I haven't participated in this before, but thought I would today since I seem to have a mental block lately. If you don't know what Feel Good Friday is, visit The Girl Next Door Grows Up to find out about it.
So, I make a list of 5 things that made me happy this week. I will also say these things might have made me laugh, which always makes me happy.
1. I recently created an etsy store (is that redundant?) and within like an hour of putting up an afghan that I had been making, it sold! I am still blown away. This probably makes k-ster happier than it makes me because I spent like forever making this thing because I was using random colors and balls of yarn. I was happy to have it go to someone who wants it AND I made a little money in the process!
2. We had girls game night last night and played 2 games. The first, Apples to Apples didn't make me happy or laugh. Sorry, Apples to Apples creators, but it just wasn't fun. Do any of you enjoy this game? Maybe we were playing wrong. Then we played Taboo, a game I LOVE because I am quick with words when it comes to the describing part. Not so quick with the guessing, but I'm a good giver. I was monitoring the other team and my sister was giving. She had the word PAR but thought it was PAIR so she gave all the wrong clues. I was hysterical. She said you can eat these (thinking PEAR) or have one or two of them..... Somehow her team didn't get the word.
3. Laugh #3 involved Taboo again, but this time it was my mother. She was supposed to give clues for the word POLO and with so many taboo words she was having trouble. Her clues were "men play this in the water...with long sticks... wait did I say water? I mean they play it in the grass... with long sticks....Oh, pass!" We were dying. She said she said water because she was thinking of the game Marco Polo. That was a very good one.
4. I am the scholarship chair of a business group for women and we are giving 6 scholarships this year. Yesterday, we chose our 6 recipients who will get $1500 each and I am so excited because I get to call and tell them the fantastic news. Best part of my title!!
5. I used a different kind of saddle when I rode on Wednesday and though it was like starting all over again, I didn't fall off. I was able to do what she asked, for the most part, though not as smoothly as I have been. We were able to go out in the woods and I still had control. Maybe I have learned something about riding, after all.
Now pick your own Feel Good Friday fun stuff and link up!
I grow things, I ride things, I bake things, I can things, I sew things and I make things. Sit with me on Aunt Mildred's Porch to witness this crazy journey I call my life and share the fun, laughter and utter foolishness that I come across from day to day. If you don't want to see pictures of my butt, you should just move along.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Back On Track
Earlier today(like 3 minutes ago), I had a silent melt down because my ipod wasn't working and I had to go teach a class and needed the music. This wasn't quite the crisis it would have been if the class was a spin class where you MUST have music. Pilates can be done with nothing. But, I am in the middle of a book on tape that I need to finish listening to, plus, I couldn't figure out how to shut the damned thing off(hate no on/off buttons). This was my plea to the world:
My ipod has the white screen of death!! Everyone I know seems to have iphones so they don't know what to tell me. It's a little ipod nano that does marvelous things for me in the fitness world. I plugged it into the computer to recharge and it came up with a white screen but itunes recognized it. When I ejected it, it still didn't come to life. I tried to turn it off but can't. Nothing is working. I replugged it in and now itunes doesn't recognize it. Suggestions? I am off to teach pilates with no music. It's not so awful since it's at the beach and there is plenty of background noise. But I must have my ipod working!!!
Then I blogged white screen ipod and came up with the right answer. This site told me what to do and it worked! (once I figured out which two buttons they meant, that took a few minutes). Now everything is just dandy everything is being recognized and I still have to go teach that pilates class. You might remember, it's at the beach. A lovely concept, not so lovely in its execution. Some things are not meant to be done in the sand.
My ipod has the white screen of death!! Everyone I know seems to have iphones so they don't know what to tell me. It's a little ipod nano that does marvelous things for me in the fitness world. I plugged it into the computer to recharge and it came up with a white screen but itunes recognized it. When I ejected it, it still didn't come to life. I tried to turn it off but can't. Nothing is working. I replugged it in and now itunes doesn't recognize it. Suggestions? I am off to teach pilates with no music. It's not so awful since it's at the beach and there is plenty of background noise. But I must have my ipod working!!!
Then I blogged white screen ipod and came up with the right answer. This site told me what to do and it worked! (once I figured out which two buttons they meant, that took a few minutes). Now everything is just dandy everything is being recognized and I still have to go teach that pilates class. You might remember, it's at the beach. A lovely concept, not so lovely in its execution. Some things are not meant to be done in the sand.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Ew, Ew, Ew, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
This year, I decided to grow ground cherries in my garden. There is some technical name for them but I have forgotten. I chose to do this because a few years ago, someone had the plants for sale at the farmer's market and it looked interesting. Though the fruit was not yet ripe, she explained that they grow in sort of a pod/husk thing like this.
Then, when they fall on the ground (thus ground cherries), the husk with be papery and brown and you just open them and pop them in your mouth. They have a citrusy sort of taste, she said. This is what they look like when you open the husk.
They turn an orange sort of color and look like a tiny cherry tomato, like this. About the size of a marble.
How fun, I thought, to have a little paper bag for these little fruits. I'll just open the husk and "pop" them right into my mouth. This is what it looked like when I popped one in.
I wonder if I can describe the experience. I found all sorts of them on the ground, under the plant. I picked one up, removed the papery husk and thought "I don't even have to wash it since it's been in this husk the whole time." I popped it right in my mouth. First, I couldn't really bite into it. It was kind of like biting into one of those little rubber balls you use to play Jacks (remember that?). It was kind of a rubber ball feeling. You know when you eat a grape and there's that nice crisp burst as you eat it? Yeah, this didn't do that. But, I was determined to taste citrus from my very own garden, so I persevered. And then I tasted the citrus. Covered by foul. I do mean foul. It was like chicken grease meets citrus meets tomato.
In case that one was just a bad one, I tried another. Same thing. I couldn't even finish chewing, I just spit it out right there. And then I had to try just one more because it might have been that they were bad. No, they just taste awful. I have read that the taste is "different". Yes, it sure is. I have read that you can make a jelly. Why on earth would you go through all of that effort?
Therefore, I will never grow ground cherries again. I have a million of them on this one plant. I'm going to be THAT person running around to everyone going "Hey, taste THIS" and everyone will run from me in fear. They are like little balls of duck a l'orange growing in the garden with a texture that you can only discover by trying it yourself. But I hardly recommend it.
Then, when they fall on the ground (thus ground cherries), the husk with be papery and brown and you just open them and pop them in your mouth. They have a citrusy sort of taste, she said. This is what they look like when you open the husk.
They turn an orange sort of color and look like a tiny cherry tomato, like this. About the size of a marble.
How fun, I thought, to have a little paper bag for these little fruits. I'll just open the husk and "pop" them right into my mouth. This is what it looked like when I popped one in.
I wonder if I can describe the experience. I found all sorts of them on the ground, under the plant. I picked one up, removed the papery husk and thought "I don't even have to wash it since it's been in this husk the whole time." I popped it right in my mouth. First, I couldn't really bite into it. It was kind of like biting into one of those little rubber balls you use to play Jacks (remember that?). It was kind of a rubber ball feeling. You know when you eat a grape and there's that nice crisp burst as you eat it? Yeah, this didn't do that. But, I was determined to taste citrus from my very own garden, so I persevered. And then I tasted the citrus. Covered by foul. I do mean foul. It was like chicken grease meets citrus meets tomato.
In case that one was just a bad one, I tried another. Same thing. I couldn't even finish chewing, I just spit it out right there. And then I had to try just one more because it might have been that they were bad. No, they just taste awful. I have read that the taste is "different". Yes, it sure is. I have read that you can make a jelly. Why on earth would you go through all of that effort?
Therefore, I will never grow ground cherries again. I have a million of them on this one plant. I'm going to be THAT person running around to everyone going "Hey, taste THIS" and everyone will run from me in fear. They are like little balls of duck a l'orange growing in the garden with a texture that you can only discover by trying it yourself. But I hardly recommend it.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
All Was Fair With Bucky
We went to the county fair to see Bucky Covington. I didn't know how much I enjoy his songs until he started singing them. I mainly wanted to go because I thought I liked him and it was only $10 to get in, so that's a pretty cheap concert.
The other thing that drew me to the fair was the promise of kangaroos. I like kangaroos. It was pretty hot, so they were pretty lazy.
Then there was this hideous thing. An albino kangaroo. I didn't know kangaroos really looked like rats, but this one sure did. For $10 I could hold a baby kangaroo but that seemed silly so I just took picture for free.
Then we looked at all the animals, k-ster indulged me so, and watched some horse pulling and some western riding. I used to think the horse pulling was really mean but my mother always tried to convince me that they love it. They do seem to get so exited as they are being hitched up and they sure don't look bothered afterward. I didn't get any pictures of the horses, not sure why. They were pretty impressive Belgians. Very large with hooves the size of my head, I am not kidding.
It was about 5:30, so we claimed our space on the lawn with our chairs. I had my fabulous circus chair which promised several times to snag my hair with the velcro until I put the top up on the chair and it was fine. We saw someone else with a solid color one. Then the thunder came but I pretended it was the military base next door. Then it got really dark for early evening. Then my sister texted to take cover fast. We debated and decided to move into a large tent and wait it out. While there, we were accosted by the man selling hot tubs in it, trying to give us the best deal ever since it was the last day of the fair. But I will not entertain the idea of a hot tub, so that was that. We got sick of him and moved on to another building with flower arrangements. It was a long wait there and k-ster kept suggesting that the show would be canceled but I could see bright sky. Then I called the main office, which I could almost see from the door but wasn't about to run through the rain and they said it was on. And just a half hour before the show, it stopped raining. It was a good show. He's funny and has a twin brother who plays the bongo drums. They are identical. I don't pay attention to American Idol, but I guess both brothers were on but only Bucky went somewhere with it. Looks like they are having fun anyway.
That's him there but my phone wasn't zooming enough.
There he is again, I swear.
One more, why not.
Definitely worth the $10 to get in, the $5 I spent on fried dough and the ugly pink dress I bought that looks like a little kid's dress I'm trying to squeeze into. That was not worth the $20 I paid. Remember when you were little and you had those fun summer dresses with the little spaghetti straps and the stretchy top? They've come back and I think they are fabulous on everyone else.
Not so fabulous on me. Maybe I saved this from when I was 8 and I'm trying to fit my adult body into it. I feel very fat and squished into this dress. I thought it would be my default dress for the rest of the summer but now I'm not so sure. Of course it's pink. You might remember my fascination with pink. I had seen other varieties of this dress all over the fair but wouldn't shell out $20 for one. Then I saw a pink one and I was SOLD. Fatty Patty must have made that decision for me.
Friday, July 23, 2010
5 Question Friday
Unable to come up with my own creative post for the day, I'm linking with Mama M for 5 Question Friday.
