In Portland, as you drive or walk down a street, you are likely to see metal rings attached to the curb. They aren’t everywhere, but there are enough that if you look for them you will certainly find one. They puzzled me at first, but then someone explained that they were a holdover from the days of horses. This is where people used to tie off their horses. That was just so cool, that there were still some around. In fact, it is written into the city’s building code that if one is removed for any reason, it must be replaced. So all construction projects in the city are pretty careful with them.
The neighbors in Portland being the slightly off center folks that they are, will often use the rings to tie up their My Little Ponies, or other toy ponies. Then there are those that use them to tie up other items like flying saucers, dinosaurs, monsters, whatever. It’s a fun thing to keep your eyes open for.
I currently have a capitol improvement project getting ready to start construction, and I’ve had several neighbors, with horse rings at their curbs, call because they are worried about their rings. One of the neighbors happens to have horses tied to her rings, so I suggested she put them out to pasture for the construction phase. We talked about how she could build a diorama out of a shoe box with a meadow and mountains. We agreed that her horses might not like the curb so much after a year in the meadow.
Today I had another neighbor worried about his rings. I assured him we would be careful and that any rings removed would be replace. I also cautioned him that if he had horses tied up he might want to pasture them as well. He said they only tied up a Mustang occasionally. I pointed out that Mustangs can be a bit high strung at times, and that Pintos were a little easier going.
I love neighbors with a sense of humor!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Temps, photos, the web
I just checked the weather site and it’s currently 102 degrees in Portland, and 100 in Vancouver. Yesterday it also reached 100. After work I went home, measured my windows, and set out to buy an air conditions. The store clerks actually laughed at me! They had sold out early in the day. The best any of them could offer me was another fan, and there were precious few of those. I’m pretty sure they’re all gone by now. My bedroom is like a wind tunnel at this point. It does wonder for the wrinkles but not too much for the temperatures.
Today I saw a video about an Army Calvary Scout that took some unbelievable photos while deployed in Afghanistan, or the A-stan. While the photos are compelling, I found this soldier to be even more so. He’s a good looking and healthy young man, just as you would expect, but like so many of them that come back, especially those that have been in the middle of combat, there is something in his eyes. He has eyes that are deep and knowing, but also guarded. You can tell they have seen a lot, but you can also tell that you would have to work hard to gain enough trust for him to really tell you about those experiences. How could you ever understand what it was like stand in his shoes? Luckily he took his camera and he knows how to use it. You can go to YouTube and search Jeremiah Ridgeway, Photos from the Front Line, or copy and paste this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onp9WlIiKBw Sorry I couldn’t provide a better link.
I love YouTube! At work there is this whole paranoid thing about posting to YouTube and the question of how ethical it is to send someone off site for information. A lot of municipalities feel this way, but I say why try to reinvent the wheel and maintain it? YouTube is there, they obviously know what they’re doing and everyone goes there first to find stuff. The other day I was ready to make my first ever pesto and I was doing a web search for recipes, and I thought I’d go to YouTube and see if there was a video. There’s just nothing like seeing it done to understand how to do something. Abracadabra! There were several videos. In less than 3 minutes I knew exactly how to make pesto from a video. Instance gratification is wonderful!
Take phone books. People are all the time trying to leave phone books on my door step. I try to catch them and tell them I don’t want one. I still come home and find books left there. I mean really who uses a phone book anymore. It’s obsolete technology, and is dated almost as soon as you get it. If I need a number, I go to Dex Online, or do a web search. Why would I want another thing in my house that never gets used? It also aggravates me that paper is being wasted in printing those books. Is my green showing?
Just checked the temps again, 104 in Portland and 106 in Vancouver. That’s hotter than Austin, Texas!!
Today I saw a video about an Army Calvary Scout that took some unbelievable photos while deployed in Afghanistan, or the A-stan. While the photos are compelling, I found this soldier to be even more so. He’s a good looking and healthy young man, just as you would expect, but like so many of them that come back, especially those that have been in the middle of combat, there is something in his eyes. He has eyes that are deep and knowing, but also guarded. You can tell they have seen a lot, but you can also tell that you would have to work hard to gain enough trust for him to really tell you about those experiences. How could you ever understand what it was like stand in his shoes? Luckily he took his camera and he knows how to use it. You can go to YouTube and search Jeremiah Ridgeway, Photos from the Front Line, or copy and paste this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onp9WlIiKBw Sorry I couldn’t provide a better link.
