Finding Blanche
Nothing stays the same.Archive for February, 2008
Duckpins for dollars.
If you’re from around these parts, you know what Duckpin Bowling is. The balls are 5 inches in diameter, and weigh a maximum weight of 3 pounds, 12 ounces. They have no holes. The pins are smaller too. They’re 9 13/32 inches tall, with a maximum diameter of 4 1/8 inches, and a minimum diameter of 1 3/8 inches at the base.
The best part of duckpins is that you get three rolls each turn. 2 balls roll off a strike. 1 ball rolls off a spare just like in ‘regular’ bowling. But you get that extra umph!
When I was a kid, there was a show on TV, Duckpins for Dollars. Un other, non-Bawlmer markets, hon, the show was called Bowling for Dollars. But I digress.
Today, we went bowling to raise money for MMCF. For a flat fee, each person could bowl for 3 hours, eat pizza and drink soda. We went with my mom. I drank a lot of soda. But that’s a different conversation. One that I may well have with someone at 3 am – since they had no decaffeinated diet soda.
I bowled great! Well, not really, but greater than anyone in my lane. I scored in the 90′s all three games. It could be worse. Well, actually it was worse, because we had the bumpers on our lane for the kids. Without them, who knows WHAT I would have done. Anyway….
I didn’t win the raffle for the trip to Hawaii. Nor did I win the yacht dinner cruise or the weekend at the beach house in Ocean City. I did bowl a lot, eat mediocre pizza and drink too much Diet Pepsi.
And I felt great about taking the kids to raise money for this amazing organization. Nice way to spend a dreary Sunday, I’d say.
Overheard at dinner.
“You know how some straws are bendy? Well, I took one and put one end in my mouth and the other end in my nose. It was weird. When I blew, it tickled my nose. And when I sucked, the straw got clogged with a booger.”
Nice.
Early bird special.
So Andrew and I were chatting over Bloody Marys this evening.
“I’m going to be a half century this year.” said Andrew.
“I know.” said I.
“What will we do to celebrate?” asked Andrew.
“We’ll go to dinner at 4:00.” said I.
I heart you.
This arrived in my email box last night from a friend. She made it for me! Isn’t it the sweetest?
13 words that begin with the letter V
1) Vacation — I sure could use a long vacation.
2) Vendor — Who likes to be treated like a vendor?
3) Verbose — The director of hotel sales was extremely verbose.
4) Vermin — Who doesn’t just love the word vermin?
5) Vying — I am vying for the role of lady of leisure.
6) Vultures — The women swooped down on the sale rack like vultures.
7) Vortex — We climbed to the vortex in Sedona. Seriously.
8. Volva – A volva is a membranous cup about the base of the stipe in many gill fungi. Bet you thought I meant something else.
9) Volition — I can get there on my own volition. Probably.
10) Volatile — Don’t we all have at least one volatile person in our lives?
11) Vodka — Vodka is one of the better things in life.
12) Vote — Vote well and often.
13) Valentine — Will you be my valentine?
Cold as ice.
We had an ice storm. It started last night and then the rain came. Silly me. I thought the rain would wash away the ice and today would be no problemo.
It was a problemo.
No school. The kids were as happy as I was frustrated.
Now the work day has come to an end. Did I get enough done today? No, not really. But I did help the boys get their Valentine’s cards done. And I encouraged Max to work on his science project. Seriously, I want him to finish it so he can throw away the moldy, rotting banana peels that he’s testing. Which will corrode first? The one that was soaked in vinegar or bleach or water? Frankly? They’re all gross.
So there you have it. I did a little work. Played mom a bit.
And it’s as cold as ice.
I can’t wait.
Tomorrow night. Great conversation. Lovely wine. Great friends.
Sounds like a commercial!
Forgive me, for I have sinned.
Yesterday, I did something I’ve never done before. I am ashamed to admit it. But as penance, I am telling all. Then, maybe all will be forgiven.
It was a cold and windy day. Very cold. And very windy. Very.
We were plum out of cat food. (I always wanted to say plum like that.) So anyway, we were out of cat food. As a family with three cats, that’s a problem. I was envisioning a mutiny – a meowing one or worse. I can’t even think about it.
So I went to Petsmart. After making my way through the dog training class that was blocking the cat aisles (odd, huh?), I found the food and picked up some nice treats and some extra litter. We buy really special litter that you can only get there. It’s called Cat Attract and it’s supposed to help ‘remind’ the cats to use the box. It seems to help – well, it helped Bertha and we’ve never switched back for fear that it would make a difference.
I schlepped the litter and 20 pound bag of food to the car. (side note: Spell check in wordpress recognizes schlepped! But it does not recognize wordpress. How weird is that?)
Then, my eyes wandered to the new tenant of the old Best Buy. Filene’s Basement. I had 30 minutes and a huge desire for a sweater. Did I mention it was cold!?
So I got a basket and started wandering the aisled. I’ve never been to one of these before. They had some nice things and a ton on sale. I filled my cart with cashmere sweaters and designer jeans. Wandering toward the back, I found shoes. Oh, no. Timecheck. I’ll never make it. Oh, it’ll be okay. Really.
So I tried on a pair of Steve Madden casual flats. So darn cute. In the basket they go.
Now, to the dressing room. There’s a limit of 10.
So I took 10 items in and quickly reduced it to 3. Went back to the cart and got the 9 that were waiting for me. Just 1. So I left the dressing room area with 4 tops (2 sweaters and 2 t-shirt type shirts though one was smock-y kind of) and the shoes and headed for the front of the store. I’d better get a move on.
And then I saw the pink sweater. So cute. Long and cabled with cap sleeves and an empire cute. It was shown over a long-sleeve t-shirt and it was a bargain! I’ll take it. Oh my, that’s a lot in the cart.
Okay, start adding. Well, the sweaters were dirt cheap since winter is almost over (though it sure didn’t feel like it) and the t-shirts weren’t bad either. I still had the birthday money for clothes, so I’ll do it! Everything is returnable if I change my mind.
But the shoes. $50. Can’t make the commitment.
But look at the time! I had to go.
So, that’s when the lapse in judgment happened.
I put the box of shoes on a table in the sweater department. There was no way I could go all the way back to the shoe department and still have time to check out and make it home for dinner.
In all my life, I’ve never put something back all willy-nilly like that. Just think of the salespeople. They’d have to do it. Because I was lazy or late or whatever.
I feel just awful.
Maybe tomorrow, I’ll go volunteer to help them straighten the racks.