1. What were your school colors?
HIgh school: Green and White. I was always very happy about this because some schools have the GOD AWFULEST colors that no one looks good in. People look pretty good in green.
College: Black and gold. No one looks good in that pea-gold color they use for clothes. I hated those colors.
Masters: Who knows, I never went to the campus!
2. What's the best compliment you ever received?
People seem to like my teeth. I like them too. They are pretty straight though big and not yellow or nastified. I have a thing about people's teeth, it's one of the first things I look at. It's a good thing I have a decent set of my own.
3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?
El Super Cheapo for me. I try to get recycled which is even rougher than rough, but I don't care. Recently I visited my sister who had, what I was pretty sure was a quilt on her toilet paper roll. I have never felt such thick toilet paper in my life and was truly not sure if I should flush it. Shocked at her lack of thrift, lack of concern for the septic system and blase attitude about the amount of paper being used, I commented that I was quite surprised. She claims that in the frenzy of moving, they ran out and were at The Home Depot and this brand was all they carried. My nether regions have NEVER seen such softness.
4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?
Sadly, I have had 2 surprise parties thrown for me. I DO NOT like surprises. I'm not one of those people that says I don't like surprises but then secretly hopes you will surprise me. I really really really can't deal with surprises of any sort. Both were in college. The first totally blind sided me. We were having a meeting on our hall and everyone was out sitting on the floor and then halfway through some presents were produced and I just about DIED. Just about crawled through the floor. I tried to be cordial and explained that it was nice but DO NOT EVER do this again. I guess they thought I was kidding because they did it again next year. This went over much more poorly and I was not nice about it. I know, I was supposed to smile and say that it was so nice. When I tell someone I don't want them to do something, I expect them to respect my wishes and not do it. THinking that I really meant I wanted a surprise and doing it anyway is just disrespectful.
I have thrown a couple of surprise parties. You may find it odd that I condone this behavior toward anyone but myself, but really, I do find that most people enjoy the surprise. Permit me the luxury of telling this story, it's a bit long. If you have to go away and come back, I'll understand.
The best was our parents' 25th wedding anniversary party. We TOTALLY shocked them. It also showed how easy it would have been to lie to our parents for all those years and they'd never have known. Hindsight.... We had a big party in our yard and there were some guests that were quite unexpected, including a couple from out of town that we'd always heard about but never met. This was in the early internet days, so it was hard to just go look up strangers, but I managed to do it by phone and invite them out. That was surprise number 1 but our parents didn't know we had anything to do with it. Now, they were total strangers to us, but we asked them to help with the surprise, so they were very game and did an outstanding job. My parents had taken them down the river on the boat to show them a few things and as they started to come back (way too early), they used some great stalling tactics. At one point, the wife called me on the phone, and as I think of it now, this was really pre cell phone. We called them "car phones" back then and they were NOT common, so I have no idea how she called us. But she called to tell us they were coming back and early and WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?? Remember, this woman was basically a stranger. So, she feigned interest in some birds that are rare here. Then, I guess my father had been going ON about his truck, so they next thing they know, the husband JUMPS in the truck and says "Hey, I'll take it for a spin and see what it's all about" and somehow managed to slow things down. I guess this meant that my mother and the wife were in the car and I'm not sure what she did to stall them. when they came back, somehow together, they walked in to find the back yard full of people. This was really great.
I was just out of college and my sisters were pretty young, but we managed to get the food and decorations together without help. The coolest part for us was a video we had put together. Yes, it was a VIDEOTAPE. We took a million pictures that people sent us from when our parents were growing up and we had them put to music on a "movie". Then we somehow finagled borrowing a VCR and played it out on the deck for everyone. It seems like this kind of thing is so commonplace now, but digital pictures were just beginning, so slide shows like this were a phenomenon. The amazing part was that not one person spilled the beans. Later, my parents said there had been some strange things going on but they never put it together until afterward. We thought we were done for when an old man called my parents to wish them a happy 25th. Did I mention the party was a full month before the actual date? They thought that was the strangest thing of all but didn't know why he'd do it and thought he was having some kind of moment.
I have had a few little surprise parties for people but nothing compares to that. I think the thrill of doing all the sneaking around is what I like. It freaks me out that I like the sneaking and leading people astray. Does this mean I am a serial killer in the making?
My sister is DYING for a surprise party. She tells us every year how she would LOVE to have one. For her 30th, I really was going to have one. But I forgot! How could I forget that??? So her friend had one instead. I don't think it was as grand as she was hoping for: no sneaking around for months, creating elaborate settings and such, but I think she was happy. And I had nothing to do with it if she wasn't.
5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?
Books. Not a particular books, but reading material. I get panicky if I finish a book and then have nothing to read.
In case you were trying to read behind the lines, I REALLY DON'T LIKE SURPRISES. If you think I am just saying that and try to have a surprise anyway, you have been warned.
1. What were your school colors?
HIgh school: Green and White. I was always very happy about this because some schools have the GOD AWFULEST colors that no one looks good in. People look pretty good in green.
College: Black and gold. No one looks good in that pea-gold color they use for clothes. I hated those colors.
Masters: Who knows, I never went to the campus!
2. What's the best compliment you ever received?
People seem to like my teeth. I like them too. They are pretty straight though big and not yellow or nastified. I have a thing about people's teeth, it's one of the first things I look at. It's a good thing I have a decent set of my own.
3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?
El Super Cheapo for me. I try to get recycled which is even rougher than rough, but I don't care. Recently I visited my sister who had, what I was pretty sure was a quilt on her toilet paper roll. I have never felt such thick toilet paper in my life and was truly not sure if I should flush it. Shocked at her lack of thrift, lack of concern for the septic system and blase attitude about the amount of paper being used, I commented that I was quite surprised. She claims that in the frenzy of moving, they ran out and were at The Home Depot and this brand was all they carried. My nether regions have NEVER seen such softness.
4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?
Sadly, I have had 2 surprise parties thrown for me. I DO NOT like surprises. I'm not one of those people that says I don't like surprises but then secretly hopes you will surprise me. I really really really can't deal with surprises of any sort. Both were in college. The first totally blind sided me. We were having a meeting on our hall and everyone was out sitting on the floor and then halfway through some presents were produced and I just about DIED. Just about crawled through the floor. I tried to be cordial and explained that it was nice but DO NOT EVER do this again. I guess they thought I was kidding because they did it again next year. This went over much more poorly and I was not nice about it. I know, I was supposed to smile and say that it was so nice. When I tell someone I don't want them to do something, I expect them to respect my wishes and not do it. THinking that I really meant I wanted a surprise and doing it anyway is just disrespectful.
I have thrown a couple of surprise parties. You may find it odd that I condone this behavior toward anyone but myself, but really, I do find that most people enjoy the surprise. Permit me the luxury of telling this story, it's a bit long. If you have to go away and come back, I'll understand.
The best was our parents' 25th wedding anniversary party. We TOTALLY shocked them. It also showed how easy it would have been to lie to our parents for all those years and they'd never have known. Hindsight.... We had a big party in our yard and there were some guests that were quite unexpected, including a couple from out of town that we'd always heard about but never met. This was in the early internet days, so it was hard to just go look up strangers, but I managed to do it by phone and invite them out. That was surprise number 1 but our parents didn't know we had anything to do with it. Now, they were total strangers to us, but we asked them to help with the surprise, so they were very game and did an outstanding job. My parents had taken them down the river on the boat to show them a few things and as they started to come back (way too early), they used some great stalling tactics. At one point, the wife called me on the phone, and as I think of it now, this was really pre cell phone. We called them "car phones" back then and they were NOT common, so I have no idea how she called us. But she called to tell us they were coming back and early and WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?? Remember, this woman was basically a stranger. So, she feigned interest in some birds that are rare here. Then, I guess my father had been going ON about his truck, so they next thing they know, the husband JUMPS in the truck and says "Hey, I'll take it for a spin and see what it's all about" and somehow managed to slow things down. I guess this meant that my mother and the wife were in the car and I'm not sure what she did to stall them. when they came back, somehow together, they walked in to find the back yard full of people. This was really great.
I was just out of college and my sisters were pretty young, but we managed to get the food and decorations together without help. The coolest part for us was a video we had put together. Yes, it was a VIDEOTAPE. We took a million pictures that people sent us from when our parents were growing up and we had them put to music on a "movie". Then we somehow finagled borrowing a VCR and played it out on the deck for everyone. It seems like this kind of thing is so commonplace now, but digital pictures were just beginning, so slide shows like this were a phenomenon. The amazing part was that not one person spilled the beans. Later, my parents said there had been some strange things going on but they never put it together until afterward. We thought we were done for when an old man called my parents to wish them a happy 25th. Did I mention the party was a full month before the actual date? They thought that was the strangest thing of all but didn't know why he'd do it and thought he was having some kind of moment.
I have had a few little surprise parties for people but nothing compares to that. I think the thrill of doing all the sneaking around is what I like. It freaks me out that I like the sneaking and leading people astray. Does this mean I am a serial killer in the making?
My sister is DYING for a surprise party. She tells us every year how she would LOVE to have one. For her 30th, I really was going to have one. But I forgot! How could I forget that??? So her friend had one instead. I don't think it was as grand as she was hoping for: no sneaking around for months, creating elaborate settings and such, but I think she was happy. And I had nothing to do with it if she wasn't.
5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?
Books. Not a particular books, but reading material. I get panicky if I finish a book and then have nothing to read.
In case you were trying to read behind the lines, I REALLY DON'T LIKE SURPRISES. If you think I am just saying that and try to have a surprise anyway, you have been warned.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Demands
I received this notice in my mailbox today. I realize that I should be thankful that I get mail delivered to my house. And that it's not at the end of my driveway, but about 3 steps from my door. However, I'm REALLY annoyed that I have to either make sure no cars are in the driveway or move it to a more suitable location so the driver doesn't have to get out.