I love YouTube! At work there is this whole paranoid thing about posting to YouTube and the question of how ethical it is to send someone off site for information. A lot of municipalities feel this way, but I say why try to reinvent the wheel and maintain it? YouTube is there, they obviously know what they’re doing and everyone goes there first to find stuff. The other day I was ready to make my first ever pesto and I was doing a web search for recipes, and I thought I’d go to YouTube and see if there was a video. There’s just nothing like seeing it done to understand how to do something. Abracadabra! There were several videos. In less than 3 minutes I knew exactly how to make pesto from a video. Instance gratification is wonderful!
Take phone books. People are all the time trying to leave phone books on my door step. I try to catch them and tell them I don’t want one. I still come home and find books left there. I mean really who uses a phone book anymore. It’s obsolete technology, and is dated almost as soon as you get it. If I need a number, I go to Dex Online, or do a web search. Why would I want another thing in my house that never gets used? It also aggravates me that paper is being wasted in printing those books. Is my green showing?
Just checked the temps again, 104 in Portland and 106 in Vancouver. That’s hotter than Austin, Texas!!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Hot weather, gardens and the crazy cat lady
Today is really hot, especially for the Pacific Northwest, and the next few days will be even hotter. We’re into triple digits. Now, having grown-up in Houston and living there for 30 years I know about the heat and humidity. Getting out of all that was one of the major benefits to moving!!
Alas, I have become a weather wimp, because I’ve decided that on the way home today I will be stopping and buying an air conditioner. I can’t believe I’ve sunk to this level, but I really need to get some sleep! Last night was a nightmare of sweat, twisted sheets and tossing and turning. I had two big fans blowing on me and all the windows opened and it was still oppressive.
The weather is good for the garden and I’ve been putting up pickles like a mad person. I’m also hauling in stuff to work to give away. In fact everywhere I go anymore I’m carrying around a bag of something, cucumbers, peppers, beans, basil, and soon tomatoes. The corn has developed long tassels and the ears are filling out nicely.
That’s right we’re picking tomatoes now!! I can’t wait to start canning what my grandma called tomato soup. It was really a lot of tomatoes and whatever else was going, like corn, beans, okra, peas, and potatoes. Just whatever you had a lot of.
We had our neighborhood picnic Saturday, which was a lot of work, but also a lot of work. I was so happy when it was done. Me and my peeps landed at Debbi’s house for adult beverages and unwinding. As usual we had a great time together, and we even made some pesto, with our fresh spinach-basil! I feel so cosmopolitan!!!
Debbi has had a surprising development in her household. For her daughter’s birthday they adopted a cute cuddly kitten from the Humane Society and named him Pepper. About a month after they brought him home, he disappeared. Emily has insisted from day one that Pepper would come home to her, but when a month passed and there were no signs of him, they took Emily back to adopt another kitten. Well, the kittens were so cute that they ended up bringing home two, Tink and Sprite.
Two weeks later, guess who shows up? That’s right Pepper. He had grown so much that Debbi wasn’t sure it was him even though Emily was certain. Debbi took him down and had his chip checked. So, Pepper is back home with a much expanded family. We are teasing Debbi, telling her she is has now become the crazy cat woman of the neighborhood. We’ll have to be careful opening the door for fear that cats will start pouring out.
During our winding down evening we were playing Granny Dice and three of us were holding kittens in our laps. Wendy was being silly taking to the kitten she was holding trying to keep it from climbing onto the table, which Debbi doesn’t allow. She told the kitten, “No you can’t get up there your grandma Debbi doesn’t like that.”
Before we knew what had happen, Wendy was being pelted by dice. Apparently Debbi doesn’t see herself as a grandma.
Alas, I have become a weather wimp, because I’ve decided that on the way home today I will be stopping and buying an air conditioner. I can’t believe I’ve sunk to this level, but I really need to get some sleep! Last night was a nightmare of sweat, twisted sheets and tossing and turning. I had two big fans blowing on me and all the windows opened and it was still oppressive.
