few times a year. He taught me to eat pinto beans and rice.
The of course there was the ice tea we had every day of our lives. I made it after school every day and we had it every night. Never saved it, always fresh, with a lot of ice.
Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, I found my mother's lasagna recipe. I thought it was the best ever. Pre jar sauces, and full of mushrooms of all things. I am going to make it soon, and see if is as good as I remember!
I also found autograph books, with names like Dottie Lamour, Jimmy Durante, Cecil B Demille, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, William Benedict, Danny Kaye, Van Johnson, Mel Blanc and many others! My mother grew up in LA, after leaving Iowa at a young age. She and a friend used to go to different haunts of the stars and wait outside CBS and NBC studios. I also found all our childhood photos and her childhood photos and many other memorabilia.
Cleaning out the garage was worth it. Thinking of all the above comfort foods just came along with the memories.
When we were kids we would take the boat out and catch baskets of fish. Without a fish finder, mind you. I would catch the most fish, always. And with all brothers, dad, male cousins and uncles, it rocked. I would drop my line in the water and catch fish so fast that everybody would start getting closer and closer to me. I would leave and go to a unoccupied area of the boat. I would do it again. They would follow!
We used to catch so many fish it was insane. But, we ate the fish too. We didn't have a lot of money so fish was a good way to feed our family. We would set up an assembly line at the fish cleaning site and get them cleaned in record time. We would feed the whole bunch of us at the lake and we would always freeze fish when we had too many.
One great thing about fishing is it gets hot fast, once the sun comes up and it is okay to start drinking beer. As long as I wasn't driving! I can't think of anything more relaxing to me than fishing!
I also love okra. Not nuke and slide down you throat okra. Gross. But the kind placed in corn meal and fried. Yes, fried.
We would buy ten pounds at a roadside vegetable and fruit stand. My parents, brothers and I would again set up an assembly line and clean, cut and put the okra into bags with cornmeal. We froze it and had it all the time.
When David and I got married, he knew how much I loved okra. I had a broken ankle and he was doing the cooking.
He told me we were having okra for dinner. YUM. Well, he gave me a bowl of nuked okra. WTF? This is not how you cook okra! I took one bite just to try it and my way was better. I suppose I should have realized he was cooking it
differently, since there was no smell lingering in the air, making my mouth water!
My dad's cousin, the one we went to see in Oklahoma every summer, always had okra when we came. His wife Jeri made the best food ever. A few years back, we went back and they had something for dinner called Shut up and eat it. I asked what it was and got the story. Bob, the biggest heart in the world, would give you the shirt off his back. When he goes looking for a tractor or another farmer's item, he would have to call around to find out who borrowed it. Anyhow, one night Jeri had dinner ready and Bob was being annoyed by a man who just wouldn't leave. He finally invited him in to eat with his family. When this man asked what it was, Bob said, Just shut up and eat it! This delicious dish is made with okra, in cornmeal, with tomatoes, onions and zucchini. All fried up together. Jeri never wasted food. Always came up with dishes like this, and it rocked!
When we were young, we always made our own ice cream too. The old crank kind with block ice that had to be chipped with an ice pick. We would sit in the front yard and take turns cranking the handle on the ice cream maker. I was sitting on the grass one day and found a four leaf clover. I still have it. We got peaches off the tree in the backyard and added them to the ice cream and it was the best of summer.
I learned how to cook primarily from my father. Mother was at work and if my father could get me to cook, it would be great for him. I learned how to make, chicken fried steak, gravy of every kind, pot roast, round steak, fried chicken, burgers, chicken with homemade noodles, stew, cream dried beef w/ scrambled eggs, potatoes of every kind, the best bacon and eggs around, pots of beans. We would get a ham, eat it for a couple of days and then make pinto beans with the bone and leftover ham. Then after a couple of days of pintos and fried potatoes, we would make chili. I would crunch a bunch of crackers into my chili, as I still do to this day and my brother still laughs. I learned how to make biscuits too. Listen to this recipe. I would put self rising flour into a bowl, make a hole in the middle, pour in one can of milk and some water and mix. The use the biscuit cutter and put them into a Pyrex dish that had a whole cube of melted butter. I would put the biscuits in and then turn them over coating both sides. Best damn biscuits...We used bacon grease from the fridge to make the potatoes. When I married Daivd, the potatoes stopped except a few times a year. He taught me to eat pinto beans and rice.
The of course there was the ice tea we had every day of our lives. I made it after school every day and we had it every night. Never saved it, always fresh, with a lot of ice.
Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, I found my mother's lasagna recipe. I thought it was the best ever. Pre jar sauces, and full of mushrooms of all things. I am going to make it soon, and see if is as good as I remember!
I also found autograph books, with names like Dottie Lamour, Jimmy Durante, Cecil B Demille, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, William Benedict, Danny Kaye, Van Johnson, Mel Blanc and many others! My mother grew up in LA, after leaving Iowa at a young age. She and a friend used to go to different haunts of the stars and wait outside CBS and NBC studios. I also found all our childhood photos and her childhood photos and many other memorabilia.
Cleaning out the garage was worth it. Thinking of all the above comfort foods just came along with the memories.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Lack of Sleep
Yesterday Zoe and I did a ton of work on the garage. Instead of just cleaning off the pool table and cleaning around it, she starts hauling crap out of the corner, that has been there for two years. She says, "We are going to do this right!" And what a job. We worked all afternoon yesterday doing the flylady.net way. We worked for an hour very hard then took a short break.
We got numerous leaf bags out for the trash, the recycling is overflowing as well. We worked til the pizza got here about 6:30 last night. It looks better and certainly more organized, but we have a few hours to go this morning.
I have been awake all night. Literally. I have been watching TV and trying to fall asleep to no avail. I am usually up by around this time, with a few hours of sleep most nights. I am finally yawning though, so maybe I will be able to go to sleep til 6:30 or so. I hate when I am dog tired and cannot sleep.
Zoe also read Harry Potter yesterday, before the garage and during the short breaks. Then she went down to help Katharine clean her room...She is growing up, that one! She says she likes cleaning the garage with me. But David says the same thing and we get to it once a year or so!
Anyhow, the pizza finally arrived and we stopped for the evening. We even forgot to eat before dinner yesterday. I did drink a ton of water though.
I sent out one of those emails I hate. You know, send to eight people and something you have been waiting for will happen. I got three things out of a purse. One was my other reading glasses that are supposed to be in my current purse. So, that was pretty freaky, but don't be checking your emails for any more of those. LOL
I thought we were in for a hot day today, because the moon and stars could be seen. It's been a while for that. But, now I cannot see any lights across the canyon, so the marine layer has reappeared. Good thing since in a few hours I will be back in the garage! The trash man is going to hate me this week!
Oh and as usual, I did my grocery shopping Sunday night for delivery this morning. So that will be good. I don't have to drive down the hill, which will save some time.
I think we have figured out all the sleeping arrangements except for my sister in law. I think we need to borrow an air mattress for her and then we won't have to rent her a hotel room. They are very expensive here, even with local discounts. But it is more fun if she can stay with us anyhow. Unless she gets kidded out and wants a room! LOL
Off to try to sleep. Have a great morning all!
We got numerous leaf bags out for the trash, the recycling is overflowing as well. We worked til the pizza got here about 6:30 last night. It looks better and certainly more organized, but we have a few hours to go this morning.
I have been awake all night. Literally. I have been watching TV and trying to fall asleep to no avail. I am usually up by around this time, with a few hours of sleep most nights. I am finally yawning though, so maybe I will be able to go to sleep til 6:30 or so. I hate when I am dog tired and cannot sleep.
Zoe also read Harry Potter yesterday, before the garage and during the short breaks. Then she went down to help Katharine clean her room...She is growing up, that one! She says she likes cleaning the garage with me. But David says the same thing and we get to it once a year or so!
Anyhow, the pizza finally arrived and we stopped for the evening. We even forgot to eat before dinner yesterday. I did drink a ton of water though.
I sent out one of those emails I hate. You know, send to eight people and something you have been waiting for will happen. I got three things out of a purse. One was my other reading glasses that are supposed to be in my current purse. So, that was pretty freaky, but don't be checking your emails for any more of those. LOL
I thought we were in for a hot day today, because the moon and stars could be seen. It's been a while for that. But, now I cannot see any lights across the canyon, so the marine layer has reappeared. Good thing since in a few hours I will be back in the garage! The trash man is going to hate me this week!
Oh and as usual, I did my grocery shopping Sunday night for delivery this morning. So that will be good. I don't have to drive down the hill, which will save some time.
I think we have figured out all the sleeping arrangements except for my sister in law. I think we need to borrow an air mattress for her and then we won't have to rent her a hotel room. They are very expensive here, even with local discounts. But it is more fun if she can stay with us anyhow. Unless she gets kidded out and wants a room! LOL
Off to try to sleep. Have a great morning all!
Monday, July 18, 2005
Shit, Shit, Shit!
I have not been keeping up with the calendar lately. I was thinking our guests would be here next week...My sister in law reminded me they are all coming this week. (In my comments, LOL) I am thinking, okay Thursday...Plenty of time to clean the garage! Wrong. The arrive tomorrow night!
Not that I don't want them to come, I do...I just realized all I have to do to get ready. Mainly the garage, but UGH!
David's daughter is coming with her two boys and then her husband and my sister in law come in on Friday. My sister in law from NY and my step daughter and family from Houston.
I feel weird calling her my step daughter, because she is a grown woman, closer to my age than hubby. I don't really know what to call the boys either. So, I sign things I send them Grandma Nancy. I suppose they just call me Nancy. We don't get to see them often since they are busy in Houston and we are busy here in California.
I feel that the boys get cheated out of having a doting grandfather in my hubby, because we have children so close in age. In fact Katharine has one nephew older and one nephew younger than she is. But the love for his grandchildren is there. They are much closer to their father's mother. They stay with her and she is a great grandmother. She lives in Texas as well. Maybe some day they will move here and we can all get closer.
It is going to be fun to see all of them. We have been blogging a lot, but it is never the same as having them here with us.
Well, I better get my butt in gear...Holy crap, I have so much to do. Not enough coffee in the world to help with the garage. I will be out there all day. At least the pool table has to be usable and the space around it enough to shoot! Yes, I have much to do....I knew I would wait til the last minute...And I did it again. I was actually going to try to avoid doing this for this visit. But as usual, time got away from me. Sometimes visits are good just to get me to organize things! And when it is done, I will feel better.
It will be a fun week and I am looking forward to seeing everybody!
Not that I don't want them to come, I do...I just realized all I have to do to get ready. Mainly the garage, but UGH!
David's daughter is coming with her two boys and then her husband and my sister in law come in on Friday. My sister in law from NY and my step daughter and family from Houston.
I feel weird calling her my step daughter, because she is a grown woman, closer to my age than hubby. I don't really know what to call the boys either. So, I sign things I send them Grandma Nancy. I suppose they just call me Nancy. We don't get to see them often since they are busy in Houston and we are busy here in California.
I feel that the boys get cheated out of having a doting grandfather in my hubby, because we have children so close in age. In fact Katharine has one nephew older and one nephew younger than she is. But the love for his grandchildren is there. They are much closer to their father's mother. They stay with her and she is a great grandmother. She lives in Texas as well. Maybe some day they will move here and we can all get closer.
It is going to be fun to see all of them. We have been blogging a lot, but it is never the same as having them here with us.
Well, I better get my butt in gear...Holy crap, I have so much to do. Not enough coffee in the world to help with the garage. I will be out there all day. At least the pool table has to be usable and the space around it enough to shoot! Yes, I have much to do....I knew I would wait til the last minute...And I did it again. I was actually going to try to avoid doing this for this visit. But as usual, time got away from me. Sometimes visits are good just to get me to organize things! And when it is done, I will feel better.
It will be a fun week and I am looking forward to seeing everybody!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Sleepover
Today is cousin Lindsay's last day with us. The fort will be coming down. The Anime fanatics have to separate. Zoe is going to be sad to see her go. She has been here for a week and has be a delight. They do speak in Anime speak and I don't get it, nor do I want to. The laughter and giggles were all I needed to hear.
Yesterday I asked Lindsay to do her laundry, so her hard working mother would not have to do it when she gets home. Lindsay said she didn't know how to do laundry. I said, well lucky for you, I taught Zoe and now she can teach you! Then I asked her if she knew how to fold and she informed me that is her chore at home. Pam does the washing and Lindsay does the folding and puts the clothes away. Hmm, I should have thought of that!