Imagine if everyone could just give out notices like this in their workplace. Mine would look like this:
Your Child Needs Attention:
Educational regulations require customers to provide and erect, at their own expense, children which meet official standards. A recent inspection disclosed the following failures:
1. your child has not been approved as a human being
2. your child needs attention
3. child must be able to speak loud enough that teachers do not have to crawl down on the floor in order to hear what he is saying
4. your child is dirty/smells
5. your child's hair needs to be cut as it is forever in front of the eyes and one does not know if he can even see through the mess
6. your child cannot return to school until his glasses are in clean, wearable order; shrugging the shoulders and saying "I can't find my glasses" will not be tolerated
7. your child's mouth is out of control
8. your child's butt crack/thong/boxers are exposed far too often
9. your daughter's breasts need to be wrangled in and housed in appropriate clothing where they will remain throughout the day
Please help us provide you with better service by correcting these faults by (date). After this date, educational services may be suspended until the faults are corrected. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Olden Days, When Traveling Was Fun
I went to help my sister move over the weekend and this involved a 1 hour flight. Living where we do, you must drive 1.5 hours to an airport, 2 to choose from, so it seems so absurd to drive for longer than I will fly. This trip inspired me once again to visit memory lane, where flying used to be a cinch. Remember when:
-you could arrive 20 minutes before take off and actually get on the very plane you wanted to travel on
-taking off your shoes was unheard of and probably considered unsanitary
-no one stood in security taking their clothes off
-people could actually smoke on planes
-people could actually fit in their seats on planes
-people could visit the pilot during the flight (ok, I don't remember that but I've seen it on TV)
-liquids over 3 ounces were allowed through security
-you just put your bags on the security belt without thinking about taking everything out first
I never ceases to amaze me when I watch people in the security line. Business people, people who clearly are dressed to get off the plane and attend a meeting right away, stand their in their socks/nylons, taking off belts, jackets, jewelry. It's amazing to me that society has caved and actually does what security wants. I remember when you could just breeze through. My father would take out his wallet, coins and pocket knife (can you IMAGINE???) and put it in the little bowl so he didn't set off the alarm and then pick them up , put them in his pocket and get on the plane.
This time, I experienced a new phenomenon at security. The full body scan. The part I found the most absurd was what you have to do with your hands. There you are, barefoot and in some cases, half dressed, and you have to face this booth with a curtain (that I kept expecting a magician to pop out of) with your hands over your head forming a triangle. They show you what to do and then tell you not to let your hands touch your head and then you stand there. Then they tell you to move over to the mat with the footprints painted on. And stand there until they tell you. But they don't tell you to stand there until they tell you to move, you stand there in this limbo wondering if you should move and should should your hands still be in triangle position over your head. The girl after me tried to leave the mat before being told she was allowed to. We never saw her again. I'm kidding, they told her she had to go back. And then a voice on a small radio gave the ok and I was allowed to get my stuff, put my shoes back on and be on my way.
Then on the plane itself, everything is just so tight. I am a small person and I still have trouble fitting properly. I'm mostly amazed that the flight attendants' unions haven't put their foot down(with no shoe of course) and demanded that the aisles be wider and things go back to being slightly more spacious. Imagine how few people would be disgruntled on planes if they had some space to move!
My experience on both flights was peculiar. In this age of super vigilance about tickets, and IDs matching names, etc. I was allowed to just hop on an earlier flight going out. I literally said "I'm on the next flight, I'm not on standby yet.." and she grabbed my boarding pass without even looking at it and told me to just get on this one. Then I had nothing to hand the guy at the gate and he yelled over to her and she just waved her hand. There were 27 people missing from the roster of that plane and they called everyone by name and when they didn't appear, they actually said that if anyone wanted to get on this flight they could and that's how I got away with it. This was a very 1970's airport scene, not 2010.
Coming home was also weird. After being told it was a full flight, they closed the door and did their seatbelt/lifevest spiel. Then we sat. Then someone knocked on the door. I'm serious, knocked on the door. And the flight attendant opened it. I was sitting in the very front row so I saw it all. He said they would be bringing on more people and then walked away. No one knew who or why. Then the pilot came out. He looked more like he was on his way to a frat party than piloting through the friendly skies. He asked why the door was open and no one knew. So he got on the mic and said that he was not sure why but he would make up a story that he thought was right and then go check it out. So we sat for about 15 more minutes while about 5 people got on and then we left. He never checked out his story and that made me annoyed. This was another scene from what seemed like a different decade. It was more like we were on a bus than a plane.
-you could arrive 20 minutes before take off and actually get on the very plane you wanted to travel on
-taking off your shoes was unheard of and probably considered unsanitary
-no one stood in security taking their clothes off
-people could actually smoke on planes
-people could actually fit in their seats on planes
-people could visit the pilot during the flight (ok, I don't remember that but I've seen it on TV)
-liquids over 3 ounces were allowed through security
-you just put your bags on the security belt without thinking about taking everything out first
I never ceases to amaze me when I watch people in the security line. Business people, people who clearly are dressed to get off the plane and attend a meeting right away, stand their in their socks/nylons, taking off belts, jackets, jewelry. It's amazing to me that society has caved and actually does what security wants. I remember when you could just breeze through. My father would take out his wallet, coins and pocket knife (can you IMAGINE???) and put it in the little bowl so he didn't set off the alarm and then pick them up , put them in his pocket and get on the plane.
This time, I experienced a new phenomenon at security. The full body scan. The part I found the most absurd was what you have to do with your hands. There you are, barefoot and in some cases, half dressed, and you have to face this booth with a curtain (that I kept expecting a magician to pop out of) with your hands over your head forming a triangle. They show you what to do and then tell you not to let your hands touch your head and then you stand there. Then they tell you to move over to the mat with the footprints painted on. And stand there until they tell you. But they don't tell you to stand there until they tell you to move, you stand there in this limbo wondering if you should move and should should your hands still be in triangle position over your head. The girl after me tried to leave the mat before being told she was allowed to. We never saw her again. I'm kidding, they told her she had to go back. And then a voice on a small radio gave the ok and I was allowed to get my stuff, put my shoes back on and be on my way.
Then on the plane itself, everything is just so tight. I am a small person and I still have trouble fitting properly. I'm mostly amazed that the flight attendants' unions haven't put their foot down(with no shoe of course) and demanded that the aisles be wider and things go back to being slightly more spacious. Imagine how few people would be disgruntled on planes if they had some space to move!
My experience on both flights was peculiar. In this age of super vigilance about tickets, and IDs matching names, etc. I was allowed to just hop on an earlier flight going out. I literally said "I'm on the next flight, I'm not on standby yet.." and she grabbed my boarding pass without even looking at it and told me to just get on this one. Then I had nothing to hand the guy at the gate and he yelled over to her and she just waved her hand. There were 27 people missing from the roster of that plane and they called everyone by name and when they didn't appear, they actually said that if anyone wanted to get on this flight they could and that's how I got away with it. This was a very 1970's airport scene, not 2010.
Coming home was also weird. After being told it was a full flight, they closed the door and did their seatbelt/lifevest spiel. Then we sat. Then someone knocked on the door. I'm serious, knocked on the door. And the flight attendant opened it. I was sitting in the very front row so I saw it all. He said they would be bringing on more people and then walked away. No one knew who or why. Then the pilot came out. He looked more like he was on his way to a frat party than piloting through the friendly skies. He asked why the door was open and no one knew. So he got on the mic and said that he was not sure why but he would make up a story that he thought was right and then go check it out. So we sat for about 15 more minutes while about 5 people got on and then we left. He never checked out his story and that made me annoyed. This was another scene from what seemed like a different decade. It was more like we were on a bus than a plane.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Death By Alan Jackson
I bought this nifty little radio/speaker from LL Bean on clearance. Bottom right corner, white and orange box. I can plug my ipod into it and play tunes for my water aerobics and Pilates classes at Richmere and it's quite impressive. It's solar powered, or you can crank it until your arm falls off, or you can plug it in and charge it. I've had it going now for about 5 hours on just the radio and it's happy as can be.
Anyway, I looked onto the patio and there's Gwenstopher looking totally dead and playing in the background is Alan Jackson. She's been out here listening to the radio all day but it appeared that she had had enough by the time I took the picture. She didn't even notice.
Pilates on the Beach
Hmm, Church on the Beach, Pilates on the Beach, there seems to be a theme here. I have been teaching water aerobics at a swanky private summer club for 5 years. Water aerobics does not thrill me and I decided I wouldn't do it this summer. It's just not stimulating for me, the women prefer to gab rather than work, and I just don't feel like I'm giving them the workout they need. $5 more per hour changed my mind.
This year, the club I'll call Richmere, was bought by someone else and they are going to really swankify it. They want to grow the membership and make it a year round destination club, not just for the summer people. Enter the suggestion of adding Pilates at the beach. I was expecting the same crowd as water aerobics and let's just say, they are not the Pilates type. Not that I am trying to stereotype since I believe in my heart anyone CAN do Pilates, they just have to be willing to work. And the Pool Ladies just aren't ready to work.
However, these hot mommas I had in Pilates today were ready to work and it was fun. I kept looking around thinking I felt like I was on one of those fitness shows in Hawaii where they do it right on the beach. Boys were setting up chairs and umbrellas, kids were playing in bathing suits and there we were, legs in the air, doing Pilates. A shining moment for the Richmere folks, I am sure. But there's a new sheriff in town and he wants more members, so fit bodies with great legs in the air, it is.
It's reasons like this that remind me why I choose to live where I do and why I chose the career I did. Yes, 3 towns away they have a BOIL WATER order today, and yes, we have more homelessness than anyone cares to acknowledge and YES, we year rounders do have to make alternate driving plans if we actually plan to GET SOMEWHERE during the summer, and yes, we have to put up with the $&# hole drivers from New York (I never used to believe that but you are all just the worst drivers EVER) but it is a wonderful place to live and I wouldn't change it for the world. What other career besides education would allow me the freedom to teach fitness on the beach of my own free will in the summer but still have a job in the winter? And that's pretty darn great.
This year, the club I'll call Richmere, was bought by someone else and they are going to really swankify it. They want to grow the membership and make it a year round destination club, not just for the summer people. Enter the suggestion of adding Pilates at the beach. I was expecting the same crowd as water aerobics and let's just say, they are not the Pilates type. Not that I am trying to stereotype since I believe in my heart anyone CAN do Pilates, they just have to be willing to work. And the Pool Ladies just aren't ready to work.
However, these hot mommas I had in Pilates today were ready to work and it was fun. I kept looking around thinking I felt like I was on one of those fitness shows in Hawaii where they do it right on the beach. Boys were setting up chairs and umbrellas, kids were playing in bathing suits and there we were, legs in the air, doing Pilates. A shining moment for the Richmere folks, I am sure. But there's a new sheriff in town and he wants more members, so fit bodies with great legs in the air, it is.
It's reasons like this that remind me why I choose to live where I do and why I chose the career I did. Yes, 3 towns away they have a BOIL WATER order today, and yes, we have more homelessness than anyone cares to acknowledge and YES, we year rounders do have to make alternate driving plans if we actually plan to GET SOMEWHERE during the summer, and yes, we have to put up with the $&# hole drivers from New York (I never used to believe that but you are all just the worst drivers EVER) but it is a wonderful place to live and I wouldn't change it for the world. What other career besides education would allow me the freedom to teach fitness on the beach of my own free will in the summer but still have a job in the winter? And that's pretty darn great.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Random Thoughts Thursday
I didn't like the Blog Bash challenge today, so I don't have a task. I'm left to my own devices. I think it's pretty funny anyway, that a bunch of grown women are taking orders from a teen at http://www.notyouraverageteen.com/ and doing our assignments because she tells us to. What is wrong with us? So here is a collection of the randomness in my head:
1. I have been buying bags of organic lemons lately and I have to tell you, they actually smell! I never used to smell lemons when I walked by the fruit bowl, but these organic lemons actually give off the most pleasant odor. They don't have that waxy resin coating that most citrus gets, so that must be the secret. I like to use lemons in things but lately, I just really love to smell them as I walk in and out of the kitchen. I don't think they smell differently because they are organic but because they are treated organically and not coated with something, the natural odor can actually come through. Very exciting.