The weather is good for the garden and I’ve been putting up pickles like a mad person. I’m also hauling in stuff to work to give away. In fact everywhere I go anymore I’m carrying around a bag of something, cucumbers, peppers, beans, basil, and soon tomatoes. The corn has developed long tassels and the ears are filling out nicely.
That’s right we’re picking tomatoes now!! I can’t wait to start canning what my grandma called tomato soup. It was really a lot of tomatoes and whatever else was going, like corn, beans, okra, peas, and potatoes. Just whatever you had a lot of.
We had our neighborhood picnic Saturday, which was a lot of work, but also a lot of work. I was so happy when it was done. Me and my peeps landed at Debbi’s house for adult beverages and unwinding. As usual we had a great time together, and we even made some pesto, with our fresh spinach-basil! I feel so cosmopolitan!!!
Debbi has had a surprising development in her household. For her daughter’s birthday they adopted a cute cuddly kitten from the Humane Society and named him Pepper. About a month after they brought him home, he disappeared. Emily has insisted from day one that Pepper would come home to her, but when a month passed and there were no signs of him, they took Emily back to adopt another kitten. Well, the kittens were so cute that they ended up bringing home two, Tink and Sprite.
Two weeks later, guess who shows up? That’s right Pepper. He had grown so much that Debbi wasn’t sure it was him even though Emily was certain. Debbi took him down and had his chip checked. So, Pepper is back home with a much expanded family. We are teasing Debbi, telling her she is has now become the crazy cat woman of the neighborhood. We’ll have to be careful opening the door for fear that cats will start pouring out.
During our winding down evening we were playing Granny Dice and three of us were holding kittens in our laps. Wendy was being silly taking to the kitten she was holding trying to keep it from climbing onto the table, which Debbi doesn’t allow. She told the kitten, “No you can’t get up there your grandma Debbi doesn’t like that.”
Before we knew what had happen, Wendy was being pelted by dice. Apparently Debbi doesn’t see herself as a grandma.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Crime call #2
Years ago while I was still a crime prevention specialist, I received a call from a man who was looking for a particular officer who had helped him in the past. I explained that the officer wasn’t available, and in fact had retired about six months before. The man became really upset insisting that only this officer could help him. After talking to him for a while and assuring him that I would do everything I could to help, he told me that the officer had been coming out once a year to help him fix his home security.
Well, that sounded a little off because officers don’t usually get that involved in home security issues. Mostly they will offer some general advice. Anything more in depth they would refer citizens to a crime prevention specialist. So, of course I told this citizen that home security was one of fields of expertise and assured him I could help.
That was when he hit me with the big question, “So, you have some of that special foil too?”
I’m thinking oh no here we go again. “Hum, what foil are you talking about exactly?”
“You know that UFO foil!” he explained.
“Aaaa, UFO foil?”
“Yeah! About 3 years ago he came to my house and I explained how those UFO’s kept hanging around over my house and making my brain buzz.”
“Really!?” I mean what else could I say? At some point you have to strap yourself in and ride it out.
“Yeah, he walked around the house with me and looked at all my windows. He realized right away what was wrong.”
“And, what was that?”
“I was using the wrong kind of foil on my windows. He left and came back later with the right stuff and helped me cover my windows. It was great! The buzzing stopped right away. He came by every year with some more foil and helped me recover the windows.”
“Oh, that foil! Yeah, I know what he used.”
“REALLY?!!” He was excited and relieved.
“Sure, you have to go get Reynolds Heavy Duty foil. Don’t get the regular stuff, it’s too thin, you need the thicker heavy duty roll.”
----Crime call #1 was posted March 26, 2009---
Well, that sounded a little off because officers don’t usually get that involved in home security issues. Mostly they will offer some general advice. Anything more in depth they would refer citizens to a crime prevention specialist. So, of course I told this citizen that home security was one of fields of expertise and assured him I could help.
That was when he hit me with the big question, “So, you have some of that special foil too?”
I’m thinking oh no here we go again. “Hum, what foil are you talking about exactly?”
“You know that UFO foil!” he explained.
“Aaaa, UFO foil?”
“Yeah! About 3 years ago he came to my house and I explained how those UFO’s kept hanging around over my house and making my brain buzz.”