I told Ronnie and Pam, that I would like to borrow Lindsay for at least two more weeks this summer. She has been terrific to have around and has been great fun for Zoe. I asked them the other night if they have had a fight yet. They said, "What would we have to fight about?" Can't get any better than that!
Zoe and Lindsay
This photo is dark and since I have no iphoto at the moment, I could not lighten it...But, it is representative of their fun together.
David hit Costco when they opened yesterday. Picked up two copies of the new Harry Potter book. He was amazed at how many books they had and at the person trying to keep the pile neat and orderly. Then he went to Barnes and Nobel and found a similar event there. But, he went for a different book for himself.
The girls did try to get David to the midnight distribution of HP the night before and he was having no part of that this year. Last year they did do the midnight release party at the local bookstore. Now, both books sit uncracked. Katharine has three books currently being read and Zoe has one she wants to finish in a series and I am sure she will take care of that when Lindsay leaves and then she will down Harry Potter in one fell swoop.
I want to take the girls to see Willy Wonka this week. I hate crowds and opening day of movies. So, we will quietly slip in when the theater opens one day this week. I am excited to see Johnny Depp. He is such a wonderful actor. I loved the first Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder. I think the sarcasm of Willy Wonka was lost on children and was much better when I was old enough to understand it!
So, the Anime fest and forts will be going away, the giggles and laughs memories, but sleep will be a good thing for those girls!
I hope you all have a fun Sunday!
Yesterday I asked Lindsay to do her laundry, so her hard working mother would not have to do it when she gets home. Lindsay said she didn't know how to do laundry. I said, well lucky for you, I taught Zoe and now she can teach you! Then I asked her if she knew how to fold and she informed me that is her chore at home. Pam does the washing and Lindsay does the folding and puts the clothes away. Hmm, I should have thought of that!
I told Ronnie and Pam, that I would like to borrow Lindsay for at least two more weeks this summer. She has been terrific to have around and has been great fun for Zoe. I asked them the other night if they have had a fight yet. They said, "What would we have to fight about?" Can't get any better than that!
Zoe and LindsayThis photo is dark and since I have no iphoto at the moment, I could not lighten it...But, it is representative of their fun together.
David hit Costco when they opened yesterday. Picked up two copies of the new Harry Potter book. He was amazed at how many books they had and at the person trying to keep the pile neat and orderly. Then he went to Barnes and Nobel and found a similar event there. But, he went for a different book for himself.
The girls did try to get David to the midnight distribution of HP the night before and he was having no part of that this year. Last year they did do the midnight release party at the local bookstore. Now, both books sit uncracked. Katharine has three books currently being read and Zoe has one she wants to finish in a series and I am sure she will take care of that when Lindsay leaves and then she will down Harry Potter in one fell swoop.
I want to take the girls to see Willy Wonka this week. I hate crowds and opening day of movies. So, we will quietly slip in when the theater opens one day this week. I am excited to see Johnny Depp. He is such a wonderful actor. I loved the first Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder. I think the sarcasm of Willy Wonka was lost on children and was much better when I was old enough to understand it!
So, the Anime fest and forts will be going away, the giggles and laughs memories, but sleep will be a good thing for those girls!
I hope you all have a fun Sunday!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Blogging
I am having so much fun blogging. I have made some really terrific blog friends.
I am now getting some from other countries (other than England and Canada that is) and it is very nice to learn their cultures as well.
Two, are from Klang in Malaysia. No coincidence. One clicked me from the other's comment section.
Both are young men and they know English well. One I talk to about our cultures and the other is very funny.
Not saying the one I talk to about our cultures is not funny, he is.
Another lives in Portugal. He seems to want to make friends thru blogging and is also very nice.
He speaks English and Portuguese. As does my husband, and they now converse in Portuguese.
I have several Canadian friends. Heidi for one. Just love her.
Heidi reminds me a bit of Mary Tyler Moore from her throwing her hat in the air days. Or even "That Girl."
Bonn for another, she is very witty and has a very smart two year old.
Seems most people I meet blogging have good senses of humor.
American friends as well. Inspirational, like Lightfeather, who is always kind.
Tells it like it is, is very smart and has a huge heart is Jaded. I love our emails.
Cindy is my blog sister separated at birth. Our pasts are similar in many ways.
There is Anne, who I have a six degrees of separation story with. Although I did rant last night on her blog.
And Hollie the mom, whom I call Pong. She is just the best mother, and very loving.
Sarah, who gives us a safe place to hang, writes beautiful poetry and has a warm loving heart.
Misty and Gina crack me up, and I miss them lately.
New friends too. Others whom I visit daily and have respect for, but don't know well.
I cannot mention them all and I may have left some out. But, it is four in the morning.
It is great fun to learn about people and what makes them tick or laugh.
This kind of post is difficult because when I say something about one person, I want to use a different description for the next person. Then I want to add, not that it is not true of the person above, etc., as I did in the first paragraph. Which would be an endless post. It would be a very short post to just say all the adjectives in one line and then put a list of names below them.
The other reason is that if I say, "some are people I know," is that true? Not to some. Because I only know what they want me to know. Therefore, I don't know them very well, if at all. I know I would be called on this too.
I live in a family that calls everybody on grammatical or speaking errors, almost before the error is mouthed, and most certainly before I can correct myself. It is rather a game with us. Then I hear my children correcting their friend's grammar and I have to tell them, it is impolite to do that. Even the kindergarten teacher got hers. Don't piss off the teacher either! We have certain words we promise not to say. Whatever, the kind with an attitude. Duh, drops the IQ, unless used sarcastically, then it is funny. Actually, duh has been okay of late, since it is funny. Lately, my disdain of the phrase "My bad" has taken on a life of its own. I have never liked it since the first time I heard it. One day last week my daughter used it in front of me for the first time. I said, "Oh no you don't! You will not be using that lame phrase!" She asked why and I told her those are the dumbest words I have heard since anyways. She got it right away. And she may say among her peers, but I seriously doubt she will say it in front of me again.
And I am going back to sleep now, at least I hope I am!
Maybe later when I have my coffee, I will do another post!
I am now getting some from other countries (other than England and Canada that is) and it is very nice to learn their cultures as well.
Two, are from Klang in Malaysia. No coincidence. One clicked me from the other's comment section.
Both are young men and they know English well. One I talk to about our cultures and the other is very funny.
Not saying the one I talk to about our cultures is not funny, he is.
Another lives in Portugal. He seems to want to make friends thru blogging and is also very nice.
He speaks English and Portuguese. As does my husband, and they now converse in Portuguese.
I have several Canadian friends. Heidi for one. Just love her.
Heidi reminds me a bit of Mary Tyler Moore from her throwing her hat in the air days. Or even "That Girl."
Bonn for another, she is very witty and has a very smart two year old.
Seems most people I meet blogging have good senses of humor.
American friends as well. Inspirational, like Lightfeather, who is always kind.
Tells it like it is, is very smart and has a huge heart is Jaded. I love our emails.
Cindy is my blog sister separated at birth. Our pasts are similar in many ways.
There is Anne, who I have a six degrees of separation story with. Although I did rant last night on her blog.
And Hollie the mom, whom I call Pong. She is just the best mother, and very loving.
Sarah, who gives us a safe place to hang, writes beautiful poetry and has a warm loving heart.
Misty and Gina crack me up, and I miss them lately.
New friends too. Others whom I visit daily and have respect for, but don't know well.
I cannot mention them all and I may have left some out. But, it is four in the morning.
It is great fun to learn about people and what makes them tick or laugh.
This kind of post is difficult because when I say something about one person, I want to use a different description for the next person. Then I want to add, not that it is not true of the person above, etc., as I did in the first paragraph. Which would be an endless post. It would be a very short post to just say all the adjectives in one line and then put a list of names below them.
The other reason is that if I say, "some are people I know," is that true? Not to some. Because I only know what they want me to know. Therefore, I don't know them very well, if at all. I know I would be called on this too.
I live in a family that calls everybody on grammatical or speaking errors, almost before the error is mouthed, and most certainly before I can correct myself. It is rather a game with us. Then I hear my children correcting their friend's grammar and I have to tell them, it is impolite to do that. Even the kindergarten teacher got hers. Don't piss off the teacher either! We have certain words we promise not to say. Whatever, the kind with an attitude. Duh, drops the IQ, unless used sarcastically, then it is funny. Actually, duh has been okay of late, since it is funny. Lately, my disdain of the phrase "My bad" has taken on a life of its own. I have never liked it since the first time I heard it. One day last week my daughter used it in front of me for the first time. I said, "Oh no you don't! You will not be using that lame phrase!" She asked why and I told her those are the dumbest words I have heard since anyways. She got it right away. And she may say among her peers, but I seriously doubt she will say it in front of me again.
And I am going back to sleep now, at least I hope I am!
Maybe later when I have my coffee, I will do another post!
Friday, July 15, 2005
My Fear of Flying
The first time I ever flew, I was a Camp Fire Girl. We flew over to Catalina on a sea plane. I got to ride up front with the pilot. It was a thrilling trip. We came home on a glass bottom boat. But, the plane ride was the best. I loved flying.
The next time I flew, I was about 24. My boyfriend had been on a short lived game show called Press Your Luck. He won a ton of free things, some cash, the ugliest chair in creation of chairs, and a trip for two to Mexico City, for a week, with hotel and air accommodations. I loved the flight over and wished it would never end. I loved everything about the flights to and from Mexico City. Mexico City...Some of the touristy things were cool, the smog was horrible, the traffic and noise was unbearable and even on the thirteenth floor, we could hear it. It was dirty as well. I was not impressed by what I saw back then and have never been back. One thing that really sticks in my head, is that I have never seen so many VW's in my life. They were used as taxis and the front passenger seat removed.
I didn't fly again until after I got married, at 30. We were going to go to Paris before we got married and I broke my ankle. We drove to Vegas to get married on the day we were supposed to fly to Paris. I have still never been to Paris, and quite frankly, have no desire to got there. It was a romantic idea from a young woman who was asked to go where ever I wanted. And who loved to fly, but hadn't in several years. We flew to Honduras to a small island called Roatan. We stayed a week and then went to the mountains of Copan. I still loved flying. Even though our flight there, including layovers and plane changes took us nearly twenty-four hours. We were exhausted. But it was a great trip and Roatan and Copan were both beautiful places to visit. We flew into New Orleans and stayed a couple of days, before we headed home to California. I couldn't tolerate the heat and humidity. I don't know how some of you do it! It literally made me ill. I did like New Orleans though. We did some shopping and visited a couple of restaurants that my husband had been to. Yum.
After that, flying became pretty routine. We flew to NY and CT to see David's family. I even had to fly to CT to get some loser renters out of our house. Had to go to court! There is another post to tell that story. We flew up to Vancouver to get on a ship to Alaska. We even took a helicopter ride to the glaciers in Alaska. I do have to admit to a little fear there. We flew to Hawaii and Katharine and I got bumped to first class. That was awesome. It has only happened to me three times. We flew to Toronto when David had business and my good friend took the train up from MI to see me. She and I got to hang out a couple of extra days. It was great fun. I even flew to MI once to see my friend and hang with her and her kids for a week. When I got home, David had potty trained our youngest! Not only that, he got a taste of how much work goes into being a full time mom. So, that was a huge benefit. But, you get the gist. We flew and I was never nervous.
Then one summer my brother and I and our kids went to OK to see my dad's cousin. That in itself, is a whole different post. However, the flight was not a big deal to me or my kids who had flown plenty by that times. My brother was freaked out and holding on to the seat. All the while, I was laughing at him. All of a sudden our plane dropped from the sky and it felt like we had plummeted a couple thousand feet. We had gotten in wind sheer of another plane, according to the pilot. I was no longer laughing and had myself a stiff cocktail, and they were free for the whole plane. We finally landed but we had to get onto a puddle jumper to Oklahoma City. We were already on edge from the first leg of the flight and were trying to keep up appearances for the kids. We were in the air for about forty five minutes when we heard a loud BANG. My brother and I looked at each other with wide (red) eyes. WTF? The pilot comes on the speaker and tells us, "Hey folks, did y'all hear that bang? Well, we need to shut off the engine to fix the problem, but only for a few seconds." Why the fuck would he tell us that? He did as he said and we landed safely, but it marred our trip home, that is for sure! And all of my future flights as well.