2. The class I mentioned a few days ago, the one I dropped because they wanted us to have 4 face to face classes even though it clearly said the class would be online has been revised so I'm back in. I think everyone dropped when we were told to show up on campus the next day, so she revised the plan. Now it's all online but not what I thought. It's a French Immersion class with lots of communication, so I thought I would be Skyping. Instead, it's an old fashioned write and a read a million posts type thing. I'm not thrilled. There are actual assignments with due dates! Too much pressure. I am doing everything EXCEPT reading and writing like I am supposed to right now. Since I have my handy laptop that I won, I suppose I can do this anywhere but even with a laptop there are restrictions. This one is quite large and heavy. Had I bought one, this would not have been the model. My internet connection doesn't always work if I'm in the hammock. I just can't seem to get comfortable with this thing. However, I put up my 6 foot table to work on something and discovered that a small stool I have is just about the most perfect thing to sit on at this particular table to type. Hmmm.
3. It rained yesterday and it's so humid today I might just die. I think it's like 150% humidity right now and it just won't rain but it needs to. This means everything is soggy, including me and I hate to be trapped inside, so it's hard for me to justify sitting in the air conditioning even though it's miserably hot. My hammock is wet so I can't hang out in it and that makes me sad. I really like to spend some time each day in my hammock. It makes everything right with the world, somehow.
4. My aunt decided to have a Girls Game Night last night in her trailer and it was fun. We were supposed to sit outside where there is more room but it had rained and she recently had an episode with her awning, so there was no cover. We played inside and it was just right for 4 people. Next week there will be more people so we will have to play somewhere else if it rains or is buggy. We played Bananagrams which is my favorite game of late. It's a cool game because it comes in a zippered pouch that looks like a banana. You can carry it anywhere because there are just tiles, no board. It's like Scrabble but better because you can change your words whenever you want and each person is making their own little Scrabble game and competing to use all their letters first. I am a tad competitive so I enjoy it a lot. There is a speedier version called Banana Cafe but no one likes to play that version with me because I kick their ass every time. I'm speed and challenge oriented. Top it off with a prize that involves pink (the color, NEVER the singer) and I will just about kill a person if it means I can win. I lament that I never played organized sports but God knew that would have been a very bad idea and I would have knocked out everyone, including refs, if it meant I could have the ball. I was a cheerleader instead and we never did competitions so there wasn't too much harm that could be done.
It seemed like I had other randomness to share but nothing entertaining comes to mind so I'm off to try to get things done.
1. I have been buying bags of organic lemons lately and I have to tell you, they actually smell! I never used to smell lemons when I walked by the fruit bowl, but these organic lemons actually give off the most pleasant odor. They don't have that waxy resin coating that most citrus gets, so that must be the secret. I like to use lemons in things but lately, I just really love to smell them as I walk in and out of the kitchen. I don't think they smell differently because they are organic but because they are treated organically and not coated with something, the natural odor can actually come through. Very exciting.
2. The class I mentioned a few days ago, the one I dropped because they wanted us to have 4 face to face classes even though it clearly said the class would be online has been revised so I'm back in. I think everyone dropped when we were told to show up on campus the next day, so she revised the plan. Now it's all online but not what I thought. It's a French Immersion class with lots of communication, so I thought I would be Skyping. Instead, it's an old fashioned write and a read a million posts type thing. I'm not thrilled. There are actual assignments with due dates! Too much pressure. I am doing everything EXCEPT reading and writing like I am supposed to right now. Since I have my handy laptop that I won, I suppose I can do this anywhere but even with a laptop there are restrictions. This one is quite large and heavy. Had I bought one, this would not have been the model. My internet connection doesn't always work if I'm in the hammock. I just can't seem to get comfortable with this thing. However, I put up my 6 foot table to work on something and discovered that a small stool I have is just about the most perfect thing to sit on at this particular table to type. Hmmm.
3. It rained yesterday and it's so humid today I might just die. I think it's like 150% humidity right now and it just won't rain but it needs to. This means everything is soggy, including me and I hate to be trapped inside, so it's hard for me to justify sitting in the air conditioning even though it's miserably hot. My hammock is wet so I can't hang out in it and that makes me sad. I really like to spend some time each day in my hammock. It makes everything right with the world, somehow.
4. My aunt decided to have a Girls Game Night last night in her trailer and it was fun. We were supposed to sit outside where there is more room but it had rained and she recently had an episode with her awning, so there was no cover. We played inside and it was just right for 4 people. Next week there will be more people so we will have to play somewhere else if it rains or is buggy. We played Bananagrams which is my favorite game of late. It's a cool game because it comes in a zippered pouch that looks like a banana. You can carry it anywhere because there are just tiles, no board. It's like Scrabble but better because you can change your words whenever you want and each person is making their own little Scrabble game and competing to use all their letters first. I am a tad competitive so I enjoy it a lot. There is a speedier version called Banana Cafe but no one likes to play that version with me because I kick their ass every time. I'm speed and challenge oriented. Top it off with a prize that involves pink (the color, NEVER the singer) and I will just about kill a person if it means I can win. I lament that I never played organized sports but God knew that would have been a very bad idea and I would have knocked out everyone, including refs, if it meant I could have the ball. I was a cheerleader instead and we never did competitions so there wasn't too much harm that could be done.
It seemed like I had other randomness to share but nothing entertaining comes to mind so I'm off to try to get things done.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Craziest High School Memory
Today's Blog Bash Challenge over at www.notyouraverageteen.com is to talk about high school memories. I happened to really enjoy high school and have many many fond memories. I was a cheerleader and realized then that I love being in front of a crowd. I'm a little pressed for time, so I will recount my most famous one.
I sing. I've been a singer my whole life, from singing with a hairbrush in front of the mirror in our motorhome while driving to Florida to singing in a local well-known Chorale to singing at a wedding. In high school, I was in chorus and loved to sing. Another cheerleader and I sang the National Anthem at basketball games my junior, her senior year. I loved it. People said it was great. Who knows, they were probably just trying to butter me up for something. I'm just glad we didn't have American Idol then or I would have thought I should be America's next idol and I assure I would not have been.
When she graduated, I sang the National Anthem by myself. I still loved it but it was lacking a little something without her. One night, I got through the first verse. As I was beginning the 2nd verse, I had this horrible thought that I might have just started the song all over again because it sounded like the very same words might be coming out of my mouth. A conversation with myself began in my head as I was singing and I had no idea what was coming out. I did all of the thinking I could in those seconds while I was singing verse 2, sure that I was really just singing verse 1 all over again and I really couldn't decide.
So I stopped, mid word. And I said, into the microphone "I just forgot the words..." This caused hysterical roars of laughter, myself included and I wasn't really sure what to do. I didn't run away, I wasn't ashamed, I just stood there with the mic wondering if I should start again and maybe the words would come back to me. So I started over. And the crowd sang with me. And every single time I have sung it since (they let me continue singing at the games, with a mic and everything) I catch myself thinking that verse 2 sounds like verse 1 and I'm just repeating it. This is the sort of thing that happens when you go on auto pilot.**
Word got around very fast and there was a silent tension at the beginning of every game after that, wondering if I'd forget again. Instead, I'd just sing, hoping it would be fine, realizing that I'm not so afraid in front of crowds, especially if I have a mic. I LOVE my voice on a mic. I would talk on one all day if you gave me one.
My friend was in the auditorium next door to the gym while this was all happening. Her version is equally entertaining. She said they were having play practice and could hear someone singing and then all of a sudden there was silence. And then roaring. And then singing again.
Ahhh to be back in high school again.
** this has nothing to do with high school, but it involves my personal auto pilot. I got into that mode quite often, especially at school, when I am teaching the concept for the 3rd time that day and it's the 100th time in my career and I'm just on auto pilot. Sadly, this sometimes happens at the gym, when I am teaching a class, and I have to force myself to focus. For a long time, I taught Pilates and since the nature of Pilates is to do the same exercises all the time, my auto pilot had its own phD in the stuff. One day, I was auto piloting as we were warming up. A woman had just asked me about something that I thought I had already emailed her about. As auto was conducting the warm up, I thought "I'm sure I just emailed her" and as I tuned in, auto was saying "Good, now nice deep breath, INHALE and EMAIL". I kid you not.
I sing. I've been a singer my whole life, from singing with a hairbrush in front of the mirror in our motorhome while driving to Florida to singing in a local well-known Chorale to singing at a wedding. In high school, I was in chorus and loved to sing. Another cheerleader and I sang the National Anthem at basketball games my junior, her senior year. I loved it. People said it was great. Who knows, they were probably just trying to butter me up for something. I'm just glad we didn't have American Idol then or I would have thought I should be America's next idol and I assure I would not have been.
When she graduated, I sang the National Anthem by myself. I still loved it but it was lacking a little something without her. One night, I got through the first verse. As I was beginning the 2nd verse, I had this horrible thought that I might have just started the song all over again because it sounded like the very same words might be coming out of my mouth. A conversation with myself began in my head as I was singing and I had no idea what was coming out. I did all of the thinking I could in those seconds while I was singing verse 2, sure that I was really just singing verse 1 all over again and I really couldn't decide.
So I stopped, mid word. And I said, into the microphone "I just forgot the words..." This caused hysterical roars of laughter, myself included and I wasn't really sure what to do. I didn't run away, I wasn't ashamed, I just stood there with the mic wondering if I should start again and maybe the words would come back to me. So I started over. And the crowd sang with me. And every single time I have sung it since (they let me continue singing at the games, with a mic and everything) I catch myself thinking that verse 2 sounds like verse 1 and I'm just repeating it. This is the sort of thing that happens when you go on auto pilot.**
Word got around very fast and there was a silent tension at the beginning of every game after that, wondering if I'd forget again. Instead, I'd just sing, hoping it would be fine, realizing that I'm not so afraid in front of crowds, especially if I have a mic. I LOVE my voice on a mic. I would talk on one all day if you gave me one.
My friend was in the auditorium next door to the gym while this was all happening. Her version is equally entertaining. She said they were having play practice and could hear someone singing and then all of a sudden there was silence. And then roaring. And then singing again.
Ahhh to be back in high school again.
