Red Nose

Things I Like

Here is a list of things I like, just because it's nice to remind myself that there are such things.

• Butter pecan ice cream.
• Sunlight. Lots and lots of sunlight.
• Watching our herd of unspeakable cats. (Yes! They are all unspeakable cats!)
• Making bad puns. (To wit: When I saw the film of the seagull perching on the papal chimney, I said, "I guess he has a bird's eye view!" Yes, I will happily stoop that low.)
• Sleight of hand.
• Dancing.
• Cap'n Crunch with Half-n-Half. (Shut. Up.)
• Hockey. (Even though my beloved Capitals are, well... sucking.)
• Finding exactly the right image for a slide.
• Coming out of the subway station and getting right on the bus.
• Big Bang Theory.
• Taking pictures of the graffiti along the Red Line. Evidently someone else knows this, because I caught this one yesterday:
  
  
  
  Who knew? Getting this shot made me stupidly happy.
• Making faces at babies.
• Fantasizing about what I'd do if I won Powerball.
• Drifting off to sleep.
• Top Gear (the UK one). The guys are funny and the cars are fabulous.
• A good, hot cup of coffee.
• Waffles.
• Linganore Cellars Mountain White wine. It tastes exactly like a concord grape.
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. So wrong, yet so funny.
• Feeling good. It's coming. It's not quite here yet, but it's coming. I can tell.

What's Goin' On?

Well, here are ten things that have been going on.

1. I didn't get the job in the Virgin Islands. Hell, I didn't even get an interview! It was really just a shot in the dark (the beautiful, beautiful tropical dark), and I'm okay with it.
2. Alas, I did not get cast in the show I auditioned for. I was more disappointed than I thought I would be, but I'm okay with it now.
3. Even though the Overlord said he would set up a "chat" with me, he has not. But I said my piece, so I'm okay with it.
4. I waited until the last second to renew my membership in STC -- and then decided to let it go. It's just too much money right now, I have been only minimally active in the organization, and I haven't been to the conference in two years. I can keep up with my STC pals on Facebook. Guess what? I'm okay with it.
5. That said, I'm heading out to Seattle in mid-March to do a presentation at the STC Puget Sound chapter! I am more than okay with this; I am excited! (Now I just have to create the presentation.)
6. Thank God for flood insurance. Our claim for the damage to the beach house was approved, so instead of having to pay a share in the thousands, we only to pay a share in the hundreds. And yes, I am very very okay with that.
7. I did have to jump through some hoops with the insurance check, though. It was made out to my brother, me, and Bank of America (they service the mortgage). Before I went to the bank, I figured I would brave the intricate phone tree of the bank to find out exactly what I had to do. I'm glad I did, because evidently there is a magical number (called a Commit Number) that authorizes a bank manager to endorse a check made out to the bank. I got my commit number and went to the bank, only the bank manager was -- wait for it -- in a meeting. For the rest of the day. But he was there the next day, and signed the check, and I went out the door and deposited it at the ATM. Then I wrote a check to the contractor, mailed it off, and voila! We will soon have a new heating and air conditioning system! Yes, indeed, I am okay with that.
8. We finally went to a Caps game where they won. Yay! Okay! (Of course, they lost the next one, but...hey.)
9. Even though I said I would never miss another Weetacon, I am missing this one. I'm less okay with that, but so it goes. There's always next year.
10. I am toying with the idea of going to another Clown College reunion. Okay!!

 

For All Of It

There is a line in one of Rita Mae Brown's novels (I cannot remember which one right now) where a character, upon being stricken with a fatal heart attack, says, "Thank you God, for all of it."

We had a quiet Thanksgiving this year -- just Joe and me. My cousin's wife passed on hosting the dinner this year because my cousin is in poor health. SonnyeBoy had to work, so he couldn't come home to join us. We're missing my brother-in-law.

Even so, I have so much to be thankful for. Here are a mere ten, in no particular order.

1. I'm thankful that we're both well, for old farts.

2. I'm thankful for Joe's love.

3. I'm thankful for my family -- my brother and sisters and their entire families.

4. I'm thankful that SonnyeBoy got to have a Thanksgiving dinner with his sweetie's family, even if he did have to go to work tonight.

5. I'm thankful that the weather today was about as good as it could possibly be.

6. I'm thankful that dinner was good, especially the pie.

7. I'm thankful that the Redskins won! Against the Cowboys! In Dallas!

8. I'm thankful for swings.

9. I'm thankful for so many friends, from my longtime friends to my circus friends to STC friends to my journaling/blogging/internet friends to my Tribe. Did I leave anyone out? If I did, to you, too.