We went to Italy and my husband was already there. I had to take the kids and change planes in NY. The girls and I went to stay at a hotel near LAX, so we wouldn't have to fight the morning traffic. I called my shrink about ten that night having a major panic attack. He told me to take a Klonipin and a Xanax and to let them work for an hour and if I was still nervous to take another half of Xanax. It worked. He also told me to take a Xanax when I left the hotel and to take another half at take off. I followed his instructions and repeated them on the second leg of the flight, headed to Venice. I did the same thing on the way home, but this time my husband was with us for the flight home.
I have not been to NY since 9/11. I don't think there is enough Xanax to get me there. Between plummeting flights and terrorism, flying is very scary to me now. I have been to Tahiti three or four times in the last few years and I take my Xanax and do pretty well on the very long flight. Then again on a little puddle jumper over to Huahine. I remember the first time and I was holding on to the arm rest and my friend told me we were just circling so we could land in beautiful little Huahine. Now my friend is afraid to fly too. After a bad flight she swore she would never go again...She just got back yesterday!
And, just for clarification...I do not take Xanax on a daily basis or even weekly. I use it only when necessary.
The next time I flew, I was about 24. My boyfriend had been on a short lived game show called Press Your Luck. He won a ton of free things, some cash, the ugliest chair in creation of chairs, and a trip for two to Mexico City, for a week, with hotel and air accommodations. I loved the flight over and wished it would never end. I loved everything about the flights to and from Mexico City. Mexico City...Some of the touristy things were cool, the smog was horrible, the traffic and noise was unbearable and even on the thirteenth floor, we could hear it. It was dirty as well. I was not impressed by what I saw back then and have never been back. One thing that really sticks in my head, is that I have never seen so many VW's in my life. They were used as taxis and the front passenger seat removed.
I didn't fly again until after I got married, at 30. We were going to go to Paris before we got married and I broke my ankle. We drove to Vegas to get married on the day we were supposed to fly to Paris. I have still never been to Paris, and quite frankly, have no desire to got there. It was a romantic idea from a young woman who was asked to go where ever I wanted. And who loved to fly, but hadn't in several years. We flew to Honduras to a small island called Roatan. We stayed a week and then went to the mountains of Copan. I still loved flying. Even though our flight there, including layovers and plane changes took us nearly twenty-four hours. We were exhausted. But it was a great trip and Roatan and Copan were both beautiful places to visit. We flew into New Orleans and stayed a couple of days, before we headed home to California. I couldn't tolerate the heat and humidity. I don't know how some of you do it! It literally made me ill. I did like New Orleans though. We did some shopping and visited a couple of restaurants that my husband had been to. Yum.
After that, flying became pretty routine. We flew to NY and CT to see David's family. I even had to fly to CT to get some loser renters out of our house. Had to go to court! There is another post to tell that story. We flew up to Vancouver to get on a ship to Alaska. We even took a helicopter ride to the glaciers in Alaska. I do have to admit to a little fear there. We flew to Hawaii and Katharine and I got bumped to first class. That was awesome. It has only happened to me three times. We flew to Toronto when David had business and my good friend took the train up from MI to see me. She and I got to hang out a couple of extra days. It was great fun. I even flew to MI once to see my friend and hang with her and her kids for a week. When I got home, David had potty trained our youngest! Not only that, he got a taste of how much work goes into being a full time mom. So, that was a huge benefit. But, you get the gist. We flew and I was never nervous.
Then one summer my brother and I and our kids went to OK to see my dad's cousin. That in itself, is a whole different post. However, the flight was not a big deal to me or my kids who had flown plenty by that times. My brother was freaked out and holding on to the seat. All the while, I was laughing at him. All of a sudden our plane dropped from the sky and it felt like we had plummeted a couple thousand feet. We had gotten in wind sheer of another plane, according to the pilot. I was no longer laughing and had myself a stiff cocktail, and they were free for the whole plane. We finally landed but we had to get onto a puddle jumper to Oklahoma City. We were already on edge from the first leg of the flight and were trying to keep up appearances for the kids. We were in the air for about forty five minutes when we heard a loud BANG. My brother and I looked at each other with wide (red) eyes. WTF? The pilot comes on the speaker and tells us, "Hey folks, did y'all hear that bang? Well, we need to shut off the engine to fix the problem, but only for a few seconds." Why the fuck would he tell us that? He did as he said and we landed safely, but it marred our trip home, that is for sure! And all of my future flights as well.
We went to Italy and my husband was already there. I had to take the kids and change planes in NY. The girls and I went to stay at a hotel near LAX, so we wouldn't have to fight the morning traffic. I called my shrink about ten that night having a major panic attack. He told me to take a Klonipin and a Xanax and to let them work for an hour and if I was still nervous to take another half of Xanax. It worked. He also told me to take a Xanax when I left the hotel and to take another half at take off. I followed his instructions and repeated them on the second leg of the flight, headed to Venice. I did the same thing on the way home, but this time my husband was with us for the flight home.
I have not been to NY since 9/11. I don't think there is enough Xanax to get me there. Between plummeting flights and terrorism, flying is very scary to me now. I have been to Tahiti three or four times in the last few years and I take my Xanax and do pretty well on the very long flight. Then again on a little puddle jumper over to Huahine. I remember the first time and I was holding on to the arm rest and my friend told me we were just circling so we could land in beautiful little Huahine. Now my friend is afraid to fly too. After a bad flight she swore she would never go again...She just got back yesterday!
And, just for clarification...I do not take Xanax on a daily basis or even weekly. I use it only when necessary.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
TRAFFIC!
I went down the hill to town this morning to go to the bank. I got there and there were notes on both ATM's, saying that their server was down and so were the ATM's.
I came home.
I had to go down to pick up the Katharine and her friend from rehearsal and I stopped by the bank first. Took forever to get there because of all the traffic. The summer school had just let out of all the schools, which added to the frustration. I took a deep breath and even let people go ahead of me, to pay if forward and all that good stuff. Simple courtesy.
I get to the bank and one ATM is working. Yippee. An old woman went to the broken one and a couple of us informed her that it was down, but she didn't hear us. She came back and then thought she must have put her card in wrong. I again told her it was down. "Oh, this is out of order" I hear her say....OKAY. It is my turn in line, but I let the confused woman go ahead of me. She was pushing 90 and when she was done she told me, "thank you ma'am." Okay, that is bad enough when a young cuss does it, but somebody her age....She did not have a southern accent either, in case you were all thinking that.
I get past the intersection in town and there is an accident. A tow truck...I thought that was funny. Nobody was hurt, but a tow truck in an accident. Just funny to me.
I have to go onto a one way street to get to the girls. First I must pass the Sawdust Festival and all the pedestrians. The car in front of me starts backing up....I honk. He continues to back up. I have a Navigator, a big sucker and I backed up between a delivery truck and other parked vehicles and it was difficult to get thru going in the forward position. I kept backing up and the truck driver told me, "good job!" Like I am a woman, I am an idiot and he is surprised I can fucking back up! Finally, the car turns into a now deserted parking space. I pass him going all of 5 mph and two woman are talking to a guy across the street at their car. He steps out and stops, then decides to cross in front of me. I was prepared, I was going 5 mph. I hear a faint "slow down" come out of his mouth....I almost lost it. I looked behind me and luckily for him there was a car behind me, because I was going to back up to ask him if he just told me to slow down....How dare he tell me to slow down when I am going 5mph in a 15 mph zone and he steps out in front of me! How much slower could I have been going, 4,3,2,1 mph? Loser. Pissed me off. Started off paying it forward and being courteous and ended up with pedestrian rage!
I am now breathing deeply, in and out, in and out, very slowly. I have finished breathing and between this and my ranting post....I feel better....
I came home.
I had to go down to pick up the Katharine and her friend from rehearsal and I stopped by the bank first. Took forever to get there because of all the traffic. The summer school had just let out of all the schools, which added to the frustration. I took a deep breath and even let people go ahead of me, to pay if forward and all that good stuff. Simple courtesy.
I get to the bank and one ATM is working. Yippee. An old woman went to the broken one and a couple of us informed her that it was down, but she didn't hear us. She came back and then thought she must have put her card in wrong. I again told her it was down. "Oh, this is out of order" I hear her say....OKAY. It is my turn in line, but I let the confused woman go ahead of me. She was pushing 90 and when she was done she told me, "thank you ma'am." Okay, that is bad enough when a young cuss does it, but somebody her age....She did not have a southern accent either, in case you were all thinking that.
I get past the intersection in town and there is an accident. A tow truck...I thought that was funny. Nobody was hurt, but a tow truck in an accident. Just funny to me.
I have to go onto a one way street to get to the girls. First I must pass the Sawdust Festival and all the pedestrians. The car in front of me starts backing up....I honk. He continues to back up. I have a Navigator, a big sucker and I backed up between a delivery truck and other parked vehicles and it was difficult to get thru going in the forward position. I kept backing up and the truck driver told me, "good job!" Like I am a woman, I am an idiot and he is surprised I can fucking back up! Finally, the car turns into a now deserted parking space. I pass him going all of 5 mph and two woman are talking to a guy across the street at their car. He steps out and stops, then decides to cross in front of me. I was prepared, I was going 5 mph. I hear a faint "slow down" come out of his mouth....I almost lost it. I looked behind me and luckily for him there was a car behind me, because I was going to back up to ask him if he just told me to slow down....How dare he tell me to slow down when I am going 5mph in a 15 mph zone and he steps out in front of me! How much slower could I have been going, 4,3,2,1 mph? Loser. Pissed me off. Started off paying it forward and being courteous and ended up with pedestrian rage!
I am now breathing deeply, in and out, in and out, very slowly. I have finished breathing and between this and my ranting post....I feel better....
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Imagination
When I was a kid we moved to a big new house. It had a fireplace, which meant no more fake brick looking cardboard structure that had a rotating colored lamp behind the fake cardboard logs, that we would put out with the Christmas decorations. I used to love that ugly thing when I was little. I suppose it was for making me feel in the holiday mood and Santa would soon be coming...But we finally had a fireplace just like they Brady Bunch! But, when it came time to hang the stockings, despair. It was brick, we could not put up hooks or nails. Glue wouldn't work, especially if Santa was generous that year. We ended up putting the loop from the stocking under the heaviest books in the house. Encyclopedias...They held the stockings nicely and then we put the fluffy cotton stuff across the top to cover the books and it looked like "snow." Hey, it worked and then we decorated it with various ornaments and a mirror that looked like a frozen lake....Imagination.
I also got a big new bedroom with double doors to swing open just like Doris Day did on her show. I did that for a month or so, then only used one door. The thrill of acting like Doris Day was gone. That was okay, I still loved my room. I inherited my parents bedroom set and well, it wasn't what a young girl really would have liked. Enter my Aunt Dorothy. She insisted my father paint the headboard and dresser white. She also had him frame the existing mirror in wood and paint it white as well. Then she and my mother gold leafed it. It was beautiful. We didn't have a lot of money, but with her help, my room looked good enough for a princess....Imagination.
Since I had inherited the double bed with the freshly painted and gold leafed headboard, I was the one who got kicked out of my room when my grandmother would come to visit. I felt violated. I had to knock to go into my room. I had to get my clothes the night before so I could get dressed without waking her. I hated giving up my room, but looking back, it was the right thing to do. My parents were right in making me give up my bedroom to my grandmother or whomever slept over. Depending on who was there, I would set my alarm to go off at three in the morning, or I would open the door just enough for the dog to get in and jump up on my bed! He did sleep with me, so he was getting kicked out as well. I suppose that was my way of retaliating. Good and bad.....Imagination.
When we rode bikes, we put cards on the spokes with clothes pins. Looked dumb, sounded cool. I had a basket on the front of my bike and tried to put my dog in it, like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz. I put him in there, but he always jumped out....Imagination.
We played baseball on the street. We made up our own bases. When we didn't have enough players, we used our dog as the outfield and he always returned the ball to the pitcher. Smart dog and.....Imagination
When a friend got braces, I wanted to get them too. Okay, I was maybe eight! I eventually did get braces and the fun was lost at that point. But, in the mean time I used the foil from ding dongs to put on my teeth to make it look like I had braces. That was fun too, until I got my first filling in a tooth, from eating the ding dongs. Foil on metal dental work...Ouch. Still..... Imagination.
