I love when a serious organization has a sense of humor.
Posted: February 29, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized 4 Comments »
This is the new AAA office near me. They painted the carpet to look like a road. Isn’t that neat? I think of that organization as totally stodgy, but this is really fun. I half expected a stop sign at the line to get maps!
Speaking of maps, that’s why I stopped in. My state maps were pretty darn ratty. So I took advantage of my AAA membership and got myself some spanking fresh new maps. I know it’s geeky to admit how excited I am about that. But I am.
And tomorrow, we’re taking a roadtrip to Harrisburg and now I have a map that doesn’t fall apart when I open it! (We’re going to this exhibit. Should be fun!)
Old friends.
Posted: February 29, 2008 Filed under: friends, memories 1 Comment »
I went to a funeral today. It was for the dad of a guy I’ve known since first grade. Earlier maybe.
The place was packed. And I sat near the back (the front was totally full) with a group of my old friends. We all hugged and exchanged small talk. I care about these people deeply. Each one has been in my life for at least 20 years and some a heckofa lot longer.
Do I see them often?
Hardly ever. Twice a year on a good year.
Would I be there if any of them needed me? Do I think they would be there lickety split if I needed them?
Absolutely & absolutely.
Normally, at a funeral, I think about my mortality and the mortality of my family. I ache for the people who deeply loved the deceased. And I did think about those things today.
But today, other thoughts floated through my head, as well.
Who have we – the old gang – grown up to be? Are we who we were? Are we better? Different? Are we still friends because we’ve always been friends? Or are we still friends because we have shared history (and some secrets)? Or maybe we really do still see in each other all the things (or some of the things) that we liked so much all those years? Or we like and respect who we’ve grown into? Or some or all of the above….
I know that I feel happy to see these guys. I care very much that they are happy and that their lives are what they want them to be. And I feel lucky that they care about me and mine, too.
Andrew has become very friendly with some of the boys (men?) in my old gang. He gets emails from them about live music and hangs out with them – more than I do. Am I jealous? Well…just a little. Since a lot of my old pals are guys, it gets harder to be close. Sure we can go out as couples. And we can even have the occasional lunch. But in reality, hanging out with married members of the opposite sex too often without respective spouses just seems…well…unseemly.
I know. Sounds old-fashioned.
I am lucky that Andrew likes my old friends and that we all see each other – albeit not all that often.
I hope that we’ll all get together for something light and casual soon. Seeing friends only at funerals and weddings (and bar mitzvahs) just feels like an old cliche.
Good good yes good.
Posted: February 28, 2008 Filed under: kids, memories 2 Comments »Only a few people I know these days know what that is: good good yes good.
I used to know lots of people who understood the code, but few are in my life anymore. There were tons of them – my old camp friends from good old Camp Pinemere. (When I checked the site, I see there is an alumni section. I might just fill it out!)
So every day. I mean EVERY SINGLE DAY, the counselors would ask a series of 4 questions to all the campers individually.
The answer? 99% of the time, the answer was “good good yes good.”
I’ll share the questions, but would love to hear your guesses first!
When is a door not a door?
Posted: February 26, 2008 Filed under: kids, parenting, the boys 14 Comments »
When it’s ajar!
I used to die laughing at that joke as a kid. (I admit, I still do a little.)
Oh and get this, I used to think the song from Evita was High Flying A Door.
And I love the band but I admit I was surprised there was a brand new website being developed. Didn’t Jim Morrison die in 1971 and the band dissolve in 1972?
So, doors. Yup. I’m thinking about doors.
Why?
Well, for months now, my boys have been getting more physical with each other. There’s been more pushing and shoving. Nothing drastic.
Yet.
But one of the things that bugs me the most is when they slam their bedroom doors.
I understand the motivation. They want privacy. They want to get away from their tormentor. They vant to be alone.
But I worry about someone getting hurt. And (not that this will make me sound like a nice person, but…) it just plain drives me crazy. I despise the sound of it. And it irks me. Big time.
So a few weeks ago, I told them that if they slammed their doors, I’d take the doors off.
Oh wimpy me. I did nothing.
Last night, two of them slammed and there was a lot of screaming. (I know, hard to believe.)
Andrew and I went up there with a hammer and screwdriver and removed the offending doors.
Reactions?