10. I'm thankful for a clean and orderly basement with a clean bathroom.

So, even though it's not all skittles and beer, even though there are bills to pay and repairs to make and work to do, for this moment, for this day, it's all good.

Thank you God, for all of it.

A Good - No, A Great - Day

Well, I had a great day today. Here are 10 things that made it great.

1. I got about 10 hours sleep last night, for one thing. That hasn't happened in a really long time. Moreover, I woke up five minutes before the alarm went off, felt rested and awake, and got right up.

2. I had the Harris Teeter version of Lucky Charms for breakfast. I love those marshmallow bits, because I am really eight years old.

3. We got a nice early start, so I got to the Metro station early!

4. Got right on a train AND got my preferred seat -- second row back from the door, right side, window.

5. I finally managed to get a picture of a great piece of urban art. It was a tricky shot, because it's on a wall that's a fair distance from the train and is mostly behind trees, and the train is generally speeding right along at this point. Today, however, the train slowed down shortly before the art came into view, and I managed to get the shot. It really made me irrationally happy, and I'm sure that several folks on the train wondered why I grinning like an idiot.

6. I got to Van Ness Metro in time to catch the shuttle to my building. Nice!

7. Facilitated the first pilot of an instructor-led web course. I was nervous about this, because the two "Train the Trainer" sessions were slightly shaky. I wasn't delivering the content, but I was driving (if you will) the technology by running the slides, monitoring the Chat and Q&A, opening and closing the polls, that sort of thing. It enabled the instructor to concentrate on delivering the content and answering questions. And... it went really really well, better than I hoped!

8. The cafeteria served barbeque chicken for lunch, and it was good.

9. Worked with our Magic Tech Guy and solved a RoboHelp conundrum.

10. And now? Olympics! Come on, you Americans!

Now that I read over this, it doesn't sound like all that. But for me, it was a winner.

Or maybe I'm just nuts.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

1. Crossed a bridge.

2. Saw beautiful sunsets.

3. Finally took a picture of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse.

4. Loved up on SonnyeBoy.

5. Ate at restaurants with great views and good food.

6. Sat on the beach and watched teenaged boys show off their boogie boarding skills.

7. Walked on the Boardwalk.

8. Rode the big ferris wheel.

9. Did not ride the Slingshot, the Tidal Wave coaster, or the Barf-O-Matic.

10. Observed local wildlife.

11. Paid my respects to Sand Jesus.

12. Saw a beautiful sunrise -- on the way home.

 

Ten Things I've Done This Week

Here's a random sampling of what I've been up to in the last week.

1. I discovered Instagram. This is the result of seeing a reference to it on a forum I frequent, and now voila! I have an account and I've shared pictures and I've followed friends and friends have followed me. Ah, the wonders of the iPhone! (On the other hand, I signed up for Pinterest a while ago, but have yet to create a single pinboard. Someday I will sit down and make an effort to figure it out.)

2. I was once again struck with the variety of music we own. Here's a shot (one my Instagrams!) that shows a tiny bit of the entire collection.

The CDs that are facing out are: Frank Zappa, Broadway the Hard Way; Charles Mingus, Pithecanthropus Erectus; Jerry Garcia, Garcia; Yma Sumac, Mambo!; Van Morrison, Days Like This; Mountain, Twin Peaks; Herbie Hancock, Headhunters; Roy Orbison, Greatest Hits; Rick James, The Ultimate Collection. The top shelf, which you can't see here, features Hildegard of Bingen, The Beatles, and Steeleye Span. We rock!

3. I undecorated, putting our wee tree back in its box until next year, although we might go back to a real tree next year. Then again, that's what I said last year and the year before that!

4. I made Snickerdoodles.

5. Joe and I went to the Caps game last Friday night. We have a favorite beer vendor, our buddy Ron. He's a big old teddy bear of a man who always gives me a big old hug when he sees me. I always enjoy seeing Ron; I think he's a good luck charm.

6. I had my performance review. I fully met expectations. The more I go through this yearly exercise, the more I think it's a huge crock of crap.

7. I renewed my driver's license. I got the renewal notice in November and promptly ignored it. Late last week I realized with a start that I had been ignoring it, and it was going to expire on my birthday, and I couldn't get there on a weekday, and the MVA was closed today for the holiday, and that left Saturday. It was as crowded and boring and time consuming as I thought it would be, but I had my iPhone (Angry Birds! Scrabble! Collapse!) and my Kindle, so it wasn't a total loss. I won't have to do that again for five years!