** this has nothing to do with high school, but it involves my personal auto pilot. I got into that mode quite often, especially at school, when I am teaching the concept for the 3rd time that day and it's the 100th time in my career and I'm just on auto pilot. Sadly, this sometimes happens at the gym, when I am teaching a class, and I have to force myself to focus. For a long time, I taught Pilates and since the nature of Pilates is to do the same exercises all the time, my auto pilot had its own phD in the stuff. One day, I was auto piloting as we were warming up. A woman had just asked me about something that I thought I had already emailed her about. As auto was conducting the warm up, I thought "I'm sure I just emailed her" and as I tuned in, auto was saying "Good, now nice deep breath, INHALE and EMAIL". I kid you not.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Blog Bash 2010
I have no idea how I have been sucked into the blogosphere, but it's fun and I can't stop. A Blog Bash is underway and I decided to take part. It's pink and I'd do just about anything if you laced it with pink. Take candy right from a stranger if the candy was pink. Hop right in their car if the car was pink (how dangerous can a Mary Kay Lady BE??) My mother always said she never worried about anyone kidnapping me because I'd ask so many questions they'd bring me right back. I am supposed to answer the following questions, so here goes:
1.) Why do you blog?
Because I don't know many people who like to hear me go on and on and since I am much more clear when I write, it makes sense to me. If you don't like my lengthy diatribes, you can just go away. And I don't have to know that you are rolling your eyes or picking your nose or being naked while enjoying what I have to say.
2.) What do you blog about?
Whatever pops into my head that I think people will find amusing.
3.) What do you find to be the biggest reward you get from blogging?
Seeing the visitors from other countries pop up on the flag counter on the side bar. It's pretty cool that people from other countries are checking out my blog even if it's by accident.
4.) How long have you been blogging?
Since spring of 2009 but not seriously until May of this year.
5.) Let's hear the story behind your blog title! :)
I started selling lia sophia jewelry in 2008 www.liasophia.com/joannawatson. When I learned about blogging in a course I took, I thought it would be fun to create a blog about jewelry. But I didn't get any visitors. So I occasionally put things up but didn't really see any action. My sister clued me in to a very funny blog and I started looking at blogs that she was connected to and one thing led to another and I thought maybe people out there DO like to read twisted perspectives on every day occurrences. Rather than create a whole new blog, who can keep up with so many, I decided to let mine evolve.
I like to do everything outside. I garden, I do a lot of lawn mowing, I run(this just makes me sweaty), I ride a horse (such a filthy activity, I never knew). This results in many days where a cloud of dust follows me like Pigpen (where is Pigpen from? Peanuts? Was he a Little Rascal?) Even when I try to stay clean in the summer, I can't help pulling up a weed here, cleaning that there and I seem to be in a perpetual state of disarray. I am fair skinned so I wear sunblock and though they all say non greasy, they are greasy and attract dirt like a magnet. I wear hats to try to keep away the sun so my hair is often a disaster as well. I have to get really cleaned up to do a lia sophia jewelry show, but I can manage it. I stay pretty clean at school, too. Unless I'm taking something off a bookshelf that hasn't been moved all year, then I get dirty there too. So, I kept the lia sophia part of the title in case someone really did want to find out about jewelry but I thought Tomgirl was appropriate for me.
And in case you haven't read my post about outdoor showers, I LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE to take showers in my outdoor shower so it's a reward for all that dirty.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Don't Hate Me Because Of My Shorts
I mentioned on someone's blog that I am not a material person, but clothing has some significance to me and if anyone ever signed me up for What Not To Wear, I would be devastated when Stacy and Clinton made fun of and threw away my clothes. Some pieces have serious meaning to me and though they may not be fashionable and though I may not wear them, I still want them.
I have a tendency to stay the same size year after year after year. Don't throw things at me yet. This could be due to the neuroses I have about eating and the fact that I work hard to stay fit. And I can't sit still. I was not given gift where I can sit around and do nothing, eat whatever I want and still stay the same size. Glad I could clear that up. The bonus is this whirlwind life I live is that if the clothes will last, I can keep them for a decade. Or two. Case in point. Around 1993, I bought 2 pair of shorts at The Gap for about $8 each because they were super on sale. Remember when Gap would have those crazy sale racks at the back and you could really save? Remember when the Gap had clothes that actually looked new and not like someone had driven over the jeans about 18 times with a Mack truck? Back in those days, I shopped there a lot and never paid full price. Back to the shorts. One pair is really deep red and the other is light yellow. And they are on the shorter side. But being short myself, this hasn't been much of a problem, so I've kept them as fashion trends have come and gone. And today, I dug out the red pair and they still fit, so I'm wearing them.
While I do remain in the same size clothes from year to year, sometimes those clothes fit differently. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so good. This year, they fit nicely. I'm not constantly pulling at them as I have in the past. This makes Thrifty very happy because it means I don't have to keep buying new clothes. And when it's a solid color and fairly trendless, this is a good thing.
On the topic of clothing, you might remember my post about Church on the Beach. Today was great because it was stormy but not raining so they still held it. The clouds were quite low and dark but it was nice. However, I saw another one of those shirts I mentioned but this one made sense. Still not church attire, but it made sense. On the back of the shirt was the same bar as on the lobster shirt, but this time there were a bunch of moose sitting at the bar. One had fallen off and it said Watch For Moose Dropping. Ha ha ha ha I get it. Now I realize that the lobster thing on the other shirt said Watch for Lobster Dropping. But I do not get lobster dropping. Is this something we need to watch for in the ocean? Lobster droppings in big mounds you dont' want to step in and get all over your house? (Like I did with dog droppings on Christmas morning one year. ALL OVER THE HOUSE. It was like the Cat in the Hat with the pink footprints everywhere but this was brown and it was pretty and it wasn't funny. 3 rooms had footprints from my dirty shoe.) And really, this IS church even though it's on the beach. I don't think that toilet humor is appropriate at church no matter where it's held!!
I have a tendency to stay the same size year after year after year. Don't throw things at me yet. This could be due to the neuroses I have about eating and the fact that I work hard to stay fit. And I can't sit still. I was not given gift where I can sit around and do nothing, eat whatever I want and still stay the same size. Glad I could clear that up. The bonus is this whirlwind life I live is that if the clothes will last, I can keep them for a decade. Or two. Case in point. Around 1993, I bought 2 pair of shorts at The Gap for about $8 each because they were super on sale. Remember when Gap would have those crazy sale racks at the back and you could really save? Remember when the Gap had clothes that actually looked new and not like someone had driven over the jeans about 18 times with a Mack truck? Back in those days, I shopped there a lot and never paid full price. Back to the shorts. One pair is really deep red and the other is light yellow. And they are on the shorter side. But being short myself, this hasn't been much of a problem, so I've kept them as fashion trends have come and gone. And today, I dug out the red pair and they still fit, so I'm wearing them.
While I do remain in the same size clothes from year to year, sometimes those clothes fit differently. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so good. This year, they fit nicely. I'm not constantly pulling at them as I have in the past. This makes Thrifty very happy because it means I don't have to keep buying new clothes. And when it's a solid color and fairly trendless, this is a good thing.
On the topic of clothing, you might remember my post about Church on the Beach. Today was great because it was stormy but not raining so they still held it. The clouds were quite low and dark but it was nice. However, I saw another one of those shirts I mentioned but this one made sense. Still not church attire, but it made sense. On the back of the shirt was the same bar as on the lobster shirt, but this time there were a bunch of moose sitting at the bar. One had fallen off and it said Watch For Moose Dropping. Ha ha ha ha I get it. Now I realize that the lobster thing on the other shirt said Watch for Lobster Dropping. But I do not get lobster dropping. Is this something we need to watch for in the ocean? Lobster droppings in big mounds you dont' want to step in and get all over your house? (Like I did with dog droppings on Christmas morning one year. ALL OVER THE HOUSE. It was like the Cat in the Hat with the pink footprints everywhere but this was brown and it was pretty and it wasn't funny. 3 rooms had footprints from my dirty shoe.) And really, this IS church even though it's on the beach. I don't think that toilet humor is appropriate at church no matter where it's held!!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Telephone Poles and Underwear
Someone, somewhere is making an obscene joke out of that title right now, but these are the random thoughts in my head today.
First. Our friends were sharing a story this weekend where she thought, as she was driving around being a rural vet, that telephone poles are kind of mysterious in their origin. Her question was, are they made from very tall trees that are milled down to the right size, or are they a blend? The husband was telling the story and was all snickery and I thought the answer was OF COURSE they are a blend of wood created to be poles. Umm, apparently not. He claims, and k-ster backs him up, that if you look carefully at telephone poles. they are indeed one tree that was shaped to be the right height and width. I find this very hard to believe but I am too lazy to go google it right now. I have looked at them a lot lately and I really can't tell. I thought I remembered seeing some that kind of looked like puzzle pieces but now that I look, I don't see any like this. I can't believe there are enough trees in the world that are tall enough to make them.
Second. Remember when you weren't supposed to see people's underwear? When it was not nice if you saw someone's bra straps? When did society decide it was OK to see them? Was it when society said women can run in sports bras with no tops? I think that might have been the day. Look around in summer and all you see are bra straps. Some are "fashionable" and are actually meant to be seen and even if they aren't meant to be seen, some women just think it's OK to let them hang out. I remember going to great lengths last century to hide my straps. Safety pins inside the straps of tank tops were one option. Back then, tank top straps were much wider, so that rule at school about how they must be at least 2 fingers wide would have been obscene in those days. They were all qutie wide, as I recall.
I believe it was when I started teaching classes at the gym that I began to allow my sports bra straps to be seen. This doesn't bother me in the least, probably because it isn't like a real bra, in my mind. It's meant to look athletic and often looks like a bathing suit, so it's OK with me. I just don't like to see those white, normal bras, the kind with the circle things just hanging out.
I suppose I am a hypocrite as I am sitting here, wearing a sports bra under a tank top and letting the straps hang out though I am not exercising. I am hot and I seem to believe it's OK because it's a sports bra.
Let's look at the other side. Can you imagine if society decided that men could exercise in public just wearing an athletic supporter? Picture the scene. A man is running down the road wearing a t-shirt, a jock strap and sneakers and socks. I am laughing/retching so hard it's difficult to type. Now picture this. A man decides he'll stop at the grocery after his grueling gym workout. He throws on a new t-shirt, still wearing just the jock strap and sneakers. What would you do if you came down the aisle and saw this man picking up broccoli? I know, a man stopping at the grocery is such a far fetched idea, I should have stopped there.
Is there a double standard? In summer, I see women at the grocery all the time in sports bras and shorts. Usually they are very tan and have great abs. Would it be better if the man was very tanned and in great shape when he did errands and exercised in his jock strap?
Think about it and while you do, thank the Good Lord society hasn't deemed that outfit proper. Yet.
