Red Nose

A Form Of Love

The lovely and talented Meg, founder of the Friday Love List, wants to ensure that there's lots of love out there today, so she made it really easy for us love listers to get it done. She gave us a Love Form to fill out! Here it is, fresh from her site, with my answers.

Things YOU Love:

Song you love: I Will Not Be Broken, by Bonnie Raitt

Food you love: Beignets and Cafe Au Lait

Thing you love to look at: This painting, which hangs in our guestroom

Sound you love: Our wind chimes

Thing you love to laugh at: Marx Brothers movies ("There ain't no sanity clause!")

Gadget you love: My apple/peeler/corer/slicer, but I hardly ever use it! That's a bad tendency of mine; I fall in love with gadgets, buy them, and after the initial fling is over, I put them away and never use them again.

Person you love: Joe, of course

Software you love: Articulate Presenter -- I know, it's a work thing, but it's really a great tool.

Word you love: Delicious!

Thing you love on the internet: Typepad.com (nothing like sucking up to your blog host)

Place you love to go on vacation: Ocean City, Maryland

Sensation you love: A really good, soothing massage

Animal you love: Elephants

Book you love: Summer Lightning, by P.G. Wodehouse

Emotion you love: Gratitude

Occasion you love: Christmas Eve dinner with my family

Quality you love in people: Sense of humor

Thing you most love to shop for: Books

And finally…

What you love about today: I took a good walk on a crisp, cold, sunny winter day!

Go Out And Listen

Tonight I went to a book signing at a local Barnes and Noble. The book is by Dave Isay, and it's called Listening Is an Act of Love.

It's a collection of the interviews recorded for the StoryCorps project -- the same folks who recorded my interview with my Mom.

Dave's a fascinating guy, devoted to collecting an oral history of America. Not famous people, not wealthy people or politicians or scientists -- he wants to hear the stories of you and me, our parents and grandparents, and what life means to us. The book contains stories from the first 10,000 interviews. He played excepts from about half a dozen of the stories: funny ones, touching ones, infuriating ones.

He had a special guest there, a guy whose StoryCorps interview was selected for the book. He is one of the rare people who survived the destruction of the World Trade Center towers. He was on the 101st floor when the first plane hit, and he managed to get all the way down the stairs to safety. All through the other stories I managed to keep my shit together, but when he read his story -- especially the part when he gets home to his wife -- that did it. I had to wipe my eyes.

Dave kept saying that everyone needs to do this, that everyone should participate in whatever way possible. So when he asked for questions, I raised my hand and just said, "I did a StoryCorps interview with my 96-year old mother, and you're right; it's an amazing experience."

And that was all I could manage to croak out before I... well, sorta choked up.

Of course I bought the book. When I went up to get it signed, I asked him to sign it "To Anna and Mary" because I'm going to lend it to Mom to read. He added a little note "So glad you could be part of the StoryCorps project."

You could be, too. Grab a tape recorder, a notebook and a pen, go to a StoryCorps booth location with a friend, or a relative, or anyone. Ask questions, and listen. It's an amazing experience; it's an act of love.

There Goes The Tardis

We're watching Doctor Who, the most recent doctor, I think. He and Rose Martha Rose (no, really! Dennis! and Measi say so) are tracking some evil force that's inhabiting a little girl and drawing pictures that seem to snatch children and pets.

Creepy. But the Doctor is pretty cute.

A week or so ago I went grocery shopping and was immediately seduced by a lovely box of Clementines. This happens every year. I see that darling little crate full of bright orange fruit, and it looks just scrumptious, and then it sort of leaps into the cart. I eat one when I get home, and then a half-dozen stop trying and go bad. Five of the six develop big, soft brown spots, but the other one puts on a nice thick coat of prenatal penicillen mold and sticks to the box.

Then the acetone-y stinky rotten citrus smell of recalcitrant Clementines fills the air. So Christmassy, don't you think? So I eat two a day, just to get my money's worth. At least they're tasty!

The other day I took delivery of my five-year service award. A few weeks ago I got a package. I wasn't expecting anything, so I ripped it open with great curiousity and glee. It was a framed certificate, accompanied by a nice letter telling me to go to a website and choose my prize. My special secret code gave me access to all of the five-year prizes, including a pearl ring, an inflatable bed, various watches, single golf clubs. I chose this very nice suitcase:

It has all kinds of nice extras, too -- a suit bag, a toiletry case, lotsa pockets. It will replace my poor fuel-injected bag, which is still outside and still smells like Eau de Jetfuel. I will have to embellish it somehow, to distinguish it from all the other black rolling bags in the universe. Any suggestions?

Long Weekend

Oh, I had all kinds of plans for this weekend, mostly involving sitting in my study and writing writing writing, catching up on my NaNoWriMo word count, pulling ahead, and possibly finishing in a grand rush of creativity and authorial brilliance.