One son asked for how long. Oh, that’s okay.
The other son wailed. And wailed and wailed and wailed. “How could you do this to me? This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I have no privacy. This is just terrible.”
I reminded him that I had told him the consequences in advance.
“But I never thought you really would,” he said.
Well, he was wrong. And pissed. And I think he’ll think twice before he slams that door again.
That is, if we ever put it back up.
Happy birthday to my bro.
Posted: February 26, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »
I sent my brother a Spanish birthday card. Does he speak Spanish, you might ask? No. I just thought it was funny. (I know, a bit odd...)
So here’s our correspondence this morning:
8:33 am from my brother:
Ευχαριστω! Σας ηταν η πρωτη του ισπανικου καρτα που ελαβα.
8:39 am from me:
Вы радушны. Я надеюсь ваш день реально славен.
Пикосекунда: Ваш email был очень каверзен!
8:47 am from my brother
Meu email não era tão complicado quanto seu! Eu pensei que você estava respondendo no grego!
fica bem,
9:01 from me:
乐趣! 我必须得到回到工作。我希望您的生日是欢悦的。
Everything they know, they learned on the Simpsons.
Posted: February 25, 2008 Filed under: kids, the boys | Tags: simpsons tv education 2 Comments »
We have a rule in our house: only one Simpsons reference per day per kid. Seriously, without it? I don’t even want to think about it.
Meantime, I have to admit that the boys have learned a lot of real things from the show and some funny (yet not so great) things. Read on for a sampling:
- Bananas are an excellent source of potassium.
- Mormons don’t drink caffeinated drinks.
- The plot of the movie Planet of the Apes.
- “The 5 Stages of Grief”
- The square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides of a right triangle.
- Silicon Hollow is the birthplace of the atomic bomb.
- What president died after 30 days in office? William Henry Harrison.
- The name of the Olmec god of war was X’Tapalataketle.
- It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen.
- The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here.
- According to Homer: The problem in the world today is communication. Too much communication.
- Even communism works. In theory.
- The Correct Spelling of Wiener is W-I-E-N-E-R.
- Obsequious… can’t spell it without I O U.
- Ray Jay Johnson – you can call him Ray or you can call him Jay.
- Water flushes in the opposite direction in the other hemisphere.
- Schadenfreude is delight in another person’s misfortune.
- Specious means: having a false look of truth or genuineness.
- Perspicacity is the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions.
- According to Lisa: romance is dead. It was acquired in a hostile takeover by Hallmark and Disney, homogenized, and sold off piece by piece.
- You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head.
There’s more. Much, much more.
My boys are really getting a great education.
Welcome to my new home.
Posted: February 25, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized 3 Comments »I’ve been waffling about moving to WordPress permanently – so I was posting here and on Blogger for a while. What a pain!? And besides, the comments are on both and it’s just not a good use of time.
So here I am.
Change your bookmarks and please visit!
Brief interruption.
Posted: February 23, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment »Sometimes, someone will ask me about something I’ve posted and they’ll seem concerned or worried. Was I upset? Am I okay? It has led me to a realization. People take what I write seriously sometimes when I’m really being tongue-in-cheek or laughing at a situation.
So what do I make of this?
Well, first…I have great friends who care about me and worry that I feel hurt or sad about something I wrote. I am sensitive so I can understand why that might be. I thank my friends for caring. I’m extremely lucky.
Second. I must sound the same ‘in writing’ when I’m kidding and when I’m not. Now this is interesting to me.
I’ve always said that email and IM and text are terrible ways to communicate anything with depth. It’s very easy to read with a bias and misinterpret or just miss the nuances that you can clearly detect in a phone or in-person conversation.
Is this the same with blogs? Maybe so. Maybe so.
I’m going to work on this. I definitely want my friends to worry about me when I am in need but don’t want anyone unnecessarily concerned when I’m fine!
Back to my regularly scheduled weekend.
Hanging with dad.
Posted: February 21, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment »
It’s early. Really, really early. I’m waiting for my dad to pick me up.
Why, you ask?
We’re driving to the eastern shore to…wait for it….
Go to a casino!
Yes, it’s true.
I’m taking the morning off to gamble with my dad.
Because I love gambling so much?
No. Because I love spending time with my dad so much.
Wish me luck.