First. Our friends were sharing a story this weekend where she thought, as she was driving around being a rural vet, that telephone poles are kind of mysterious in their origin. Her question was, are they made from very tall trees that are milled down to the right size, or are they a blend? The husband was telling the story and was all snickery and I thought the answer was OF COURSE they are a blend of wood created to be poles. Umm, apparently not. He claims, and k-ster backs him up, that if you look carefully at telephone poles. they are indeed one tree that was shaped to be the right height and width. I find this very hard to believe but I am too lazy to go google it right now. I have looked at them a lot lately and I really can't tell. I thought I remembered seeing some that kind of looked like puzzle pieces but now that I look, I don't see any like this. I can't believe there are enough trees in the world that are tall enough to make them.
Second. Remember when you weren't supposed to see people's underwear? When it was not nice if you saw someone's bra straps? When did society decide it was OK to see them? Was it when society said women can run in sports bras with no tops? I think that might have been the day. Look around in summer and all you see are bra straps. Some are "fashionable" and are actually meant to be seen and even if they aren't meant to be seen, some women just think it's OK to let them hang out. I remember going to great lengths last century to hide my straps. Safety pins inside the straps of tank tops were one option. Back then, tank top straps were much wider, so that rule at school about how they must be at least 2 fingers wide would have been obscene in those days. They were all qutie wide, as I recall.
I believe it was when I started teaching classes at the gym that I began to allow my sports bra straps to be seen. This doesn't bother me in the least, probably because it isn't like a real bra, in my mind. It's meant to look athletic and often looks like a bathing suit, so it's OK with me. I just don't like to see those white, normal bras, the kind with the circle things just hanging out.
I suppose I am a hypocrite as I am sitting here, wearing a sports bra under a tank top and letting the straps hang out though I am not exercising. I am hot and I seem to believe it's OK because it's a sports bra.
Let's look at the other side. Can you imagine if society decided that men could exercise in public just wearing an athletic supporter? Picture the scene. A man is running down the road wearing a t-shirt, a jock strap and sneakers and socks. I am laughing/retching so hard it's difficult to type. Now picture this. A man decides he'll stop at the grocery after his grueling gym workout. He throws on a new t-shirt, still wearing just the jock strap and sneakers. What would you do if you came down the aisle and saw this man picking up broccoli? I know, a man stopping at the grocery is such a far fetched idea, I should have stopped there.
Is there a double standard? In summer, I see women at the grocery all the time in sports bras and shorts. Usually they are very tan and have great abs. Would it be better if the man was very tanned and in great shape when he did errands and exercised in his jock strap?
Think about it and while you do, thank the Good Lord society hasn't deemed that outfit proper. Yet.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Gardening Sensation
When people say they have or don't have a green thumb, I get really annoyed. I am firm believer that the only thing plants need to grow is adequate water and someone to check on their progress. My thumb turns whatever color the substance is that I'm sticking it into and yet I have great luck with plants. I stick to my watering and paying attention theory and then I break all the rules when it comes to gardening. Some call it Going Rogue in the garden. My name is not Sarah, therefore I just call it Gardening.
Recently, I have become a HUGE fan of lilies. Around here, the orange Daylilies(so named because the flower opens for a day and then dies off) are extremely common and I'm tired of them. Someone keeps giving me different types of Daylilies as she thins her supply and they are doing just marvelously despite my bad behavior.
Now here is where I do bad things in the garden and get great results. First of all, there is no rhyme or reason to where I put most things in my garden. Anything that isn't a vegetable goes outside the fence since I don't care if anything eats them. This set of lilies is actually behind just about everything in the garden though they should be up front as showcase. I have to confess that twice I have been given these lilies to transplant and twice I have left them in the bag in the freezing winter and then tossed them into the ground in spring and clearly, they don't care. They just pop up anyway. I also have no idea which color is where, so it's kind of fun to see what comes up every year. I never water these babies and look what they are doing anyway! My FAVorite is one of the lighter ones that sadly does not look right in any picture we take. It's this unreal ivory color but in this picture it's nothing special. The other light ones are light yellow and are just as nice.
Here we have what we jokingly call the Scales of Justice. We aren't a law office, clearly we are a trailer park, but it's fun to look at them here and think we might have to weigh whether or not we think you are worthy enough to park your trailer here. Now here is another example of crazy gardening behavior. The impatien (did you know that they Impatiens, not Impatients?)on the left has been wintered over at school, and as usual, I never gradually bring them back into the sun and they usually fry at first. I just have no patience for that! This is the result of being repotted and cut back. No harm done.
I'm a native girl at heart, so I'm letting native things (except that #%$*%ing poison ivy) grow in my presence with abandon. This is milkweed, though someone tells me it looks like bamboo with its joints and height. The height of these is nothing compared to some I've seen. These are about 5 feet tall but I've seen some closer to 8 feet. These flowers will become the milkweed pods that most people are familiar with. They also smell quite nice, though k-ster disagrees, and my favorite part is they bring the bees. I like bees in my garden because they do good work!
Finally, you might say I have a knack for geraniums. These things are amazing. Did you know you can just cut them off at a joint, cut the leaves back a few inches, shove them in the pot and you have another whole plant? Another rogue move, I just keep breaking them off (who has time to get scissors?)and sticking them in pots so now I have many colors in one pot. I bring them into school in the winter where they go absolutely crazy in the sun and then never have to buy new plants. I think these might be 4-5 years old in some pots. They love to be cut back and they are so easy to repropigate. There's Miss Thrifty coming out again! Why buy new plants if you can just keep the old ones going and regenerate them???
Linking here
Recently, I have become a HUGE fan of lilies. Around here, the orange Daylilies(so named because the flower opens for a day and then dies off) are extremely common and I'm tired of them. Someone keeps giving me different types of Daylilies as she thins her supply and they are doing just marvelously despite my bad behavior.
Now here is where I do bad things in the garden and get great results. First of all, there is no rhyme or reason to where I put most things in my garden. Anything that isn't a vegetable goes outside the fence since I don't care if anything eats them. This set of lilies is actually behind just about everything in the garden though they should be up front as showcase. I have to confess that twice I have been given these lilies to transplant and twice I have left them in the bag in the freezing winter and then tossed them into the ground in spring and clearly, they don't care. They just pop up anyway. I also have no idea which color is where, so it's kind of fun to see what comes up every year. I never water these babies and look what they are doing anyway! My FAVorite is one of the lighter ones that sadly does not look right in any picture we take. It's this unreal ivory color but in this picture it's nothing special. The other light ones are light yellow and are just as nice.
Here we have what we jokingly call the Scales of Justice. We aren't a law office, clearly we are a trailer park, but it's fun to look at them here and think we might have to weigh whether or not we think you are worthy enough to park your trailer here. Now here is another example of crazy gardening behavior. The impatien (did you know that they Impatiens, not Impatients?)on the left has been wintered over at school, and as usual, I never gradually bring them back into the sun and they usually fry at first. I just have no patience for that! This is the result of being repotted and cut back. No harm done.
I'm a native girl at heart, so I'm letting native things (except that #%$*%ing poison ivy) grow in my presence with abandon. This is milkweed, though someone tells me it looks like bamboo with its joints and height. The height of these is nothing compared to some I've seen. These are about 5 feet tall but I've seen some closer to 8 feet. These flowers will become the milkweed pods that most people are familiar with. They also smell quite nice, though k-ster disagrees, and my favorite part is they bring the bees. I like bees in my garden because they do good work!
Finally, you might say I have a knack for geraniums. These things are amazing. Did you know you can just cut them off at a joint, cut the leaves back a few inches, shove them in the pot and you have another whole plant? Another rogue move, I just keep breaking them off (who has time to get scissors?)and sticking them in pots so now I have many colors in one pot. I bring them into school in the winter where they go absolutely crazy in the sun and then never have to buy new plants. I think these might be 4-5 years old in some pots. They love to be cut back and they are so easy to repropigate. There's Miss Thrifty coming out again! Why buy new plants if you can just keep the old ones going and regenerate them???
Linking here
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Won and Lost
Which should I start with. I guess the WON. I have a laptop that I won in April, something that blew my mind, and I needed to get all of my itunes music from my old desktop to the laptop. As much as I do like Apple, though the only item I own is an ipod, I am rather aggravated with them about itunes. You can have up to 5 computers registered with your ipod. However, every time you want to sync your ipod with one of those computers, it has to erase what's on the ipod and replace it with what's in the itunes library for that computer. At least, this is what happens to me.
So, after fooling around trying to move my music from the desktop to my laptop and having no success, I broke down and looked it up online. From Apple itself, there is a site apologizing that it's not possible to move the music simply. Even with homeshare, it only transfers the music you bought. A major portion of my music was ripped from CDs over the years. Most annoyingly, I didn't want to have to redo all of my spin playlists. I read the directions about how to move the music. At first, I thought I could use my ipod to transfer the files, once I read about how to do that, but after hours of downloading to the ipod, it turned out to be too small. I thought I could just upload what I had downloaded and then go back and get the rest. But then I wasn't sure what had and had not dowloaded. And then I did something that made every single song on the new computer list 4 times. And the irony is that a lot of k-ster's music that I don't like is what managed to transfer. Limp Biskit times 4 isn't ok with me.
I finally realized that if I used a device with a bigger storage space, I could just do it all at once and stop messing around. Enter this fantastic external hard drive that I won with the laptop. It can hold the entire universe, I think. So, I threw away the mess I created on my laptop and stripped itunes bare. Then I downloaded the giant file from the old computer and uploaded it to the new one. LO AND BEHOLD, not only are all the songs there, they are there just one time each, ALL of my playlists tranferred as well as things like the number of times a song has played and when it was entered into itunes. I am amazing. So there, itunes, I WON this round. It just took me a few days to realize how to streamline it in case I have to do that again.
Now, the lost. I just about lost my mind at lunchtime. I was registered to take an online grad class through a college that's about 1.5 hours from here. I was psyched to find an online French Immersion class and wondered how in the world it would work. I figured there'd be lots of Skyping. The class is supposed to start tomorrow and TODAY I got the email explaining that there are 4 face to face classes. WHAT???? I went right to the booklet and it says NOTHING about anything on campus, nothing face to face, just that it's online. I can't go tomorrow or next Friday so there is no way I can take this class. And this was the one I needed to move over on the pay scale. I am sooooooooo mad. I wrote back to the person who sent it, who I am sure isn't the person responsible, and gave her a piece of my mind. Then I wrote to everyone that was on the address list and asked them if they are as surprised and annoyed as I am. What if I didn't check my email today? So, I LOST a little of my mind and the opportunity to rake in the big bucks this year. We have a pay freeze for this year because the town won't vote for an override. Yes, in this little haven where we live, we still have town meetings and things actually get voted upon. Insignificant little things like school funding.
So now I can use my swanky laptop that I won to try to look for another class that I can do online or closer to home. So annoying.