Not so much. I wrote not one word. Not. One.

And so, it has become pretty obvious that I don't particularly want to finish this story. I have no affection for it; no energy around it. It's not fun, and that's enough of a reason to stop.

So I'm done, with no regrets. Really, it's okay, because the weekend was wonderful.

Thanksgiving was terrific. We picked Mom up and headed to Annapolis, ate a lot, talked a lot, laughed a lot, and avoided arguing about politics a lot. The best thing? SonnyeBoy came, even though he had to work that night. We got Mom back to her group home way past her bedtime (9:00 pm!), but several other residents were arriving at the same time so we didn't have to sneak her in through the back or anything. She had a blast, too.

Friday my younger sister and I took Mom to lunch. That was also a lot of fun. Mom has gotten a lot of her energy back, and seems to have turned the corner on living at her new home. She's been involved in a skit! She plays bingo every day! She even suggested that the staff take some of the more with-it folks out to lunch, and they did! Now she's scouting out new places for lunch trips. It's quite a turnaround. Physically, she still needs a lot of help, but mentally and emotionally, she's good.

Yesterday Joe and I went to lunch, browsed around Barnes and Noble, and generally loafed. I loved every minute of it.

Today Joe and I took Mom to lunch again. In a way I have also turned a corner. Going to lunch with Mom used to be chore, an obligation, something to get over with. Now? It's a gift.

And finally, the holiday season is officially underway -- the first showing of A Christmas Story was on television tonight! Not only that, I registered for Holidailies. Now that's something I can do!

Seven More Things

The lovely and talented Anne tagged me to do the "Seven Facts" meme -- I already did one when Candy tagged me, but Anne is lovely and talented, so I'll find seven more facts that you might not know about me.

Or you might.

Here goes!

1. I have anxiety dreams, especially when I have something I have to do. I had one last night! I kept reminding myself IN MY DREAM to pay my mother's assisted living bill. So I did, first thing this morning.
2. I love oysters on the half shell. In fact, I was craving some today. Of course, I didn't think of the obvious place in the greater DC area to get oysters, but instead I thought of RiRa, an Irish restaurant that makes a point of advertising their oyster availability. And... they were out of oysters. So we ordered anyway, and then the server came back and told us that the delivery had just arrived! Whee! They were delicious too, nice and briny and plump.
3. I began wearing glasses in sixth grade, switched to contact lenses in ninth grade, and finally had LASIK surgery in 2000. I had the monovision adjustment, so I still don't need reading glasses -- most of the time.
4. My dad used to take us kids to the harness races at Ocean Downs sometimes. I'd read the odds to Pop, but one day the board seemed very fuzzy and I couldn't read it. Pop suggested that Mom better take me to the eye doctor. When the eye doctor asked me why I thought I needed glasses, I replied, "I couldn't read the tote board at the racetrack." Mom wanted to sink through the floor.
5. I always honk my horn when I drive across railroad tracks.
6. I pinch my bottom lip together when I'm thinking about something. Joe, for some reason, thinks this is weird, so I am dutifully reporting it.
7. I spent several rush hour commutes memorizing the words to Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues. My next Dylan lyric memorization goal is Highway 61 Revisited.

I'm supposed to tag a buncha more people, but I break chain letters. So if you'd like to do this one, consider yourself tagged!

Eat Pie!

Even on Thanksgiving day, there are vast numbers of people hitting this blog while searching for pumpkin pie recipes. And I thought I was a procrastinator!

Anyway, the weather is nuts today -- it's already in the 60s -- so Joe and I took a delightful walk around the lakes. We saw the Rockettes and Santa Claus in the Macy's parade, had lunch, and now we're getting ready to go over the river and through the woods to pick up Mom and head for my cousin's place for dinner.

If God is love and life is beautiful, SonnyeBoy will meet us there. (He has to work tonight, so ... Bah.)

Anyhow, I'm thankful to have this peaceful day. I'm thankful my mother is still here to enjoy it. I'm thankful that we have plenty of hot water, because I really need a shower.

Have a wonderful day. If you celebrate Thanksgiving today, eat pie! Ah heck, eat some anyway.

Pie and Posts

Evidently no one knows how to make a pumpkin pie anymore, because the whole entire world is searching for "best pumpkin pie" recipes and landing here. Not that I mind, because that recipe really does make the best damn pumpkin pie in the whole entire world. My gramma is probably smiling down from heaven, only she'd have no idea how someone got her pumpkin pie recipe by typing into a machine attached to a TV.

Aside from that, I must confess that I have been terribly remiss. The ornery Mr. OrneryPest tagged me to do this meme late last week, and I am finally getting around to doing it.

Tag!  You're it!  Brag about your diary!  The meme: Pick out five blog posts that illustrate the evolution of your blog, link to them, and comment on them.  Then tag five more diarists.

