Food Combos

Tuna salad and chocolate covered raisins.  Not a great combination.  Just sayin'.

Reconnections

Have you ever reconnected with a person from your past, only to find they are nothing like the person you remember?  Maybe it isn't a memory issue.  Maybe life just changed the person into someone totally different.  Either way it's extremely disappointing.  A let down.  A major bummer.  You wish you could get a refund on all the time you spent thinking about that person and wondering what became of them.

I had such an experience last summer and I'm still trying to "process" it.  Time has not been kind to this person.  They have become completely self-absorbed and wave a "I'm Bi-Polar" banner with pride.  Hey, congrats on that!

If I could do it over again, I'd leave this skeleton in my closet.  I've learned a lesson for the future, regarding the past.  I'll be letting sleeping skeletons lie because some questions are best left unanswered.

Bruce Jenner

I don't know about you, but I am about sick of hearing about Bruce Jenner.  And even sicker of seeing his/her face.  I try to be tolerant and remember it's not my job to judge.  And I know, it's not.  Yet I cannot help the fact my stomach just turns whenever I see hear about him.  Gross.

Patty Smyth - Goodbye To You (OMG Is This a Great Song or What?)

Underwear

It's highly overrated, in my opinion.  It annoys me the way it bunches up or moves around.  And don't get me started on the old visible panty line phenomena.  I just don't like it and therefore, I rarely wear it.  I have a few pair, in case I have to go to the hospital.  Men are a lot more accepting of this.  Other women find it cheap and tacky.  So to shut them up I boldly announce, "I don't shave my legs either!"  Oh yeah, that always gets me a gasp or two or three.  THEN, I show them a leg and they bend down and examine it closely.  No tricks, no applications of hot wax or hours spent with tweezers.  I'm fair skinned and not a hairy person, I explain.  Haven't had to shave my legs for the past 15 years.  Whatever judgment they would have passed at the lack of under garments is quickly replaced by wonder and awe at my amazing hairless legs.

No White Gloves Allowed

I made a quick visit to a dear friend's home last night.  She was apologetic because things were not in perfect order.  When it comes to being apologetic about a messy house, I am the QUEEN!  And rightfully so.  I have the most chaotic house of anyone I know.  It isn't right and it certainly is not fair to my husband or son.  But I digress.  

I did not see anything out of place at her house.  I only saw HER, and her sweet and funny husband.  I wasn't looking for dust or prints on the fridge.  If someone is your friend, they come to see you, not to inspect your house.  Anyone who knows me knows how I struggle to contain my creative messes.  They also know there is so much more to me than what meets the eye.  

Driving home I was thinking how sad it is that we worry about what our friends think of our housekeeping skills.  Because, if the friend isn't worrying, why should we?  We all lead hectic lives, but what's wrong with grabbing a pizza or some sandwiches at Subway and just hanging out together?  Let the dust bunnies fall where they may.

I'm Not Stupid

I'm not stupid.  I'm not stupid.  I'm not a brain surgeon either.  But I am reasonably intelligent.  If I really want to learn something, I am capable of learning it.  Even brain surgery.  At least, I used to be capable.  Probably way too old to learn it now.  But I do have incredibly steady hands and a love for working with tiny things in small, cramped spaces.  The mechanics of a light bulb should not defeat me.

My small gooseneck over the work table lamp was fluttering.  Assuming the bulb had loosened ever so slightly, I gently turned it to the right.  Because....righty tighty, lefty loosey, correct?  I'd like to be able to tell my ultra handy husband what I did to separate the light bulb into two pieces, but I have no idea.  He can look at a piece of furniture in a magazine and build an exact replica.  It's a real jolt to my pride to have to tell him I couldn't tighten a light bulb.

I could be a modern woman and attempt to fix it myself.  But I'm smart enough to know (see!) not to mess around with a light which is still plugged into the wall.  To unplug this light would require me to crawl underneath my work table.  I may be a gambler in Vegas, but not so much with my injured rotator cuff.  It just isn't worth moving or  twisting the wrong way.  Much more prudent to wait till hubby gets home.

In the meantime I've been working in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet.  That adds a whole new layer to the glamour of being self-employed.  And yes, the lid is down.  After all, I'm not stupid.