When we wanted to have larger breasts, out came the tissues. This didn't last long for me, because the real ones grew in.....Imagination.
When I washed dishes in the kitchen sink, I played drive thru. Drive thrus were new and my brother and his friends would ride up on their bikes, to the kitchen window and I would give them a glass of soapy water with frothy bubbles on top. It did look like a yummy drink. And don't think I didn't make them pay! I don't think any of the kids actually drank the dishwater.... Imagination.
I used to do the, which is better Ajax or Comet commercials too. I didn't actually have Ajax. But I pretended....Imagination.
Of course, I played with dolls and played house. I had a friend with a beautiful outdoor doll house and we would have tea parties out there. I played house and with my dolls in my own bedroom. When we played house, we used real cans, from vegetables or soups. We would save them and pretend we were cooking. We did use real pans. But, I asked my mother to save the cans for me to play house with. I really didn't have to do that, because she already done so. She used them to bake and banana nut bread or to keep bacon grease in.....Imagination.
We made a club house out of materials we found discarded by the construction crews working on new homes. We held meetings and took roll, just like school. We dreamed up things to do to keep busy. We had rules and admitted only those we wanted in our secret fort....Imagination.
We made gocarts and even made our version of a raft to use in the flood channel. There wasn't much water in there and the contraption we made, did not float anyhow. We caught Pollywogs and frogs and brought them home in pails.....Imagination.
Barbie and Ken. Need I say more?.....Imagination.
I have been concerned that kids today don't use their imaginations enough. We take them everywhere and buy them the play toys and fake kitchens. When it came to Barbie, she had all the toys too. Hotel, house, pool, cars, airplane, kitchens, beauty salons, on and on. My girls did use their imaginations when playing with dolls or Barbie, for hours on end. They did do dress up and put on their own plays. But once they out grew dolls, they moved onto video games, computers, ipods, so many things, which became a lack of....Imagination.
Then yesterday, my thirteen year old and her (going to be thirteen next month) cousin, who is staying with us this week, made a fort. A fort out of blankets on top of my daughter's bed. My twelve year old asked if I had seen the fort the girls had made. All I could think of was, shit, they will never put away all those blankets they took out of the linen closet. My twelve year old told me the fort is very cool. When the thirteen year olds came upstairs and told me about their fort and that it was on top of the bed, I asked, "Where are you going to sleep?" Their response was, "In the fort!".....Imagination!
I also got a big new bedroom with double doors to swing open just like Doris Day did on her show. I did that for a month or so, then only used one door. The thrill of acting like Doris Day was gone. That was okay, I still loved my room. I inherited my parents bedroom set and well, it wasn't what a young girl really would have liked. Enter my Aunt Dorothy. She insisted my father paint the headboard and dresser white. She also had him frame the existing mirror in wood and paint it white as well. Then she and my mother gold leafed it. It was beautiful. We didn't have a lot of money, but with her help, my room looked good enough for a princess....Imagination.
Since I had inherited the double bed with the freshly painted and gold leafed headboard, I was the one who got kicked out of my room when my grandmother would come to visit. I felt violated. I had to knock to go into my room. I had to get my clothes the night before so I could get dressed without waking her. I hated giving up my room, but looking back, it was the right thing to do. My parents were right in making me give up my bedroom to my grandmother or whomever slept over. Depending on who was there, I would set my alarm to go off at three in the morning, or I would open the door just enough for the dog to get in and jump up on my bed! He did sleep with me, so he was getting kicked out as well. I suppose that was my way of retaliating. Good and bad.....Imagination.
When we rode bikes, we put cards on the spokes with clothes pins. Looked dumb, sounded cool. I had a basket on the front of my bike and tried to put my dog in it, like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz. I put him in there, but he always jumped out....Imagination.
We played baseball on the street. We made up our own bases. When we didn't have enough players, we used our dog as the outfield and he always returned the ball to the pitcher. Smart dog and.....Imagination
When a friend got braces, I wanted to get them too. Okay, I was maybe eight! I eventually did get braces and the fun was lost at that point. But, in the mean time I used the foil from ding dongs to put on my teeth to make it look like I had braces. That was fun too, until I got my first filling in a tooth, from eating the ding dongs. Foil on metal dental work...Ouch. Still..... Imagination.
When we wanted to have larger breasts, out came the tissues. This didn't last long for me, because the real ones grew in.....Imagination.
When I washed dishes in the kitchen sink, I played drive thru. Drive thrus were new and my brother and his friends would ride up on their bikes, to the kitchen window and I would give them a glass of soapy water with frothy bubbles on top. It did look like a yummy drink. And don't think I didn't make them pay! I don't think any of the kids actually drank the dishwater.... Imagination.
I used to do the, which is better Ajax or Comet commercials too. I didn't actually have Ajax. But I pretended....Imagination.
Of course, I played with dolls and played house. I had a friend with a beautiful outdoor doll house and we would have tea parties out there. I played house and with my dolls in my own bedroom. When we played house, we used real cans, from vegetables or soups. We would save them and pretend we were cooking. We did use real pans. But, I asked my mother to save the cans for me to play house with. I really didn't have to do that, because she already done so. She used them to bake and banana nut bread or to keep bacon grease in.....Imagination.
We made a club house out of materials we found discarded by the construction crews working on new homes. We held meetings and took roll, just like school. We dreamed up things to do to keep busy. We had rules and admitted only those we wanted in our secret fort....Imagination.
We made gocarts and even made our version of a raft to use in the flood channel. There wasn't much water in there and the contraption we made, did not float anyhow. We caught Pollywogs and frogs and brought them home in pails.....Imagination.
Barbie and Ken. Need I say more?.....Imagination.
I have been concerned that kids today don't use their imaginations enough. We take them everywhere and buy them the play toys and fake kitchens. When it came to Barbie, she had all the toys too. Hotel, house, pool, cars, airplane, kitchens, beauty salons, on and on. My girls did use their imaginations when playing with dolls or Barbie, for hours on end. They did do dress up and put on their own plays. But once they out grew dolls, they moved onto video games, computers, ipods, so many things, which became a lack of....Imagination.
Then yesterday, my thirteen year old and her (going to be thirteen next month) cousin, who is staying with us this week, made a fort. A fort out of blankets on top of my daughter's bed. My twelve year old asked if I had seen the fort the girls had made. All I could think of was, shit, they will never put away all those blankets they took out of the linen closet. My twelve year old told me the fort is very cool. When the thirteen year olds came upstairs and told me about their fort and that it was on top of the bed, I asked, "Where are you going to sleep?" Their response was, "In the fort!".....Imagination!
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
A Foggy Day
We started out with thick fog and drippy umbrellas and the sun came out for about an hour. Now it is rolling back in and it is so pretty...I thought I would share this with you...LOL!
Foggy view of trees
One view of my deck/office
Another view of my office/desk
Fog rolling back in
Another fog rolling back in shot
I LOVE THIS WEATHER! ;)
Foggy view of trees
One view of my deck/office
Another view of my office/desk
Fog rolling back in
Another fog rolling back in shotI LOVE THIS WEATHER! ;)
Help in Organizing Our Homes
This is the clutter on the corner of my counter, notice the filing cabinet!I ran across a blog the other day and found this amazing site. I am the clutter queen and never seem to get it put away. Mainly because we have more stuff than places to put it.
This website helps with organizing your home. It has handy tips, like taking around a trash bag and picking up twenty-seven items to throw away. Then a bag for twenty-seven items to donate. Do this daily and it gets done. Clutter and having too much stuff slowly starts to go away. Tells you to take baby steps...I like that. Not so overwhelming.
There are many other tips and ideas. Even tells you how to declutter in fifteen minutes a day. I have signed up for this free online wonder. They even have a board! And recipes!
The site is called FlyLady.net and it says; Your personal online coach to help you take control of your house and home.
Here is the link
I hope this helps those of you who need it as badly as I do!
Happy decluttering!
Monday, July 11, 2005
Interview Me
This is from Sarah and it sounds fun....So, here goes....
Here's how it works:
1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions -- each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Here are your questions!
1. What word do you almost always spell wrong?
Rediculous, which should be ridiculous.
2. What is your favorite scent? Why?
Lavender...It is calming to me. I have it all over the house.
3. Are you superstitious?
Yes, but only about telling a lie to get out of an event or work. If I used somebody's name, I would feel bad if something happened to them...I once said a relative died to get out of work and felt guilty the whole day. Never again.
4. What is your biggest crutch?
Zanax....For panic attacks, but not daily. However, I know they are there if I need them.
5. Have you ever gone to a dinner party, only to go out to eat afterwards because you didn't fill up on food? ( No worries, I have! ) LOL
Yes, because I don't want people thinking to themselves or out loud, that I should stick with the salad! So, I would only eat a very small amount.
Have fun!
Here's how it works:
1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions -- each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Here are your questions!
1. What word do you almost always spell wrong?
Rediculous, which should be ridiculous.
2. What is your favorite scent? Why?
Lavender...It is calming to me. I have it all over the house.
3. Are you superstitious?
Yes, but only about telling a lie to get out of an event or work. If I used somebody's name, I would feel bad if something happened to them...I once said a relative died to get out of work and felt guilty the whole day. Never again.
4. What is your biggest crutch?
Zanax....For panic attacks, but not daily. However, I know they are there if I need them.
5. Have you ever gone to a dinner party, only to go out to eat afterwards because you didn't fill up on food? ( No worries, I have! ) LOL
Yes, because I don't want people thinking to themselves or out loud, that I should stick with the salad! So, I would only eat a very small amount.
Have fun!
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Good laughs and one big lobster
One big lobster!
Ronnie in his Survivor shirt from the Kern River Rafting TripSaturday night was so much fun. We sang songs and googled song lyrics, because we always forget words. I made the font huge so we could all see it without our specs! We stayed up very late and while I only had two drinks, I was very tired today. Just a change in my sleep pattern can do that to me. I don't sleep much anyhow, but I seemed to make up for it today. It has been a lazy day of tivo'd shows and naps....
Ronnie and Pam brought Lindsay who will be with us for a week. Haven't seen much of her or Zoe, and that is very okay. They are having a blast.
Ronnie and Pam also brought a NINE pound lobster and crab legs...Delicious. I took a photo because I am from the west coast and have never seen a Maine lobster this big...
Big lobster and Ronnie!I made a lobster omlette for my hubby and short order cooked for everybody else as well. I cannot do lobster for breakfast.
Anyhow, that is all for now...I have things to do, that I didn't do today!
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Carole King, David Allen Coe and Us
I just heard a story about Carole King on NPR. I have always loved her. She asked never to have to sing "It's Too Late" ever again. But she does and once she begins she feels the crowd, each different and each loving her, singing that song. So, she continues to sing it. My favorite is You've Got A Friend. Memories flood back when I hear her music. Mostly good....
She is apparently doing concerts to pay tribute to the private homes and small venues she sang in for environmental and political events. She thought she could do more good in larger venues and give it a living room feel. Gotta love that. Called The Living Room Tour. I think that is very clever. I would love to see her. I doubt that I will. However, I would love to get her new 2- CD set being released on July 12th. It has two new songs and seven of her top rated songs. Twenty one songs in all....Appropriately called The Living Room Tour. Her website is a bit confusing, as it shows 21 songs, but the article says there are 27 songs. They will be sold at Starbucks too. Another reason to go in for a half caf blended mocha. One other thing that caught my eye in the article was that the writer said, "No one performs Carole King's classic songs better than she does."....DUH
In other news, My cousin and his wife and daughter are coming over tonight. We always have a ball and laugh our heads off. Ronnie and Lindsay were in the raft that overturned in the Kern River a couple of weeks ago. Since then ten more have done the same thing, and most did NOT survive. But, I digress. Lindsay is going to spend a week with us. It will be fun to have Lindsay for a week. Pam and Ronnie will surely miss her.....I think this is the third year she has stayed with us for a week. She looks forward to it, and until this year, I wondered why. This year she is as into Anime as my daughter Zoe.
Ronnie and Pam are bringing a mega lobster and crab legs for dinner. And a pot big enough to cook the shelled creatures. Sounds yummy, yes? If it doesn't, I don't want to hear it!