Okay, so we automatically have a little problem, in that I started my diary on January 1, 2002 on Diary-X. Diary-X is no more, having self-destructed in early 2006, and taking with it almost all of my entries from 2005.

But! I have every other entry from those days. The problem is that I can't link to them, because they're not posted anywhere, but I will comment on them. Let's start with that first one.

January 1, 2002. I started this whole diary/online journal/blog deal to document my weight loss. This first entry simply mentioned that I had lost a little over 19 pounds and that my blood pressure was down. Now? Um, not so much. Oh well.

August 7, 2002. I wrote this post for the "If Project", a neat collaboration where you answered a  question starting with the word "If". The question for that month was:

If you were to reinvent yourself, what is it about you that absolutely should be changed? What radical improvement do you think others would hope to see in you?

I had already almost made my weight-loss goal, so I wrote about how I wanted to find a new job, I was depressed over my current job, and I simply didn't want to do it anymore. What do you know -- a good friend of mine read it and immediately called me to tell me of an opening where I now work. I've always thought that was pretty cool.

September 6, 2003. This post, which I did bring over here, was the first circus memory that I posted. It's about the cook on the first circus I worked for. I had started writing up my memories of that show in the early 80s, and somehow they survived several different computers, several house moves, and pretty much life in general.

December 21, 2004. This post won a "Best of Holidailies" award and was a featured post on Indiebloggers. I've reposted it here just today. It wasn't easy to write, but I'm glad I did.

December 6, 2006. I really like this post because it features the first video that I actually put together, complete with music. I'm even in it, thanks to Bev!

Now I'm supposed to tag five more people, but because I neither forward chain letters or tag meme participants, you're on your own. If you want to do it, let me know if you do!

Sundog

We came out of Starbucks this evening to see this cool sundog next to the setting sun.

A sundog, or parhelion, occurs when the light from the setting or rising sun passes through the ice crystals in cirrus clouds.

The picture really doesn't do it justice; the rainbow effect on the right side of the sundog was much brighter in real life.

The Food Of Love List

I was trying to decide all day how to do the Love List today. Shall I do places I love? Shall I do people I love? What about this? Or that?

But the lovely and talented Meg, creator of the Love List, decided for me.

Foods!

I love:

• Fire-roasted tomato soup followed by the goat cheese and pine nut salad from here
• Rare roast beef, with onions and tomatoes
• Half-price burger night at the Olney Ale House, especially the BBQ Burger
• Milkshakes. Yes, even McDonald's milkshakes
• Potato chips. Oh God, potato chips!
• Twix!
• Fresh, homegrown tomatoes, sprinkled with salt
• Fried green tomatoes
• Steamed blue crabs (yes, Bev, with Old Bay!)
• Sweet white corn on the cob
• Frozen custard
• Matsumoto shave ice
• Azuki bean ice cream
• Cherry Garcia ice cream
• Butter Pecan (or, as we say in our fambly, Buttery Khan (KHAAAANNNN!) ice cream)
• Vanilla ice cream, with Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies crushed on top
• Meringue cookies
• Cream soda
• A well-made Mojito
• Fried chicken
• Baked potatoes
• Macaroni and cheese
• St. Andre cheese
• Hummus and pita chips from here
• My Gramma's pumpkin pie, with real whipped cream
• My mother's Chocolate Angel Pie
• Thanksgiving dinner -- whatever that entails, as long as there's roast turkey
• Whoppers
• Steamed spiced shrimp, with cocktail sauce
• Oysters on the half shell, preferably with a mignonette sauce as opposed to cocktail sauce
• Blueberries
• Crisp apples
• Yogurt raisins
• Filet mignon! With horseradish sauce! And a baked potato with butter!
• Coffee, coffee, and coffee.
• And Gingerbread Lattes.

I could go on and on, but for some odd reason, I'm hungry.

Dancing With The Bank

I need a gingerbread latte and something else highly caloric and bad for me right about now. (Shut. Up.)

Sheesh. It has been A Day of Fancy Dance, last-minute coordinating. If God is love and life is beautiful, we'll close the loan on the beach house refinancing tonight. This depends on several things:

• Fedex delivering the loan documents to my house today,
• Me making it home,
• The notary showing up,
• My brother showing up, and
• My sister showing up.

I suppose I should glad that it doesn't depend on the Caps winning the Stanley Cup or the Skins beating Dallas this weekend, for while those things are always possible, I am not willing to bet the refinancing on it.

This whole process has been a saga of Hurry Up, Wait!, Do It NOW, and unreturned voicemails. How come the bank always takes their sweet time getting information and paperwork to you and then expects you to turn on a dime, Get It Done, and do a fancy dance to the tune of their choosing?

Oh right. They have the money.

But when it's all said and done (tonight!), Mom will have a nice wad of money, we'll have a lower interest rate and an escrow account, and I will be very relieved that it's over.

Now, about that latte...