20 Years

I'm 54.  Hard to believe.  Even harder to type.  So, statistically speaking, I have roughly 20 years left on this earth.  This whole "getting old" thing has been many things: scary, funny, enlightening.  But mostly surreal.  Yes, surreal is the word to sum it up.  My mind is constantly flashing back to things from my teens.  For example, California Dental Association night at Disneyland.  They'd rent the whole park.  I looked forward to that one night all year.  I remember thinking - when I'm an adult I can visit Disneyland as often I want and no one can tell me no.  Now I live two states away and finances, work and just everyday responsibilities tell me no.

All of the cliches I heard growing up now apply to me.  I relate to the essays of Dave Barry and find myself thinking a lot more cranky thoughts than I used to.  I've begun to view life as a train trip.  You take your seat and gaze out the window as the scenery goes by.  I long ago passed diapers and daycare.  Now I'm cruising slowly through college tuition.

But....whatta ya gonna do?  Can't stop time.  Can't even slow it down.  And that's another thing!  How time passes so much more quickly the older we get!?!

Two Kinds of Pain

So, there are two kinds of pain.  The first is pain from something you've done to your body, or someone else has done to your body.  Or an injury, surgery, etc.  It was time for the epidural spinal injections today.  It's never a fun procedure, but there is an element of surprise as I never know if it will go well (minimal pain) or not so well (like the 4th of July inside my body).  Today was a fireworks kinda day.  It is still very tender and actually hurts a bit to breathe.  They say to take it easy for a day or two.  My husband agrees with them.  I, on the other hand, think taking it easy is incredibly boring and only gives you more time to focus on the pain.  As Gordon Ramsay would say, "Fuck me."

And speaking of Gordon, I've been watching some of the Hell's Kitchen seasons on YouTube.  We don't have cable TV at home, so I'm always a year or two or nine behind, which is fine with me.  Season 11 wrapped less than a month ago.  A very charming and talented young woman named Ja'Nel won.  Her prize was a year contract as Head Chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, along with a salary of $250,000.00.  As hubby would say, "Saaaweeeet!"

The L.A. Times reported today that Ja'Nel will not be accepting the position in Las Vegas.  She cited personal reasons as her explanation.  Dug a little deeper and discovered Caesar's Palace has an exceptionally strict drug policy and Ja'Nel tested positive for cocaine.  Talk about PAIN!!  What an idiot, and what a slap in the face to the woman she beat out for the position, and those who were also in the running and missed the finals by a hair.  Wow.....

Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Not the first time I've seen it, or used it, but it's been a while.  Hubby brought some home from the store and now I think we shall always buy it, even if it costs more than regular foil.

WKRP in Orange County......

Remember the show?  And the theme song?  "Baby if you've ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me.  I'm livin' on the air in Cincinnati, Cincinnati WKRP."

A few months back I reached out to someone from my past.  When I say past, I mean PAST, like 30 years ago.  Last time we saw each other my son was six months old.  He is almost 19 now.  I have many wonderful memories of this person.  I wanted to hear how his life had played out.  Did he ever remarry, did he ever have kids, did he ever think of me?

Yes this person was a radio personality.  I don't know much about the world of radio DJ's, except it's a cruel industry and people never stay in one place for very long.  I also know they guard their identity and privacy with the same zeal a Secret Service agent does.  Always looking behind them, thinking some crazed fan is going to appear.  Please.

Bottom line: I was ignored.  I thought about pulling a Fatal Attraction Glenn Close card and finding a way to let him know "I will not be ignored."  Problem is, that isn't me.  Never has been.  I am trustworthy and I am discreet.  Guess I got my answer though, and it is what it is.  I'll still hold onto my memories, and always wish him well.

BIG A-S-S SPIDER!

The title says it all!!  I stole borrowed this image from Kenna's Facebook page.  Photo was taken at her house.  Spiders really don't bother me.  Now rodents...well, that's something else.

Really Random

My Malamute's neck is 24 inches in diameter.  He needs a new collar so we measured him.

My Poor Head ~ My Poor Pizza

Today Geoff and I went out to look at more RV's.  After much discussion we have decided to get a 5th wheel instead of a Class C.  Buying used we can get a much larger 5th wheel for the same payment we currently have on our travel trailer.  Standing between two 5th wheels, on the lot, talking with the salesman.  Of course ALL the slides are out on the ALL the 5th wheels.  I turned and crashed my head into a slide.  I'm grateful it didn't break the skin, but surprised too.  It left a really nice bump and put a bit of a damper on my day.