We will sing, lots and lots of songs. We love to sing mostly country songs. But we also sing themes to dumb old comedies, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island among them. Never leave out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody... Not a wonderful singer, but what I don't have in ability, I make up for in enthusiasm. Of course we will sing, "I'll Never Swim Kern River Again." We always sing a song, generally toward the end of the night, by David Allen Coe, called "You Never Even Called Me by My Name." It is well known in our family and everybody joins in. Newcomers get a kick out of watching us stumble through the words, but we ALWAYS get the last verse right! Here it is....
SPOKEN:
WELL, A FRIEND OF MINE NAMED STEVE GOODMAN WROTE THAT SONG AND
HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE PERFECT COUNTRY & WESTERN SONG. I WROTE
HIM BACK A LETTER AND I TOLD HIM IT WAS NOT THE PERFECT COUNTRY
& WESTERN SONG BECAUSE HE HADN'T SAID ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT MAMA,
OR TRAINS, OR TRUCKS, OR PRISON, OR GETTIN' DRUNK. WELL HE SAT
DOWN AND WROTE ANOTHER VERSE TO THE SONG AND HE SENT IT TO ME,
AND AFTER READING IT, I REALIZED THAT MY FRIEND HAD WRITTEN THE
PERFECT COUNTRY & WESTERN SONG. AND I FELT OBLIGED TO INCLUDE IT
ON THIS ALBUM. THE LAST VERSE GOES LIKE THIS HERE:
WELL, I WAS DRUNK THE DAY MY MOM GOT OUT OF PRISON
AND I WENT TO PICK HER UP IN THE RAIN
BUT BEFORE I COULD GET TO THE STATION IN MY PICKUP TRUCK
SHE GOT RUNNED OVER BY A DAMNED OLD TRAIN
AND I'LL HANG AROUND AS LONG AS YOU WILL LET ME
AND I NEVER MINDED STANDIN' IN THE RAIN
NO, A' YOU DON'T HAVE TO CALL ME DARLIN', DARLIN'
YOU NEVER EVEN CALL ME
WELL I WONDER WHY YOU DON'T CALL ME
WHY DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME BY MY NAME
Now, doesn't that sound like one hell of a ending to a funfilled night? LMAO...As I will be doing tonight!
She is apparently doing concerts to pay tribute to the private homes and small venues she sang in for environmental and political events. She thought she could do more good in larger venues and give it a living room feel. Gotta love that. Called The Living Room Tour. I think that is very clever. I would love to see her. I doubt that I will. However, I would love to get her new 2- CD set being released on July 12th. It has two new songs and seven of her top rated songs. Twenty one songs in all....Appropriately called The Living Room Tour. Her website is a bit confusing, as it shows 21 songs, but the article says there are 27 songs. They will be sold at Starbucks too. Another reason to go in for a half caf blended mocha. One other thing that caught my eye in the article was that the writer said, "No one performs Carole King's classic songs better than she does."....DUH
In other news, My cousin and his wife and daughter are coming over tonight. We always have a ball and laugh our heads off. Ronnie and Lindsay were in the raft that overturned in the Kern River a couple of weeks ago. Since then ten more have done the same thing, and most did NOT survive. But, I digress. Lindsay is going to spend a week with us. It will be fun to have Lindsay for a week. Pam and Ronnie will surely miss her.....I think this is the third year she has stayed with us for a week. She looks forward to it, and until this year, I wondered why. This year she is as into Anime as my daughter Zoe.
Ronnie and Pam are bringing a mega lobster and crab legs for dinner. And a pot big enough to cook the shelled creatures. Sounds yummy, yes? If it doesn't, I don't want to hear it!
We will sing, lots and lots of songs. We love to sing mostly country songs. But we also sing themes to dumb old comedies, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island among them. Never leave out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody... Not a wonderful singer, but what I don't have in ability, I make up for in enthusiasm. Of course we will sing, "I'll Never Swim Kern River Again." We always sing a song, generally toward the end of the night, by David Allen Coe, called "You Never Even Called Me by My Name." It is well known in our family and everybody joins in. Newcomers get a kick out of watching us stumble through the words, but we ALWAYS get the last verse right! Here it is....
SPOKEN:
WELL, A FRIEND OF MINE NAMED STEVE GOODMAN WROTE THAT SONG AND
HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE PERFECT COUNTRY & WESTERN SONG. I WROTE
HIM BACK A LETTER AND I TOLD HIM IT WAS NOT THE PERFECT COUNTRY
& WESTERN SONG BECAUSE HE HADN'T SAID ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT MAMA,
OR TRAINS, OR TRUCKS, OR PRISON, OR GETTIN' DRUNK. WELL HE SAT
DOWN AND WROTE ANOTHER VERSE TO THE SONG AND HE SENT IT TO ME,
AND AFTER READING IT, I REALIZED THAT MY FRIEND HAD WRITTEN THE
PERFECT COUNTRY & WESTERN SONG. AND I FELT OBLIGED TO INCLUDE IT
ON THIS ALBUM. THE LAST VERSE GOES LIKE THIS HERE:
WELL, I WAS DRUNK THE DAY MY MOM GOT OUT OF PRISON
AND I WENT TO PICK HER UP IN THE RAIN
BUT BEFORE I COULD GET TO THE STATION IN MY PICKUP TRUCK
SHE GOT RUNNED OVER BY A DAMNED OLD TRAIN
AND I'LL HANG AROUND AS LONG AS YOU WILL LET ME
AND I NEVER MINDED STANDIN' IN THE RAIN
NO, A' YOU DON'T HAVE TO CALL ME DARLIN', DARLIN'
YOU NEVER EVEN CALL ME
WELL I WONDER WHY YOU DON'T CALL ME
WHY DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME BY MY NAME
Now, doesn't that sound like one hell of a ending to a funfilled night? LMAO...As I will be doing tonight!
Friday, July 08, 2005
The Garage
My daughter and I have been doing some spring cleaning. Yes, I am aware it is summer. All in good time. I get around to most things eventually. I say most because there are some things I procrastinate about endlessly. Like cleaning out the garage. UGH. What a job. I just found a box with Christmas presents in it, for my brother's family...I was going to mail them. They only live 15 miles from here and still, the presents sit in my garage. I suppose that means I have already begun this year's shopping....
When I was a kid, we had an enormous garage. I have a vague recollection of writing this before. Oh well, it could be just that I have told this story most of my life! My father collected anything and everything. Working or not. He could fix ANYTHING. There were two pianos, a very cool old jukebox, a soda pop machine, unimaginable quantities of tools, machinery, musical instruments, lumber, bicycle parts, auto parts, toasters, whatever, it was in that garage.
Every summer, my brothers and I would have to clean the garage. The most dreaded chore of my childhood. We hated it. It literally took us two weeks. My father had a huge bin for all the screws, nails, nuts and bolts, etc. We had to sort them and it was tedious as hell. The garage stayed clean for a while, then it would get destroyed again and next summer, there we were again.
His version was much different than ours though. He would say if we didn't complain about it so much, we could have had it done sooner and it never took two weeks, it was a couple of days. Well, our view was that it wasn't our crap we were cleaning and sorting, not to mention, WE didn't mess it up!
Maybe that is why I hate cleaning my own garage so much...Just a thought.
When I was a kid, we had an enormous garage. I have a vague recollection of writing this before. Oh well, it could be just that I have told this story most of my life! My father collected anything and everything. Working or not. He could fix ANYTHING. There were two pianos, a very cool old jukebox, a soda pop machine, unimaginable quantities of tools, machinery, musical instruments, lumber, bicycle parts, auto parts, toasters, whatever, it was in that garage.
Every summer, my brothers and I would have to clean the garage. The most dreaded chore of my childhood. We hated it. It literally took us two weeks. My father had a huge bin for all the screws, nails, nuts and bolts, etc. We had to sort them and it was tedious as hell. The garage stayed clean for a while, then it would get destroyed again and next summer, there we were again.
His version was much different than ours though. He would say if we didn't complain about it so much, we could have had it done sooner and it never took two weeks, it was a couple of days. Well, our view was that it wasn't our crap we were cleaning and sorting, not to mention, WE didn't mess it up!
Maybe that is why I hate cleaning my own garage so much...Just a thought.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Bazoombas
I titled this post Bazoombas, because the word has already landed me in Google under bazoombas!
I saw the referring URL and couldn't resist clicking it yesterday and right there was my little blog, at the bottom of page one! Yes, bazoombas.
When I broke my toe, Lightfeather commented about breaking her fall with her bazoombas. And now we are forever in Googleville. I couldn't stop laughing. One of those laughs that wouldn't stop and was uncontrollable. The good for your stomach muscles kind of laugh.
At first I wondered who the hell would google bazoombas...Duh.... Giant bazoombas. Bazoombas of all kinds, all in Google. It started me wondering what other words would lead to my blog. I was going to research it, but got occupied doing something else. Frankly, it makes me a bit nervous... But, I will look into it at some point!
Okay kids, be careful out there!
I saw the referring URL and couldn't resist clicking it yesterday and right there was my little blog, at the bottom of page one! Yes, bazoombas.
When I broke my toe, Lightfeather commented about breaking her fall with her bazoombas. And now we are forever in Googleville. I couldn't stop laughing. One of those laughs that wouldn't stop and was uncontrollable. The good for your stomach muscles kind of laugh.
At first I wondered who the hell would google bazoombas...Duh.... Giant bazoombas. Bazoombas of all kinds, all in Google. It started me wondering what other words would lead to my blog. I was going to research it, but got occupied doing something else. Frankly, it makes me a bit nervous... But, I will look into it at some point!
Okay kids, be careful out there!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Snoring
Snoring. I do it. I hate it. It is very common and annoying. More annoying to those who have to hear it!
I listen to NPR every morning and this morning I found myself laughing at a story about snoring. Not that snoring is funny, because it can be serious. But laughing at the thought of doing this woman's exercises....
There is an English woman who wrote a book called Singing for Snorers. She said her exercises won't help everybody, but it will help those with un-toned soft palates.
One of the exercises she explained today was, to sing umm-garr...umm where the back of your palate touches the back of your tongue and gar where your mouth opens. She sang a version and fortunately none of you will hear me sing this. She reminded me of Eliza Dolittle singing dialect. The author says to go around all day and just sing umm-garr. She said this will strengthen the soft palate and will eliminate snoring in some!
When asked how she came up with this therapy, she said, she had a friend who mimicked how he sounded when he snores. Apparently, he or somebody taped this snore, because it would be difficult to hear your own snore. And since she is a singer, it came to her that it was a soft palate sound....Hence the book.
Haven't the time this morning to give more details, but you may find her book on NPR.org, it was on Morning Edition. I am going to give it a try and sing umm-garr all day today. It should be interesting and provoke a few questions or at least weird looks! This is going to be fun....This may be in my how to embarrass your teenager post some day!
Jaded probably understands this method. And can sing it much better than I. To sing it, the umm is more like ohm sounding and the garr is more operatic and sounds several notes higher. Jaded, help me out here. How do I explain how to sing this in words???
I listen to NPR every morning and this morning I found myself laughing at a story about snoring. Not that snoring is funny, because it can be serious. But laughing at the thought of doing this woman's exercises....
There is an English woman who wrote a book called Singing for Snorers. She said her exercises won't help everybody, but it will help those with un-toned soft palates.
One of the exercises she explained today was, to sing umm-garr...umm where the back of your palate touches the back of your tongue and gar where your mouth opens. She sang a version and fortunately none of you will hear me sing this. She reminded me of Eliza Dolittle singing dialect. The author says to go around all day and just sing umm-garr. She said this will strengthen the soft palate and will eliminate snoring in some!
When asked how she came up with this therapy, she said, she had a friend who mimicked how he sounded when he snores. Apparently, he or somebody taped this snore, because it would be difficult to hear your own snore. And since she is a singer, it came to her that it was a soft palate sound....Hence the book.
Haven't the time this morning to give more details, but you may find her book on NPR.org, it was on Morning Edition. I am going to give it a try and sing umm-garr all day today. It should be interesting and provoke a few questions or at least weird looks! This is going to be fun....This may be in my how to embarrass your teenager post some day!
Jaded probably understands this method. And can sing it much better than I. To sing it, the umm is more like ohm sounding and the garr is more operatic and sounds several notes higher. Jaded, help me out here. How do I explain how to sing this in words???