So, after fooling around trying to move my music from the desktop to my laptop and having no success, I broke down and looked it up online. From Apple itself, there is a site apologizing that it's not possible to move the music simply. Even with homeshare, it only transfers the music you bought. A major portion of my music was ripped from CDs over the years. Most annoyingly, I didn't want to have to redo all of my spin playlists. I read the directions about how to move the music. At first, I thought I could use my ipod to transfer the files, once I read about how to do that, but after hours of downloading to the ipod, it turned out to be too small. I thought I could just upload what I had downloaded and then go back and get the rest. But then I wasn't sure what had and had not dowloaded. And then I did something that made every single song on the new computer list 4 times. And the irony is that a lot of k-ster's music that I don't like is what managed to transfer. Limp Biskit times 4 isn't ok with me.
I finally realized that if I used a device with a bigger storage space, I could just do it all at once and stop messing around. Enter this fantastic external hard drive that I won with the laptop. It can hold the entire universe, I think. So, I threw away the mess I created on my laptop and stripped itunes bare. Then I downloaded the giant file from the old computer and uploaded it to the new one. LO AND BEHOLD, not only are all the songs there, they are there just one time each, ALL of my playlists tranferred as well as things like the number of times a song has played and when it was entered into itunes. I am amazing. So there, itunes, I WON this round. It just took me a few days to realize how to streamline it in case I have to do that again.
Now, the lost. I just about lost my mind at lunchtime. I was registered to take an online grad class through a college that's about 1.5 hours from here. I was psyched to find an online French Immersion class and wondered how in the world it would work. I figured there'd be lots of Skyping. The class is supposed to start tomorrow and TODAY I got the email explaining that there are 4 face to face classes. WHAT???? I went right to the booklet and it says NOTHING about anything on campus, nothing face to face, just that it's online. I can't go tomorrow or next Friday so there is no way I can take this class. And this was the one I needed to move over on the pay scale. I am sooooooooo mad. I wrote back to the person who sent it, who I am sure isn't the person responsible, and gave her a piece of my mind. Then I wrote to everyone that was on the address list and asked them if they are as surprised and annoyed as I am. What if I didn't check my email today? So, I LOST a little of my mind and the opportunity to rake in the big bucks this year. We have a pay freeze for this year because the town won't vote for an override. Yes, in this little haven where we live, we still have town meetings and things actually get voted upon. Insignificant little things like school funding.
So now I can use my swanky laptop that I won to try to look for another class that I can do online or closer to home. So annoying.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Pepperidge Farm Remembers
Do you remember the commercials for Pepperidge Farm cookies and Goldfish and things? They had an older man from somewhere in New England that would say "Pepperidge Farm Remembers" but it was more like "Pepperidge FAAAAAM RememBAHS" because he had that crazy accent.
I thought of him this morning when I was driving and saw this.
My first thought was that when he sped up all of the boxes of Goldfish would be headed my way and I'd run away with them. Actually, what caught my eye wasn't the actual fact that the door was open, but the driver was clearly having a conversation with someone was GESTURING (I put this in caps so you could see how emphatic the gesturing really was). I was trying to see his passenger and thought "is there even a seat for a passenger in a truck like this?" and as I was peering through the back door, I realized it was open and shouldn't be. I'm also pretty sure there wasn't anyone else in that truck.
After all that thinking, the light turned green and we were off. Nothing came crashing out as he took off. Then we slowed a few times for traffic and I got so close once I debated yelling "sir, your door is open back here" but I figured he wouldn't hear me or realize he was the sir to whom I was speaking.
My final thought, and why I took the picture, was the irony. Do you see the word REMEMBER on the left door? We'll never know what to REMEMBER because the driver didn't REMEMBER to close the right side door! I wonder if he drives around with the door open to aid in cooling the vehicle. When he got to his next stop, did he wonder why the door was already open?
This reminds me of a lady from when we were little. She was this really nice, tiny lady from somewhere with a heavy accent and she would sometimes take us to the beach in the summer. How she managed the 3 of us is still a mystery and she couldn't swim, so why my mother let us go is another mystery. She always brought a bag of popcorn and lemonade she made in a Skippy Peanut Butter JAR WITH A METAL LID!! Do you remember those? Glass peanut butter jarss???? And who would think to put lemonade in one?
Thank you http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/
Anyway, the point of this little story is that she had this crazy hatchback, brown car, and I can't even tell you the make of it but it seemed huge. We were leaving the beach one day and in the flurry of activity, she didn't close the hatch. I thought this was truly the funniest thing in the world and every time my sister tried to tell her, I would cover her mouth so she wouldn't tell. Riding down the road with the hatch open was hysterical to me and I have to admit I'm kind of chuckling as I write this. As we pulled into the yard, we hopped out the back. The poor lady just couldn't understand how we had already gotten out of the car. By now we all thought this was the funniest thing ever.
I wonder if the Pepperidge Farm delivery man had the same wonder she had? If he had arrived at his next stop with NOTHING left because it had all fallen out, would he have understood? Would he had been mad? Would I have flagged him down long before all of the contents of the truck fell out? Surely not, I would have been laughing too hard to tell him!
I thought of him this morning when I was driving and saw this.
My first thought was that when he sped up all of the boxes of Goldfish would be headed my way and I'd run away with them. Actually, what caught my eye wasn't the actual fact that the door was open, but the driver was clearly having a conversation with someone was GESTURING (I put this in caps so you could see how emphatic the gesturing really was). I was trying to see his passenger and thought "is there even a seat for a passenger in a truck like this?" and as I was peering through the back door, I realized it was open and shouldn't be. I'm also pretty sure there wasn't anyone else in that truck.
After all that thinking, the light turned green and we were off. Nothing came crashing out as he took off. Then we slowed a few times for traffic and I got so close once I debated yelling "sir, your door is open back here" but I figured he wouldn't hear me or realize he was the sir to whom I was speaking.
My final thought, and why I took the picture, was the irony. Do you see the word REMEMBER on the left door? We'll never know what to REMEMBER because the driver didn't REMEMBER to close the right side door! I wonder if he drives around with the door open to aid in cooling the vehicle. When he got to his next stop, did he wonder why the door was already open?
This reminds me of a lady from when we were little. She was this really nice, tiny lady from somewhere with a heavy accent and she would sometimes take us to the beach in the summer. How she managed the 3 of us is still a mystery and she couldn't swim, so why my mother let us go is another mystery. She always brought a bag of popcorn and lemonade she made in a Skippy Peanut Butter JAR WITH A METAL LID!! Do you remember those? Glass peanut butter jarss???? And who would think to put lemonade in one?
Thank you http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/
Anyway, the point of this little story is that she had this crazy hatchback, brown car, and I can't even tell you the make of it but it seemed huge. We were leaving the beach one day and in the flurry of activity, she didn't close the hatch. I thought this was truly the funniest thing in the world and every time my sister tried to tell her, I would cover her mouth so she wouldn't tell. Riding down the road with the hatch open was hysterical to me and I have to admit I'm kind of chuckling as I write this. As we pulled into the yard, we hopped out the back. The poor lady just couldn't understand how we had already gotten out of the car. By now we all thought this was the funniest thing ever.
I wonder if the Pepperidge Farm delivery man had the same wonder she had? If he had arrived at his next stop with NOTHING left because it had all fallen out, would he have understood? Would he had been mad? Would I have flagged him down long before all of the contents of the truck fell out? Surely not, I would have been laughing too hard to tell him!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Poisonous Natives
This picture can only mean one thing. It's poison ivy season. This is an old remedy that helps a little when it's oozing and you're not willing to go to the doctor yet. It's just baking soda in water and you put it on and let it dry. It's supposed to pull out the ooze and help it to dry out. I don't know how much it works but it takes forever to dry. I like to put it on while I'm in the outdoor shower since I know I can get it all over the place and it won't matter. But then I have to stand in the shower until it dries and that can get boring. Today, I read the whole newspaper before it dried.
How did I get it, you ask? I've known for many decades what it looks like and I know I have to stay away because I get it just by looking at it. I have a theory. I found this great, organic stuff called Burn Out that has clove oil in it and supposedly messes with the oil on the leaves and kills it. It works very well, especially if the area happens to baked in the sun all day. Within days it's dead as a doornail. By theory is that by spraying this stuff on the leaves, it makes the poison ivy oil go into the air and I breathe it in. This is the second summer I have used this stuff and the second time I've had it about 3 days later. Always in a place that even if I touched the plant, I wouldn't get it here. Like my waistband! I am certain not to touch the leaves and I use gloves but somehow I still have a little bit, just enough to be annoying!
Last summer, I had to go to the doctor to get some prednisone but I really don't like to do that. Hopefully the baking soda paste and calodryl will keep it all at bay.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Uhh Is There A Problem, Officer?
Today was an outrageously hot day, hotter than we consider normal around here, and since it was a holiday (observed) we lolled around all day. Most of it was spent on the hammock or in the circus chair (see yesterday's blog)in front of the house. Well, it's actually a side lawn, but you get to see all the action from the street, my parents' house next door and anyone who drives up the driveway.
After a pretty uninteresting day, k-ster even said how quiet it was, I went in to make supper. He decided to wash his truck in on the back lawn. We apparently can wash cars on lawns, but not take showers on them, in these parts. He came in snickering, asking if I was watching the show. The SHOW was 2 cruisers pulling over a car on the street, right between our houses. Not wanting to put myself in harm's way, I tried peeking out windows, but every window gave me a different view but none of them with the WHOLE view. So, I finally snuck outside and hung near The General so I could see and hear what was going on. They were making the people in the car really sweat it out, I could tell, when the two officers stood at the back of one of the cruisers and chatted. A third cruiser, this one with no lights on, had to join in the fun and now 3 of them were standing around, shooting the breeze, while the people in the car were gawked at by every passer by.
THEN, my father drove up the driveway and came upon: k-ster washing his truck, me lurking by The General and 3 cruisers with a pulled over car. His reaction, typcial of my father: What the hell is THIS? to which I replied, I have no idea. I still didn't know if the people in the car were masked bandits, drug runners, pimps, or just blew off a stop sign, so I was still lurking. I look out in the road and now my father has stopped traffic while he "chats" with the police officers. I guess this was not an urgent stop.
Eventually, I made my way to the circus chair for the best view and watched the driver get out and talk to someone on his phone, mentioning that the registration had expired. OOPS. And I was entertained because he had to keep repeating himself, due to the suspicious dead zone we have here on the compound. I soon tired of this boring traffic stop, was finished marveling that 3 paid officers were standing around chatting on my parents' lawn because these fools were driving an unregistered car, so I went back to cooking. The 3rd officer took off for some urgent call and after a while, k-ster said 2 of the 3 people in the car took all of their gear and walked home while the driver stayed to see the car get towed. Eventually the 2nd cop left and then there was one.