8. I watched a lot of football and hockey. At least I won't have worry about having to choose between the Saints and the Packers. Go Ravens!!

9. Joe and I went to eat at a new place to us: Comet Ping Pong. It has really really really good pizza! My only quibble is that the restrooms are hard to spot -- there are no signs on them and you kinda have to know where they are. The hostess actually showed me, so I filed that info away for the next time we go. We are splurging for our birthdays this coming week and going to a very fancy DC joint called Birch and Barley for dinner. Joe is looking forward to the vast array of artisanal beers; I am looking forward to dessert.

10. I finally beat Level 11 of the Smugglers' Plane game of Angry Birds Rio. Three stars in each level, and only a few consultations with the walkthroughs online! I'm so proud.

Ten Things About The Hurricane

So the hurricane happened; here are ten things about it.

1. SonnyeBoy came home! If there was anything good about having a hurricane, that was it! He had texted us that he would likely show up on Friday, but he surprised us and showed up on Thursday. When he knocked on the door Thursday evening, Joe said, "Oh, it's probably just someone selling something. Don't answer it." So naturally I answered it, and it was SonnyeBoy!

2. We got periodic updates on the Ocean City conditions from my nephew, who rode out the storm. The ocean came all the way up to the dune line, but did not breach it. Whew!

3. Joe got let out of work at 5:00. He reported that the mall was packed the entire day and that people actually complained when the store closed early. Because hello, HURRICANE! What is wrong with people???

4. We ran out of milk.

5. The power went out at 3:17 am Sunday morning, during the worst of the storm. (The power came back on at about 3:30 this morning.)

6. Luckily, we had several working flashlights and a battery-powered radio. And a candle for the bathroom.

7. It's annoying to read in the dark with a flashlight. How come it was exciting and fun when I was a kid?

8. The extent of our hurricane preparations were to buy batteries for the battery-powered radio and stock up on groceries (except for milk).

9. Because the power was out in our neighborhood, we headed out for lunch. Once we got back, SonnyeBoy packed up his clothes and his cat and headed home to Ocean City. After he left, Joe and I went back out to get some dinner. Then we forgot to get milk.

10. We suffered no real damage, just a lot of leaves down in the yard. We'll get a report on the Ocean City house soon; but I think we dodged a bullet there too.

Ten Memories About My Pop

Today is my Pop's birthday -- he would be 103 years old if he were alive.

My father was funny, mean, loving, alcoholic, smart, reserved, generous... I guess you could say he was complex.

I have good and bad memories of him, but since it's his birthday today, I'll share ten good ones:

• He used to sing to my younger sister and me -- prison songs and old blues, mostly.
• He told us stories too. Some were old folk tales like "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". Some he made up, like "The Chocolate Mouse, the Vanilla Mouse, and the Peppermint Mouse" and "Willoughby and the Fox". I suppose he might not have made them up, but I've never seen any versions of them.

Pop as a skinny young man. Dig the sexy bathing suit!

• He quoted extensively from W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, and Marx Brothers movies. I never knew it until I actually saw the movies and heard my Pop's lines coming out of their mouths.
• He loved TV Westerns, especially Bonanza and Gunsmoke. He'd always let us watch The Wonderful World of Disney, but the TV was his come 9:00 Sunday night.

Pop in our back yard, probably in the early 50s

• He rooted for the Washington Senators and the Redskins. He also liked golf (he hit his first hole in one when he was in his 70s!), bowling, and boxing; but he didn't care about basketball at all.
• He invented a leprechaun, Old Hickory, who lived under the kitchen table and was always getting into some kind of mischief.

Pop loved to surf fish -- here he is with the catch of the day

• He taught me to parallel park the day of my driving test. He also gave me a tire iron for Christmas, because he was sick of having to change my flat tires with the lousy jackhandle that came with the car.
• He took us fishing every year at the beach. He'd rent a motoboat and we'd go out into the bay, drop our hand lines into the water, and wait. One year he didn't put any sunscreen on his legs and the tops of his thighs got terribly sunburned. That night, he went to put some Solarcaine spray on the sunburn, but he grabbed my mom's hairspray instead.Ouch! His thighs turned purple from him having to scrub the lacquer off. From then on, he said he had the bee's knees.

Here's Pop on our patio, probably in the 70s. How about those legs? Or the dress shoes and socks with shorts?