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Costco..To Go or Not To Go
I have been trying to stay out of Costco for several months now. It has been called the three hundred dollar store. But I know better.
Once a month, I went to pick up prescriptions, which resulted in,
Large quantities of paper towels
Bathroom tissue (sounds better than toilet paper)
Paper plates, and bowls (for kiddy snacks)
Laundry soap, dishwasher detergent
Ziplock bags
Case of cola (Never for myself)
Fresh produce in bulk
Batteries in various sizes
An eight pack of tuna
And the occasional end row item, I had to have.
Hardly necessary...
Socks for the family (remember, I am out of laundry soap)
CD's, DVD's
Cute kid clothes
A clothing item for GOM, he would always ask, "What did you get me?"
Gel Pens
Fresh flowers
If the kids came along...Perhaps a game for gameboy, computer or game cube
Always necessary...
A book or two
Chicken jerkey treats for the dog ( a must never run out item)
Starbucks coffee beans (two and a half pounds)
Eggs (1.58 for a 18 eggs!)
Wine (various)
Scotch (single malt of course)
Fish (enough to feed 15)
Meat of some kind (For dinners)
Caesar salad with a turkey croissant for lunch
Then the frozen foods...
Stir fry veggies
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Aussie Pies (for the nights I didn't cook)
Shrimp
You get the gist. I came to the conclusion that if my prescriptions were dispensed from a local pharmacy, I could save a bundle. And it has worked.
However, there is one thing that Costco has (in mass quantities and cheap) that nobody else has that I have found...Chicken Jerky Treats for the dog. Last time I went, about three months ago, I bought three bags. I am out. Therefore, I begin the vicious cycle. I must go to Costco for these treats...Which means while I am there, I may as well get all the other stuff I need, since it will be three months before I go again....
Let's Review,
It is cheaper to stay away from Costco. Unless you really truly have to go there for something only they have.
Then buy several and get the hell out!
Don't use their pharmacy unless you can refrain from going nuts, and if it is in your neighborhood.
If you absolutely must drive fifteen miles for the cheapest gas...Then you should get out your calculator and figure how much gas it took to get there and see if it was worth it!
If you do go, don't take the kids! You end up spending even more.
Once a month, I went to pick up prescriptions, which resulted in,
Large quantities of paper towels
Bathroom tissue (sounds better than toilet paper)
Paper plates, and bowls (for kiddy snacks)
Laundry soap, dishwasher detergent
Ziplock bags
Case of cola (Never for myself)
Fresh produce in bulk
Batteries in various sizes
An eight pack of tuna
And the occasional end row item, I had to have.
Hardly necessary...
Socks for the family (remember, I am out of laundry soap)
CD's, DVD's
Cute kid clothes
A clothing item for GOM, he would always ask, "What did you get me?"
Gel Pens
Fresh flowers
If the kids came along...Perhaps a game for gameboy, computer or game cube
Always necessary...
A book or two
Chicken jerkey treats for the dog ( a must never run out item)
Starbucks coffee beans (two and a half pounds)
Eggs (1.58 for a 18 eggs!)
Wine (various)
Scotch (single malt of course)
Fish (enough to feed 15)
Meat of some kind (For dinners)
Caesar salad with a turkey croissant for lunch
Then the frozen foods...
Stir fry veggies
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Aussie Pies (for the nights I didn't cook)
Shrimp
You get the gist. I came to the conclusion that if my prescriptions were dispensed from a local pharmacy, I could save a bundle. And it has worked.
However, there is one thing that Costco has (in mass quantities and cheap) that nobody else has that I have found...Chicken Jerky Treats for the dog. Last time I went, about three months ago, I bought three bags. I am out. Therefore, I begin the vicious cycle. I must go to Costco for these treats...Which means while I am there, I may as well get all the other stuff I need, since it will be three months before I go again....
Let's Review,
It is cheaper to stay away from Costco. Unless you really truly have to go there for something only they have.
Then buy several and get the hell out!
Don't use their pharmacy unless you can refrain from going nuts, and if it is in your neighborhood.
If you absolutely must drive fifteen miles for the cheapest gas...Then you should get out your calculator and figure how much gas it took to get there and see if it was worth it!
If you do go, don't take the kids! You end up spending even more.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Fireworks and Fog
Well we saw fireworks in several locations. Only problem was the fog!
It was pretty cool to see the fireworks hit the fog bank and then give the image of bouncing back down. Lots of booms.
Our normal spot was too foggy and people began heading back down the hill. We stopped on the side of the road where we could see all of downtown, which turned out to be a good idea. Others did so as well.
One car with two assholes in it were throwing firecrackers and others out the window! I yelled at them and called them a name. Probably not wise in this day and age, but dammit we live in fire country! I could've called the cops who were grid locked in town...Now the tourists will sit in traffic for two hours to get out of town.
So that was our little firework adventure for this year. Can still hear lots of booms, but cannot see through the fog.
It was pretty cool to see the fireworks hit the fog bank and then give the image of bouncing back down. Lots of booms.
Our normal spot was too foggy and people began heading back down the hill. We stopped on the side of the road where we could see all of downtown, which turned out to be a good idea. Others did so as well.
One car with two assholes in it were throwing firecrackers and others out the window! I yelled at them and called them a name. Probably not wise in this day and age, but dammit we live in fire country! I could've called the cops who were grid locked in town...Now the tourists will sit in traffic for two hours to get out of town.
So that was our little firework adventure for this year. Can still hear lots of booms, but cannot see through the fog.
Home for the 4th of July
I am home for the 4th of July this year. For the last three years I have not been in America for her birthday.
Three years ago we were in Italy. My husband had gotten there a week before us so he could ride his bike in the mountains. He loved it. I will post about this trip another day.
Two years ago the family and I went with friends to Huahine. One of Tahiti's Islands. You may have seen her on my blog. The mountain range looks like a pregnant woman on her back. The island of fertility...Luckily not for me! It was a wonderful trip and I will post about that another day as well.
The tall ship, GOM (my husband) in the kyack and the photo of my girls and myself are in Huahine as well. The other shot is here, Laguna Beach, sunrise from our home, when it isn't foggy! And Pat the cat with Charlie the pup in Dec. Charlie was our new addition.
Today, I want to write about my trip to Huahine without my family, with my friends last year. It was a vacation unlike any other. As much as I love my family, it was truly a vacation for me...
I read Sweet Potato Queen books and Patricia Cornwell. I didn't have to worry about where the kids were. I didn't have to worry about making meals or not... I got up when I wanted, I went to sleep when I wanted, I did what I wanted. I didn't have to worry about who's feelings were hurt. Not being pulled in different directions or mediating arguments with kids.
I went to Huahine with my very good friend Jami and her family. They introduced us to Huahine a few years ago. We fell in love with the place. Nature, unspoiled, the people, local life, very small island, the place where Tahitian's go for their vacations. Out of the loop of most Tahitian trips for honeymooners and others. There is a ship that comes in, but from my experience, the folks who get off the boat talk smack about the little island. As they have just left luxury for the reality of the island. They may get off the ship for lying on the beach or scuba, fishing, snorkeling or surfing off a world class reef. But not for the shopping. Paraeos (sarongs) and postcards are just about all you can get there!
We stayed at a house on the water. My family and I had stayed there before. My friends had not. They have a little house there, not on the water, but perfectly nice for their frequent trips to Huahine. It's just that in Huahine, people share things, whether you like it or not! And my friend's house is no exception. This trip they decided to rent the big house on the water and not stay in their house. They invited me along. Sweet huh?
Since my friends know everybody, I have gotten to know so many people as well. Wonderful, fun people. Who will always take care of us! We bring things down from the states to give them. Everything is so highly priced there. They are so appreciative. They usually email us a list of things they need! My friend Jami just left Saturday for a trip there and I will miss her, but I will miss the fun that goes with being there too.
Our friends Marty and Moe own Chez Guynette, a boarding house and dorm, with a little restaurant that is on the water. Outside and friendly. They know everything. She helps people rent homes on the island as well as gets them to town from the tiny airport. Moe is from Huahine and has a long family line there. He runs a taxi business now. Marty is from NJ, but sailed the Cook Islands for years, in her former life.
Dorothy knows everybody as well. Jim Croce's widow, many other famous people, but many more non famous (to most). She is the person people seek out for the history of the island. She was the love of Bobby, a singer who died too young. She has the rights to his name. She has fabulous stories and loves to tell them. She owns a bar at the tiny airport. She shuts down the bar when the airport closes, which is until another plane is scheduled to land and at night. Landing there we are treated like royalty...So many come to greet us and help us schlep our haul to the house. But, Dorothy and Marty are always among our welcoming committee.
Both Dorothy and Marty would come by the house to swim with my Jami and me everyday. We would drink Tahiti drink and hang out in the water for hours on end. People were always dropping by when we were there. Everybody was welcome and it was one big party.
Dorothy told us some old friends of hers were coming last year, when we were there. Her friends turned out to be Timothy Bottoms and his wife Marcia and their kids. Listen to these great names. Buckeye, Bodi, Bridget and I am drawing a blank on the youngest boy's name. It started with a B too.
Dorothy and Marty introduced us to them. Once that was done, we saw them daily. It was a blast. They were very nice people and they were staying on the island for a month. And they came prepared with bikes, boogie board, surf boards, and everything else to keep them busy for a month...Except Tim forgot the charger to his MAC...I always took my laptop with me and used it for movies at night. I had known from prior visits to come with more than one converter and charger for my computer so I could watch movies in bed and not drain the power. My bedroom was air-conditioned, by the way...Two bedrooms in the house had a/c with king beds...
Anyhow, Tim had planned on working while he was there, but his computer was dead. He brought over his computer and I charged it for him and sent him home that night with a converter so his cord would work! Saved the day, yes I did...
As always, we and our local friends have a luau while we are there. Coconut milk from the trees, breadfruit from the trees and fresh fish from the local fishermen. We invited the Bottoms family to join us. It was a perfect day. Long, hot, lots of swimming, lots of laughing with friends and wonderful food and drink. At the end of the luau, Tim started picking up plates and heads to the kitchen with them. I tell Marcia she has done well in training him. Tim is getting teased by all of the women. He tells us, "Hey, you have a movie star doing dishes in your kitchen!" We all laugh and I tell him he would look better with an apron...Marcia thinks this is funny. Nobody cares what you do in your real life in Huahine....
It is always sad to leave Huahine. Life is so simple there. We don't watch television, cell phones are new there, but we don't use them. We just swim, walk to town, visit, enjoy our short time with our friends. It is such a wonderful place and I will miss it this year. When I got off the plane in LA last year, I cried when I saw my family. I did miss them in the nearly three weeks I was away. And one thing that always happens when I leave there, is that I don't care what people think about me. I feel refreshed and happy. That feeling lasts for a long time. I may not look good in a bathing suit or tank tops and before I go, I am uneasy to wear them here. But, when I get back, I have a great tan and wear whatever I like...I feel good about myself and only wish that could happen right here in my own little town.
This year I want to see fireworks. I don't want to go downtown where people are already homesteading spots for the show at nine tonight. From our home we can see at least three displays. From the park down the road, five displays. No crowds...That is what I like. Now if the fog stays away long enough, we will have some beautiful sights in the night sky tonight....
Happy 4th to you all and Happy Birthday America.
Three years ago we were in Italy. My husband had gotten there a week before us so he could ride his bike in the mountains. He loved it. I will post about this trip another day.
Two years ago the family and I went with friends to Huahine. One of Tahiti's Islands. You may have seen her on my blog. The mountain range looks like a pregnant woman on her back. The island of fertility...Luckily not for me! It was a wonderful trip and I will post about that another day as well.
The tall ship, GOM (my husband) in the kyack and the photo of my girls and myself are in Huahine as well. The other shot is here, Laguna Beach, sunrise from our home, when it isn't foggy! And Pat the cat with Charlie the pup in Dec. Charlie was our new addition.
Today, I want to write about my trip to Huahine without my family, with my friends last year. It was a vacation unlike any other. As much as I love my family, it was truly a vacation for me...
I read Sweet Potato Queen books and Patricia Cornwell. I didn't have to worry about where the kids were. I didn't have to worry about making meals or not... I got up when I wanted, I went to sleep when I wanted, I did what I wanted. I didn't have to worry about who's feelings were hurt. Not being pulled in different directions or mediating arguments with kids.