We then went to Tuesday Morning.  The TM nearest my house just closed, and I was hoping against hope that this TM would still have some of the great stamp sets that everyone on YouTube was talking about.  No luck.  But of course I found a few things I couldn't live without, including the Tim Holtz dies that punch windows and shapes into chipboard.  That was $6.99.  They also had the gingerbread and ornament dies for $8.99 but those just didn't ring my bell.

In the same shopping center there was a Red Lobster.  I LOVE Red Lobster, and since hubby was such a good boy in the store, I offered to take him out for an early dinner.  I usually order the lobster pizza.  This particular RL, although friendly and wonderful like you would expect, burns their lobster pizzas.  I thought it was a fluke when the first one came out.  They were really behind in the kitchen and I assumed someone just let it cook a bit too long.  They brought a new one, and it looked almost as bad as the first.  The cheese isn't supposed to be brown like this.  I showed them their photo in the menu, and told them my cheese had never been brown before.  They didn't charge us for the pizza, and were as gracious as they could be.

Do you like RL's lobster pizza?  Does this look right to you?

Men Are Brave

Okay, along with a myriad of other fears, I am afraid of food poisoning.  I don't think this makes me odd, or crazy, or paranoid either.  I have found that men in general, and my husband in particular, are a whole lot braver than I am.  Case in point: today hubby ate a variety of Chinese take-out from little white containers which had been in our fridge since September 20th.  That's nine, count 'em, NINE days ago sports fans.

It's about 10 hours later, and he went to sleep without even a belch, so I guess he was right - there was nothing wrong with it.  Personally I obey the three day leftover rule, alongside the "if in doubt, throw it out" mantra.

RV Dreaming....

The hubs and I went to the RV Show a couple days ago.  We currently have a 28 foot travel trailer.  This trailer was our first ever RV purchase.  Didn't take long to realize that what we really wanted was something we didn't have to tow.  An RV where we could all be in the same place, and where we could get up and move around.

The photo above shows the style we are looking at now, otherwise known as a Class C.  An RV itself is not a cheap thing, but what really scares me is just the maintenance on them.  Like, one tire costs as much as four good car tires.

Jacob is in his senior year of high school.  Won't be long till he's off to college and we can hit the open road.  Does this mean my golden years are just around the corner?  Wow....

I'm Old

Back in the day (i.e., in my 20's) I owned 50 plus pairs of shoes.  I had far too many pairs, especially since I wore a uniform to work, complete with flat black fugly shoes.  But on the weekends though, wowza, my heels and I painted the town.

I like the three styles pictured above.  But I doubt I could have worn them even in my 20's.  Today's current style of shoes just makes me feel old.

This is a particularly boring blog post, I know.  I did need to post something, and it was either a shoes post or a mini-rant about how I cannot get my video to post to YouTube.  I think you get what you pay for with a Flip camera.

Downtown and a Tattoo

My son and I went to downtown Vancouver tonight, to a place called Hopeless Tattoo.  Yeah, I know.  Hopeless Tattoo.  It has been Jacob's wish for several years to have a tattoo done.  It's a cross, a very pretty one.  And there are some words too.  He will be 18 on September 4th.  We went to meet with the artist and get all the details.  Turns out the artist, Drew, was off tonight.  Jacob will go back on Friday to meet with him and put down the $60.00 deposit needed to make the appointment.

The tattoo will be my birthday present to him.  My husband does not approve, but has allowed me to to do this.  My late mother didn't approve either.  It's been the subject of much debate.  As for me, I am happy to be a small part of this tattoo.  An outward sign of Jacob's faith and determination to live a life pleasing to God.

As we walked along the sidewalk we came upon this wonderful piece of chalk art.  Good advice that bears repeating.

Do I Have a Shot?

So, I was thinking of sending this photo to the folks who publish Where Women Create. Do you think they'll do a story about me? Picture shows one-third of a seven foot work table. Pretty darn scary.

I can enter a perfectly organized room, and within five minutes, it looks like a tornado blew through it. I'm not bragging about this fact. I'm saying it's amazing, but not in a good way. I'm not even aware that I'm making messes until after they are made. Like I said - scary.

Butterflies and Flowers

A few little things I made today :).