And then I realized this cop is why my father could never be a cop. Instead of being a mean, scary cop, he was chatting up the driver. They were becoming best friends while waiting for the tow truck. Then the cop says, Come on out here and let me show you, which in a movie would mean that the guy would be taken down and thrown into the car. Instead, the cop must have wanted to show him something really nifty on his laptop that they all have in their cars, because the cop got in the driver's side and the guy leaned into the window of the passenger side and proceeded to be entertained/amazed/in awe of whatever it was that the officer had to show. This is JUST what my father would have done. In fact, since we currently have firetruck in the yard to be delivered somewhere tomorrow, I am quite surprised my father didn't invite all of them to come and look at it while they were waiting for the tow truck.
Too soon, the tow truck came and took away the car and the driver. So much excitement. So sad for the cop. Rumor has it the guys were yelling out their windows at girls and got the attention of the cops and THEN there was an expired tag on the license plates. Idiots.
I took a picture, but figured that it was probably a bad idea to post pictures of local cops without their permission on my blog. Especially when I made mention of the fact that I have an outdoor shower!
After a pretty uninteresting day, k-ster even said how quiet it was, I went in to make supper. He decided to wash his truck in on the back lawn. We apparently can wash cars on lawns, but not take showers on them, in these parts. He came in snickering, asking if I was watching the show. The SHOW was 2 cruisers pulling over a car on the street, right between our houses. Not wanting to put myself in harm's way, I tried peeking out windows, but every window gave me a different view but none of them with the WHOLE view. So, I finally snuck outside and hung near The General so I could see and hear what was going on. They were making the people in the car really sweat it out, I could tell, when the two officers stood at the back of one of the cruisers and chatted. A third cruiser, this one with no lights on, had to join in the fun and now 3 of them were standing around, shooting the breeze, while the people in the car were gawked at by every passer by.
THEN, my father drove up the driveway and came upon: k-ster washing his truck, me lurking by The General and 3 cruisers with a pulled over car. His reaction, typcial of my father: What the hell is THIS? to which I replied, I have no idea. I still didn't know if the people in the car were masked bandits, drug runners, pimps, or just blew off a stop sign, so I was still lurking. I look out in the road and now my father has stopped traffic while he "chats" with the police officers. I guess this was not an urgent stop.
Eventually, I made my way to the circus chair for the best view and watched the driver get out and talk to someone on his phone, mentioning that the registration had expired. OOPS. And I was entertained because he had to keep repeating himself, due to the suspicious dead zone we have here on the compound. I soon tired of this boring traffic stop, was finished marveling that 3 paid officers were standing around chatting on my parents' lawn because these fools were driving an unregistered car, so I went back to cooking. The 3rd officer took off for some urgent call and after a while, k-ster said 2 of the 3 people in the car took all of their gear and walked home while the driver stayed to see the car get towed. Eventually the 2nd cop left and then there was one.
And then I realized this cop is why my father could never be a cop. Instead of being a mean, scary cop, he was chatting up the driver. They were becoming best friends while waiting for the tow truck. Then the cop says, Come on out here and let me show you, which in a movie would mean that the guy would be taken down and thrown into the car. Instead, the cop must have wanted to show him something really nifty on his laptop that they all have in their cars, because the cop got in the driver's side and the guy leaned into the window of the passenger side and proceeded to be entertained/amazed/in awe of whatever it was that the officer had to show. This is JUST what my father would have done. In fact, since we currently have firetruck in the yard to be delivered somewhere tomorrow, I am quite surprised my father didn't invite all of them to come and look at it while they were waiting for the tow truck.
Too soon, the tow truck came and took away the car and the driver. So much excitement. So sad for the cop. Rumor has it the guys were yelling out their windows at girls and got the attention of the cops and THEN there was an expired tag on the license plates. Idiots.
I took a picture, but figured that it was probably a bad idea to post pictures of local cops without their permission on my blog. Especially when I made mention of the fact that I have an outdoor shower!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Adventures With Velcro and I'm Off to Jail
I love to be outside but I am a shadeseeker due to my fair skin and constant worry about melanoma. Ironic since I spend so much time outside and every activity that I do, the very reason I get so dirty, happens to be in the sun. So, I'm either always slathering on sunscreen(which we know they will decide is the reason people get skin cancer) or trying to figure out how to be in the shade.
I don't find the fold up chairs that go in bags very comfortable, but I happened to find this one on sale at the end of last year, very cheap, and Thrifty decided it was something I should buy.
Yes, it's a surry with fringe on top! Do you hear circus music?
So, after opening it up and being amused with myself, I discovered that the height of the canopy can be adjusted so that someone of size can actually sit in it. Along the way, I also discovered that the back flap can be rolled up and secured if you aren't trying to protect your back from anything.
Before I rolled it up, I found out the hard way, that the velcro piece that holds it up hangs down inside and lands right on my head. The strap got stuck in the hair on top of my head and I couldn't get it out! It was funny until I realized I really wasn't going to get my hair out. K-ster came and offered to help and tried to pull out each piece of hair as I held the strap so it couldn't catch any more. I think a clump about 2 inches wide must have been stuck because it took forever for him to get it all out and it really hurt! I guess the lesson here is that I will NEVER use the back flap but will ALWAYS roll it up before anyone sits in it. This probably why it was so cheap at the end of last summer.
The offensive piece of @&*(#!!
Now, the reason I'm off to jail. We have an outdoor shower. Really, that's why I'm going to jail.
Exhibit A
The powers that be around here, announced on the front page of yesterday's paper, that outdoor showers are, in fact, illegal. See, they are not connected to a cesspool and if people are using soap, which is what you do in a shower, then the soap is going onto the ground. Where it gets filtered. Which is what happens in a cesspool. All of the sewer goes into the ground in a pit which allows liquids to leach out and get filtered through the soil and the solids stay behind and eventually break down. This was the theory a million years ago, but there are things that get in the way, such as roots, that cause them to fail and then there are problems. But the point is, things get filtered through the cesspool, just as they could get filtered as they go from the top of the ground down to the ground water. Where we live, the drinking water is not far from the surface, so we all basically drink what we flush.
And now they are worried about the fact that an outdoor shower actually puts the liquids on top of the soil, thereby giving the liquids a longer distance to filter, which is even safer than a cesspool. But one of the "experts" said that this is bad because it could harm the environment. True, if 80 people are using the outdoor shower every day. Another expert suggested that a dry well could be put into the ground under the shower. This would have gravel in it and would sort of act as a filter but not as well as the actual dirt in the ground does. And the first expert actually agreed with that because it would make the liquids get filtered too fast, perhaps not actually getting filtered. The second expert said that the amount of soap from an outdoor shower can't be too different from that of washing a car or dog so who cares?
All experts agreed that it would be impossible to start cracking down on outdoor showers. So really, the article was completely pointless.
We use ours almost all year long. K-ster uses it far longer than I do but I will use it if it's around 40 degrees. I love not cleaning the indoor shower.
And just in case they come snooping around to slap the cuffs on me, we've made ours look like a storage area anyway.
Some people make theirs very decorative or they buy special pieces of wood that are designed for outdoor showers and they cost a mint. K-ster just took some old stockade fence and made ours. No fancy. Just lots of room to take a shower. This freaks out some people, because they say it feels like they are taking a shower in a hall, it's so open. I'm used to it and sometimes feel very hemmed in when I'm inside.
So, if I don't write for a while, they've either hauled my butt to the slammer or I'm stuck in my surry with velcro on my head.
I don't find the fold up chairs that go in bags very comfortable, but I happened to find this one on sale at the end of last year, very cheap, and Thrifty decided it was something I should buy.
Yes, it's a surry with fringe on top! Do you hear circus music?
So, after opening it up and being amused with myself, I discovered that the height of the canopy can be adjusted so that someone of size can actually sit in it. Along the way, I also discovered that the back flap can be rolled up and secured if you aren't trying to protect your back from anything.
Before I rolled it up, I found out the hard way, that the velcro piece that holds it up hangs down inside and lands right on my head. The strap got stuck in the hair on top of my head and I couldn't get it out! It was funny until I realized I really wasn't going to get my hair out. K-ster came and offered to help and tried to pull out each piece of hair as I held the strap so it couldn't catch any more. I think a clump about 2 inches wide must have been stuck because it took forever for him to get it all out and it really hurt! I guess the lesson here is that I will NEVER use the back flap but will ALWAYS roll it up before anyone sits in it. This probably why it was so cheap at the end of last summer.
The offensive piece of @&*(#!!
Now, the reason I'm off to jail. We have an outdoor shower. Really, that's why I'm going to jail.
Exhibit A
The powers that be around here, announced on the front page of yesterday's paper, that outdoor showers are, in fact, illegal. See, they are not connected to a cesspool and if people are using soap, which is what you do in a shower, then the soap is going onto the ground. Where it gets filtered. Which is what happens in a cesspool. All of the sewer goes into the ground in a pit which allows liquids to leach out and get filtered through the soil and the solids stay behind and eventually break down. This was the theory a million years ago, but there are things that get in the way, such as roots, that cause them to fail and then there are problems. But the point is, things get filtered through the cesspool, just as they could get filtered as they go from the top of the ground down to the ground water. Where we live, the drinking water is not far from the surface, so we all basically drink what we flush.
And now they are worried about the fact that an outdoor shower actually puts the liquids on top of the soil, thereby giving the liquids a longer distance to filter, which is even safer than a cesspool. But one of the "experts" said that this is bad because it could harm the environment. True, if 80 people are using the outdoor shower every day. Another expert suggested that a dry well could be put into the ground under the shower. This would have gravel in it and would sort of act as a filter but not as well as the actual dirt in the ground does. And the first expert actually agreed with that because it would make the liquids get filtered too fast, perhaps not actually getting filtered. The second expert said that the amount of soap from an outdoor shower can't be too different from that of washing a car or dog so who cares?
All experts agreed that it would be impossible to start cracking down on outdoor showers. So really, the article was completely pointless.
We use ours almost all year long. K-ster uses it far longer than I do but I will use it if it's around 40 degrees. I love not cleaning the indoor shower.
And just in case they come snooping around to slap the cuffs on me, we've made ours look like a storage area anyway.
Some people make theirs very decorative or they buy special pieces of wood that are designed for outdoor showers and they cost a mint. K-ster just took some old stockade fence and made ours. No fancy. Just lots of room to take a shower. This freaks out some people, because they say it feels like they are taking a shower in a hall, it's so open. I'm used to it and sometimes feel very hemmed in when I'm inside.
So, if I don't write for a while, they've either hauled my butt to the slammer or I'm stuck in my surry with velcro on my head.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Pigloo - Le ragga des Pingouins
I simply cannot get enough of this cute French song. I haven't figured out all of the words but it's just so cute. The chicken dance but it's the penguin dance. Très charmant!
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