I went to Huahine with my very good friend Jami and her family. They introduced us to Huahine a few years ago. We fell in love with the place. Nature, unspoiled, the people, local life, very small island, the place where Tahitian's go for their vacations. Out of the loop of most Tahitian trips for honeymooners and others. There is a ship that comes in, but from my experience, the folks who get off the boat talk smack about the little island. As they have just left luxury for the reality of the island. They may get off the ship for lying on the beach or scuba, fishing, snorkeling or surfing off a world class reef. But not for the shopping. Paraeos (sarongs) and postcards are just about all you can get there!
We stayed at a house on the water. My family and I had stayed there before. My friends had not. They have a little house there, not on the water, but perfectly nice for their frequent trips to Huahine. It's just that in Huahine, people share things, whether you like it or not! And my friend's house is no exception. This trip they decided to rent the big house on the water and not stay in their house. They invited me along. Sweet huh?
Since my friends know everybody, I have gotten to know so many people as well. Wonderful, fun people. Who will always take care of us! We bring things down from the states to give them. Everything is so highly priced there. They are so appreciative. They usually email us a list of things they need! My friend Jami just left Saturday for a trip there and I will miss her, but I will miss the fun that goes with being there too.
Our friends Marty and Moe own Chez Guynette, a boarding house and dorm, with a little restaurant that is on the water. Outside and friendly. They know everything. She helps people rent homes on the island as well as gets them to town from the tiny airport. Moe is from Huahine and has a long family line there. He runs a taxi business now. Marty is from NJ, but sailed the Cook Islands for years, in her former life.
Dorothy knows everybody as well. Jim Croce's widow, many other famous people, but many more non famous (to most). She is the person people seek out for the history of the island. She was the love of Bobby, a singer who died too young. She has the rights to his name. She has fabulous stories and loves to tell them. She owns a bar at the tiny airport. She shuts down the bar when the airport closes, which is until another plane is scheduled to land and at night. Landing there we are treated like royalty...So many come to greet us and help us schlep our haul to the house. But, Dorothy and Marty are always among our welcoming committee.
Both Dorothy and Marty would come by the house to swim with my Jami and me everyday. We would drink Tahiti drink and hang out in the water for hours on end. People were always dropping by when we were there. Everybody was welcome and it was one big party.
Dorothy told us some old friends of hers were coming last year, when we were there. Her friends turned out to be Timothy Bottoms and his wife Marcia and their kids. Listen to these great names. Buckeye, Bodi, Bridget and I am drawing a blank on the youngest boy's name. It started with a B too.
Dorothy and Marty introduced us to them. Once that was done, we saw them daily. It was a blast. They were very nice people and they were staying on the island for a month. And they came prepared with bikes, boogie board, surf boards, and everything else to keep them busy for a month...Except Tim forgot the charger to his MAC...I always took my laptop with me and used it for movies at night. I had known from prior visits to come with more than one converter and charger for my computer so I could watch movies in bed and not drain the power. My bedroom was air-conditioned, by the way...Two bedrooms in the house had a/c with king beds...
Anyhow, Tim had planned on working while he was there, but his computer was dead. He brought over his computer and I charged it for him and sent him home that night with a converter so his cord would work! Saved the day, yes I did...
As always, we and our local friends have a luau while we are there. Coconut milk from the trees, breadfruit from the trees and fresh fish from the local fishermen. We invited the Bottoms family to join us. It was a perfect day. Long, hot, lots of swimming, lots of laughing with friends and wonderful food and drink. At the end of the luau, Tim started picking up plates and heads to the kitchen with them. I tell Marcia she has done well in training him. Tim is getting teased by all of the women. He tells us, "Hey, you have a movie star doing dishes in your kitchen!" We all laugh and I tell him he would look better with an apron...Marcia thinks this is funny. Nobody cares what you do in your real life in Huahine....
It is always sad to leave Huahine. Life is so simple there. We don't watch television, cell phones are new there, but we don't use them. We just swim, walk to town, visit, enjoy our short time with our friends. It is such a wonderful place and I will miss it this year. When I got off the plane in LA last year, I cried when I saw my family. I did miss them in the nearly three weeks I was away. And one thing that always happens when I leave there, is that I don't care what people think about me. I feel refreshed and happy. That feeling lasts for a long time. I may not look good in a bathing suit or tank tops and before I go, I am uneasy to wear them here. But, when I get back, I have a great tan and wear whatever I like...I feel good about myself and only wish that could happen right here in my own little town.
This year I want to see fireworks. I don't want to go downtown where people are already homesteading spots for the show at nine tonight. From our home we can see at least three displays. From the park down the road, five displays. No crowds...That is what I like. Now if the fog stays away long enough, we will have some beautiful sights in the night sky tonight....
Happy 4th to you all and Happy Birthday America.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
AOL or Blogger?
I have heard a couple people have received returned mail from my blogger account or email. I have my blog set up to notify me via AOL mail when somebody comments.
I thought these emails only came to me. I am trying to find out why they have been returned. I have notified the Postmaster and have turned off this blogger feature.
I am confused. I realized that I was getting comments, but no email notifications, yesterday. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you!
I thought these emails only came to me. I am trying to find out why they have been returned. I have notified the Postmaster and have turned off this blogger feature.
I am confused. I realized that I was getting comments, but no email notifications, yesterday. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you!
A What Have You Done List
I stole this idea from Bonny's site. I cannot do bold without html. I have a mac and cannot get the header to make bold font. If I can and you know how...Let me in on it please!
So in the interest of saving time, I will mark X next to the things I have done....And add unnecessary commentary! Can't help myself.
It would be fun if you did the same and then I could get to know you too. Unless you are shy or don't give a fat rat's ass. Or if you are Bonn, I already know what YOU did!
01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink (almost)
02. Swam with wild dolphins (never)
03. Climbed a mountain (never ever)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (never)
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid (never)
06. Held a tarantula ...X (hairy but harmless)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone...X
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it...X
09. Hugged a tree (No)
10. Done a striptease (Not that I recall)
11. Bungee jumped (N0, never going to happen)
12. Visited Paris (No, but had tix to go, broke ankle)
13. Watched a lightningstorm at sea (seen one from shore)
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise...X
15. Seen the northern lights (Seen the southern cross)
16. Gone to a huge sports game...X (Oh yeah)
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (Not while it is leaning)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables...X (Yum)
19. Stood on a Glacier...X (Wonderful)
20. Slept under the stars...X (Amazing)
21. Changed a baby’s diaper...X (Thousands)
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (Don't do heights)
23. Watched a meteor shower...X (Love these)
24. Gotten drunk on champagne...X (You bet)
25. Given more than you can afford to charity (Only to the the local police fund)
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope...X
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment...X (FUN)
28. Had a food fight... (Gross)
29. Bet on a winning horse...X (Once)
30. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill...X
31. Asked out a stranger...X (Once, and it worked)
32. Had a snowball fight...X
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier...(NOOOO)
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can...X
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy (Not yet)
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip...X
38. Taken an ice cold bath (NO way)
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar (No, but I should do that)
40. Seen a total eclispe...X (several)
41. Ridden a roller coaster...X (don't really like them)
42. Hit a home run...X (twice in softball)
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days...X (If I haven't, it sure has felt like it!)
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking...X (Only with cocktails)
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day (Nope)
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (They came from everywhere, but to the US in 1700's)
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment...X (Absolutely)
48. Had two hard drives for your computer....(Not at the same time, but on the second for my current laptop)
49. Visited all 50 states...(Not yet, and there are some, I just have to take a pass on!)
50. Loved your job on all accounts...X (A long long time ago)
There are only one hundred and I could have done all two hundred. Come on...What else have you go to do today? Next 50....
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced...X (Duh)
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied...X
53. Had amazing friends....X (Still do)
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Not that I remember)
55. Watched wild whales...X (Amazing)
56. Stolen a sign...(Of course not!)
57. Backpacked in Europe...(No, and don't want to)
58. Taken a road-trip...X (Yes, many)
59. Rock climbing...(Not going to happen)
60. Lied to a foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice...(Certainly not)
61. Midnight walk on the beach...X (Yes, yes, yes)
62. Sky diving...(Airplanes are for sitting in)
63. Visited Ireland...(No, but I hear it's beautiful)
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love...X (While much younger)
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them...(No, but it would be a blast)
66. Visited Japan....(No)
67. Benchpressed your own weight...(Yeah right)
68. Milked a cow....X (Yep)
69. Alphabetized your records...X (Can you say tweaking?)
70. Pretended to be a superhero...(LOL)
71. Sung karaoke...X
72. Lounged around in bed all day...X (Lazy days are good)
73. Posed nude in front of strangers...(Haha)
74. Scuba diving...X
75. Got it on to “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye...(LMAO)
76. Kissed in the rain...X
77. Played in the mud....X
78. Played in the rain....X
79. Gone to a drive-in theater...X (Miss them)
80. Done something you should regret, but don’t regret it...X (Yes and yes)
81. Visited the Great Wall of China (No and not on my list of things to do)
82. Discovered that someone who’s not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog ( I hope not)
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better...(I am a MAC girl)
84. Started a business...(Not so far)
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken...X
86. Toured ancient sites...X (In Mexico and Honduras...)
87. Taken a martial arts class...X ( For several years)
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married...X (Once)
91. Been in a movie...(No, but it might be fun)
92. Crashed a party...X (Hell yes)
93. Loved someone you shouldn’t have...X (Oh yeah!)
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy...X (It's possible)
95. Gotten divorced....(Luckily no)
96. Had sex in the office...(NEVER)
97. Gone without food for 5 days...(No way!)
98. Made cookies from scratch...X (Those premixed cookies are good)
99. Won first prize in a costume contest....(No, bad at costumes)
100. Ridden in a gondola in Venice...X (Yes, it was a blast)
So in the interest of saving time, I will mark X next to the things I have done....And add unnecessary commentary! Can't help myself.
It would be fun if you did the same and then I could get to know you too. Unless you are shy or don't give a fat rat's ass. Or if you are Bonn, I already know what YOU did!
01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink (almost)
02. Swam with wild dolphins (never)
03. Climbed a mountain (never ever)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (never)
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid (never)
06. Held a tarantula ...X (hairy but harmless)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone...X
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it...X
09. Hugged a tree (No)
10. Done a striptease (Not that I recall)
11. Bungee jumped (N0, never going to happen)
12. Visited Paris (No, but had tix to go, broke ankle)
13. Watched a lightningstorm at sea (seen one from shore)
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise...X
15. Seen the northern lights (Seen the southern cross)
16. Gone to a huge sports game...X (Oh yeah)
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (Not while it is leaning)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables...X (Yum)
19. Stood on a Glacier...X (Wonderful)
20. Slept under the stars...X (Amazing)
21. Changed a baby’s diaper...X (Thousands)
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (Don't do heights)
23. Watched a meteor shower...X (Love these)
24. Gotten drunk on champagne...X (You bet)
25. Given more than you can afford to charity (Only to the the local police fund)
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope...X
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment...X (FUN)
28. Had a food fight... (Gross)
29. Bet on a winning horse...X (Once)
30. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill...X
31. Asked out a stranger...X (Once, and it worked)
32. Had a snowball fight...X
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier...(NOOOO)
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can...X
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy (Not yet)
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip...X
38. Taken an ice cold bath (NO way)
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar (No, but I should do that)
40. Seen a total eclispe...X (several)
41. Ridden a roller coaster...X (don't really like them)
42. Hit a home run...X (twice in softball)
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days...X (If I haven't, it sure has felt like it!)
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking...X (Only with cocktails)
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day (Nope)
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (They came from everywhere, but to the US in 1700's)
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment...X (Absolutely)
48. Had two hard drives for your computer....(Not at the same time, but on the second for my current laptop)
49. Visited all 50 states...(Not yet, and there are some, I just have to take a pass on!)
50. Loved your job on all accounts...X (A long long time ago)
There are only one hundred and I could have done all two hundred. Come on...What else have you go to do today? Next 50....