• When I was angsting over whether to go off to the circus (my mother was dreadfully opposed to it), he said, "You should go. You can always come home." So I did go, and then I did come home.
• He paid for my private high school education, my college education, my first car, my wedding, and the closing costs on our first condo.

Happy birthday, Pop!

 

 

Ten Things About A Day 31 Years Ago

Joe and I tied the knot 31 years ago today! Here are ten things about that day.

1. It was an absolutely beautiful June day -- warm, sunny, and dry, just like my mom ordered.

2. The same priest who baptized me performed our wedding Mass.

3. We got married in this church.

4. The Silo Inn, where we had our wedding reception, was once called Martin's Dairy. My Pop would drive us out there (in the middle of nowhere!) for ice cream on summer Sunday afternoons. Now it's a Roots organic market.

5. Our wedding cake was chocolate. Mom was horrified!

6. My Mom decided that the "theme" of the wedding was "A Country Wedding." My theme was "Fun."

7. Our MC's name was Moe. He wore a brown polyester tux and kept the drinks flowing.

8. The wedding was at 10:00 am, because there was another wedding scheduled for 2:00 pm. This schedule caused some consternation among some of our guests, but when they realized that the church was not air conditioned, they got over it.

9. I had this idea that Pop and I would walk down the aisle in a slow and stately manner wherein I would nod and smile at the assembled throng of wedding guests. Nope.

10. My dress was cotton eyelet, simple and elegant. I avoided the cream puffs of the era. Joe's tux was the traditional morning suit, simple and elegant. He avoided the polyester pastels of the era. Whew!

The Past Week in Ten Bullet Points

Hey there. It's been a long week. Let me sum up in my favorite form, the bulleted list.

• I went to a dinner for Joe, who made the President's Club at his retail establishment. The management treated all of the honorees (and a few assorted other folks and management sorts) to dinner at Olive Garden. The honorees also got a goody bag with a new name tag, business cards, and a certificate for a day off. Yay Joe! Of course, then the management went and started cutting associates' hours. Pushme, pullyou; so it goes.


• Hockey. Oh, hockey! My Caps lost their second round series. I was sad, because it's another series of broken dreams, and yet not too sad, because I saved a couple hundred bucks on playoff tickets. Then the Flyers got swept by the Bruins, which made me feel marginally better.


• I watched Friday Night Lights, which continues to be my favorite show on television. Julie, Julie, Julie! You fell for that TA's tired old "I don't feel married" line!! This cannot end well. On the other hand, Mindy! You go!!


• I made another batch of pralines, which turned out much better this time. As part of my rigorous culinary quality control process, I ate several. I continue to test them to ensure that they don't suddenly go bad. So far, so good.


• I also made a loaf of Sally Lunn bread. It did not rise very much at all -- I think I may have killed off the yeast with too-hot water -- but it is quite tasty nonetheless. I'm thinking it would make a quite yummy French toast.


• I caught up with Camelot and the Borgias, and continued watching Game of Thrones. I am having a lot of fun with these costume dramas. I think someone should do a mashup of all three -- Game of Borgelot? Camethronegias? Hmm?


• I got up 5:30 this morning to make an 8:30 meeting at a different building. I did this because we all got an email stating that "some people" had commented to senior management that early meetings were a hardship because of commutes and so on -- but that "the expectation" was that we would be on time. In other words, "Tough! Suck it up!" so I sucked it up and got to the meeting over a half-hour early, only to find that the meeting had been delayed until 9:00. The things I do for these people! Geez! So I had a bagel.


• Angry Birds. Lots of Angry Birds.


• I had a lovely Mother's Day. Joe gave me a very sweet card. After all, he was instrumental in making me a mother! We went out for breakfast, and the restaurant served a lovely chocolate-dipped strawberry to all of the mothers. We saw Thor in the afternoon. SonnyeBoy called later in the day, and that made my Mother's Day pretty much perfect.


• So, yeah -- we saw Thor. It was very entertaining and I liked it a lot! I have decided that Chris Hemsworth shall play Sidewall Sam in the movie version of Girl Clown. Heh. (I'm sorry, every time I say or write Thor, I'm reminded of the old joke about the orgy of the gods. The gods gather and have this big huge orgy that goes on for days. Finally, three days in, Thor shows up. Everyone's passed out from all the orgying and ignores him. He gets a little bent out of shape at this and hollers "Wake up, you all! I'm Thor!" And one of the lesser goddesses replies, "You're Thor? I'm so thor I can't pith!" Ba da BING!)