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced...X (Duh)
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied...X
53. Had amazing friends....X (Still do)
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Not that I remember)
55. Watched wild whales...X (Amazing)
56. Stolen a sign...(Of course not!)
57. Backpacked in Europe...(No, and don't want to)
58. Taken a road-trip...X (Yes, many)
59. Rock climbing...(Not going to happen)
60. Lied to a foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice...(Certainly not)
61. Midnight walk on the beach...X (Yes, yes, yes)
62. Sky diving...(Airplanes are for sitting in)
63. Visited Ireland...(No, but I hear it's beautiful)
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love...X (While much younger)
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them...(No, but it would be a blast)
66. Visited Japan....(No)
67. Benchpressed your own weight...(Yeah right)
68. Milked a cow....X (Yep)
69. Alphabetized your records...X (Can you say tweaking?)
70. Pretended to be a superhero...(LOL)
71. Sung karaoke...X
72. Lounged around in bed all day...X (Lazy days are good)
73. Posed nude in front of strangers...(Haha)
74. Scuba diving...X
75. Got it on to “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye...(LMAO)
76. Kissed in the rain...X
77. Played in the mud....X
78. Played in the rain....X
79. Gone to a drive-in theater...X (Miss them)
80. Done something you should regret, but don’t regret it...X (Yes and yes)
81. Visited the Great Wall of China (No and not on my list of things to do)
82. Discovered that someone who’s not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog ( I hope not)
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better...(I am a MAC girl)
84. Started a business...(Not so far)
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken...X
86. Toured ancient sites...X (In Mexico and Honduras...)
87. Taken a martial arts class...X ( For several years)
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married...X (Once)
91. Been in a movie...(No, but it might be fun)
92. Crashed a party...X (Hell yes)
93. Loved someone you shouldn’t have...X (Oh yeah!)
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy...X (It's possible)
95. Gotten divorced....(Luckily no)
96. Had sex in the office...(NEVER)
97. Gone without food for 5 days...(No way!)
98. Made cookies from scratch...X (Those premixed cookies are good)
99. Won first prize in a costume contest....(No, bad at costumes)
100. Ridden in a gondola in Venice...X (Yes, it was a blast)
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Traffic, A's and the Eye Doctor
Yesterday was one of those days, when it seemed I was back in the car every couple of hours taking one of the girls somewhere.
It was also the first full day of the Sawdust Festival. And the Pageant of the Masters began a few days ago. Traffic everywhere. I knew it was coming when I saw the orange cones placed in rows near the crosswalks downtown. I know these events are vital to our local economy, but geez. I felt like screaming when it took me four rounds to get thru a traffic light to make a right onto PCH! PCH was so packed that people were sitting in the middle of the intersection, so those of us turning could only make two cars per light! Welcome to summer in Laguna Beach.
There are a couple of hours in the morning that are what one would call "off peak" hours. Other than that, it was a wake up call for me to leave town by back route and not to shop in town until after Labor Day. Just a fact. We cannot get into our own town, well, of course we could, but what a waste of time that would be to sit in the traffic and you can forget getting a parking space.
There is a nice shuttle system. It is the canyon, before you enter downtown. Better for those coming into town and want to go to the festival or the pageant, or even shop. The shuttle will bring you in, drop you off and you can spend your whole day here. Get back on the shuttle and it will take you back to your car! Please do so if coming to town. You will avoid the parking nightmare and did I mention, it is free? Yes, totally and completely free. You can jump on and off at any time, for free! Where can you find anything free these days??? Right here in Laguna Beach! But, only the shuttle is free.
I took Zoe back to the eye doctor yesterday. Actually, I took her to the dude who does contacts. I liked him. He was exuberant and just really nice. Zoe was unimpressed. She is thirteen. Not much excites her at this age. A great new Anime movie perhaps, or getting four A pluses and two A's could do it....That is what we read on her report card yesterday. She was quite excited about that. I am very proud of her. But, she is not one of those giddy, giggly types.
So, this, I suppose he is an optometrist, but he asked who sent me to him. I said, "Jennifer. She was the doctor we saw on Monday." "Oh, I don't have Zoe's file," he said. I said, "You are in the same office and we were here four days ago!" "Well, let's go over and see what the machine says her numbers are," he replies. We got Zoe's numbers and he said, "Oh, her right eye is great, and yeah, her left eye is lazy." I am trying to keep calm, I really liked this guy, I said, "Yes, and Jennifer thinks we should get her a contact for the bad eye." He disagrees. "It will not help, her right eye is doing all the work. We can improve the eye a bit, but it will be a waste of money," he says. He pops a lens in Zoe's eye. Hates it instantly. We ask her if it is something she would consider? Nope. He asked her, "Do you wear glasses now?" She told him she did until she started getting headaches. "Hmm, well, did you bring your glasses with you?" he asked. No glasses were brought. He said, "The only reason I would put her in glasses is to protect her good eye. If something happened to her good eye, she would be legally blind," he said. I told him that Jennifer had pounded that point home on Monday. He told me that she had to do that to protect herself. Then I mention that Jennifer said Zoe would be a good candidate for laser surgery when she was eighteen...His eyes got big and he said, "That will not help her at all. Her brain never taught her right eye to see. Surgery is for a bad cornea, her cornea is fine." I take a deep breath and say, "So, you are totally disagreeing with everything Jennifer said!" He says, "No, I am not saying that." I roll my eyes along with my very wise thirteen year old. Then I tell him, "Well, I am very unhappy about all of this!" Zoe bursts out laughing! She is more used to my saying something like, "Are you shitting me? This really pisses me off!" So, she found the "very unhappy" comment, funny.
We before we left, from a no charge visit, he said, "I will talk to Jennifer when she comes in, a week from Monday." I told him thank you and we left. We laughed while we discussed his face when I asked him, "So, you disagree with everything Jennifer said?" and at his response, "No, I am not saying that." He very obviously did! This is a prominent ophthalmology center. The only thing Zoe really needs would be goggles for playing sports. Or just polywhatever lenses, in glasses. What really pisses me off is for the last six years, we have paid about $400 for each pair of her glasses. The lens for the bad eye was thick and magnified her eye. So, we opted for a more expensive lens that would not do that! All the while, we could have gotten regular, no scrip, lenses! Letting it go now!!!!!! Ohm........Ohm.......Ohm........gone.
And, I did get lost getting there again. But only one wrong turn! Now, I really know my way there, and we will not be back!
Katharine has been a social butterfly. As usual, her report card was all A's like Zoe's usually is. She got two A pluses as well. She is competitive and will be upset that Zoe got more A pluses....Oh well. I am lucky they are so smart and can do their own homework...That comes from their father's side! LOL....This is just one day of Katharine's schedule lately. Leave sleepover, be driven to rehearsal for Suessical (right smack in the middle of the festival), driven home for a while, before another friend invites her to swim. Home to dry hair and burn three cd's, then off to a going away party bonfire at the beach, for a really good friend. She has had three sleepovers this week. I had to insist she have some down time, so she doesn't get run down and sick...She told me she has a cold. I told her I rest my case! She has only been out of school for a week. I fully expect her to sleep til noon today...For all of our sakes!
So, as much as I will try to avoid the traffic clusterfuck, I have to go into it five times in the morning and five times in the afternoons, to retrieve Katharine from rehearsals. Hopefully, we will do some carpooling.....
I was very sad to hear of the death of Luther Vandross. He was so amazing. BTW, does anybody know if we can watch the Live8 concert on TV????
It was also the first full day of the Sawdust Festival. And the Pageant of the Masters began a few days ago. Traffic everywhere. I knew it was coming when I saw the orange cones placed in rows near the crosswalks downtown. I know these events are vital to our local economy, but geez. I felt like screaming when it took me four rounds to get thru a traffic light to make a right onto PCH! PCH was so packed that people were sitting in the middle of the intersection, so those of us turning could only make two cars per light! Welcome to summer in Laguna Beach.
There are a couple of hours in the morning that are what one would call "off peak" hours. Other than that, it was a wake up call for me to leave town by back route and not to shop in town until after Labor Day. Just a fact. We cannot get into our own town, well, of course we could, but what a waste of time that would be to sit in the traffic and you can forget getting a parking space.
There is a nice shuttle system. It is the canyon, before you enter downtown. Better for those coming into town and want to go to the festival or the pageant, or even shop. The shuttle will bring you in, drop you off and you can spend your whole day here. Get back on the shuttle and it will take you back to your car! Please do so if coming to town. You will avoid the parking nightmare and did I mention, it is free? Yes, totally and completely free. You can jump on and off at any time, for free! Where can you find anything free these days??? Right here in Laguna Beach! But, only the shuttle is free.
I took Zoe back to the eye doctor yesterday. Actually, I took her to the dude who does contacts. I liked him. He was exuberant and just really nice. Zoe was unimpressed. She is thirteen. Not much excites her at this age. A great new Anime movie perhaps, or getting four A pluses and two A's could do it....That is what we read on her report card yesterday. She was quite excited about that. I am very proud of her. But, she is not one of those giddy, giggly types.
So, this, I suppose he is an optometrist, but he asked who sent me to him. I said, "Jennifer. She was the doctor we saw on Monday." "Oh, I don't have Zoe's file," he said. I said, "You are in the same office and we were here four days ago!" "Well, let's go over and see what the machine says her numbers are," he replies. We got Zoe's numbers and he said, "Oh, her right eye is great, and yeah, her left eye is lazy." I am trying to keep calm, I really liked this guy, I said, "Yes, and Jennifer thinks we should get her a contact for the bad eye." He disagrees. "It will not help, her right eye is doing all the work. We can improve the eye a bit, but it will be a waste of money," he says. He pops a lens in Zoe's eye. Hates it instantly. We ask her if it is something she would consider? Nope. He asked her, "Do you wear glasses now?" She told him she did until she started getting headaches. "Hmm, well, did you bring your glasses with you?" he asked. No glasses were brought. He said, "The only reason I would put her in glasses is to protect her good eye. If something happened to her good eye, she would be legally blind," he said. I told him that Jennifer had pounded that point home on Monday. He told me that she had to do that to protect herself. Then I mention that Jennifer said Zoe would be a good candidate for laser surgery when she was eighteen...His eyes got big and he said, "That will not help her at all. Her brain never taught her right eye to see. Surgery is for a bad cornea, her cornea is fine." I take a deep breath and say, "So, you are totally disagreeing with everything Jennifer said!" He says, "No, I am not saying that." I roll my eyes along with my very wise thirteen year old. Then I tell him, "Well, I am very unhappy about all of this!" Zoe bursts out laughing! She is more used to my saying something like, "Are you shitting me? This really pisses me off!" So, she found the "very unhappy" comment, funny.
We before we left, from a no charge visit, he said, "I will talk to Jennifer when she comes in, a week from Monday." I told him thank you and we left. We laughed while we discussed his face when I asked him, "So, you disagree with everything Jennifer said?" and at his response, "No, I am not saying that." He very obviously did! This is a prominent ophthalmology center. The only thing Zoe really needs would be goggles for playing sports. Or just polywhatever lenses, in glasses. What really pisses me off is for the last six years, we have paid about $400 for each pair of her glasses. The lens for the bad eye was thick and magnified her eye. So, we opted for a more expensive lens that would not do that! All the while, we could have gotten regular, no scrip, lenses! Letting it go now!!!!!! Ohm........Ohm.......Ohm........gone.
And, I did get lost getting there again. But only one wrong turn! Now, I really know my way there, and we will not be back!
Katharine has been a social butterfly. As usual, her report card was all A's like Zoe's usually is. She got two A pluses as well. She is competitive and will be upset that Zoe got more A pluses....Oh well. I am lucky they are so smart and can do their own homework...That comes from their father's side! LOL....This is just one day of Katharine's schedule lately. Leave sleepover, be driven to rehearsal for Suessical (right smack in the middle of the festival), driven home for a while, before another friend invites her to swim. Home to dry hair and burn three cd's, then off to a going away party bonfire at the beach, for a really good friend. She has had three sleepovers this week. I had to insist she have some down time, so she doesn't get run down and sick...She told me she has a cold. I told her I rest my case! She has only been out of school for a week. I fully expect her to sleep til noon today...For all of our sakes!
So, as much as I will try to avoid the traffic clusterfuck, I have to go into it five times in the morning and five times in the afternoons, to retrieve Katharine from rehearsals. Hopefully, we will do some carpooling.....
I was very sad to hear of the death of Luther Vandross. He was so amazing. BTW, does anybody know if we can watch the Live8 concert on TV????
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