“Really!?” I mean what else could I say? At some point you have to strap yourself in and ride it out.
“Yeah, he walked around the house with me and looked at all my windows. He realized right away what was wrong.”
“And, what was that?”
“I was using the wrong kind of foil on my windows. He left and came back later with the right stuff and helped me cover my windows. It was great! The buzzing stopped right away. He came by every year with some more foil and helped me recover the windows.”
“Oh, that foil! Yeah, I know what he used.”
“REALLY?!!” He was excited and relieved.
“Sure, you have to go get Reynolds Heavy Duty foil. Don’t get the regular stuff, it’s too thin, you need the thicker heavy duty roll.”
----Crime call #1 was posted March 26, 2009---
Spinach, basal and basil
The garden is going like gang busters (what the heck does that mean anyway?). The corn has grown well above the 6 foot fence I share with my neighbor, the broccoli has spread out to the point that it is over shadowing the cabbage and the beans. Our cucumbers are producing like a house-a-fire (yet another strange saying). I put up three quarts of pickles this weekend. I haven’t made pickles in 25 years!!! All the tomato plants are covered with fruit; in fact we have already picked a few ripe ones. And the pumpkin plant is huge, massive, gargantuan!!
One of our greatest successes is our spinach. We bought a little six-pack of tiny starters and they have really taken off. The problem is that it turns out that it isn’t really spinach. It took a while to figure out that what we really have is boat load of basil! It reminded me the scene in Secondhand Lions when it dawns on them that their massive garden is actually filled with nothing but corn. Like them, we’ve decided to just go with it. In fact, this morning I brought a bunch of little baggies filled with fresh basil into work, left them in the kitchen and sent out an email to let anyone know it was there for the taking. I went to a meeting and when I came back, it was all gone. Yippee!!
I’ve also collected several good pesto recipes from co-workers. I’m really excited to try them out. I love pesto and had forgotten it was made with basil.
This whole incident has also improved my spelling. When I sent the email out I said “basal” because that is what spell check gave me. It didn’t look right but neither did anything else I could think of. A few people have sent me emails with the correct spelling and at least one person left me a post-it note. Gees, it’s not like they didn’t know what I was talking about! They obviously didn’t think I was hawking poison in a baggie.
One of our greatest successes is our spinach. We bought a little six-pack of tiny starters and they have really taken off. The problem is that it turns out that it isn’t really spinach. It took a while to figure out that what we really have is boat load of basil! It reminded me the scene in Secondhand Lions when it dawns on them that their massive garden is actually filled with nothing but corn. Like them, we’ve decided to just go with it. In fact, this morning I brought a bunch of little baggies filled with fresh basil into work, left them in the kitchen and sent out an email to let anyone know it was there for the taking. I went to a meeting and when I came back, it was all gone. Yippee!!
I’ve also collected several good pesto recipes from co-workers. I’m really excited to try them out. I love pesto and had forgotten it was made with basil.
This whole incident has also improved my spelling. When I sent the email out I said “basal” because that is what spell check gave me. It didn’t look right but neither did anything else I could think of. A few people have sent me emails with the correct spelling and at least one person left me a post-it note. Gees, it’s not like they didn’t know what I was talking about! They obviously didn’t think I was hawking poison in a baggie.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Let me off the plane
The other day, on the bus, I was talking to one of the other regular riders. We’re both from Texas and we really enjoy visiting with one another. That day I was telling her about the 5 hour and 7 hour layover for flights from Portland to Kansas City. We got to talking about plane flights in general. During the conversation she laughed and made the comment about flight time and layover time is added onto the 5 hours you will have to wait on the tarmac to just take off from an airport. If you figure that I will have to take off from two different airports that could add another 10 hours to my traveling time.
We laughed but you know it’s always a real possibility, which is a really sad comment on the airline industry. I’ve already made up my mind that if I’m going to be stuck on the tarmac waiting for a flight to take off, I’m just ringing the attendant over and telling them to call the FBI out to meet me at the door, because I’ll be getting ready to throw a hissy fit. I’m not about to wait for the toilets to fill up, the air conditioner to be turned off, and the drinks to be consumed. The older I get the less I tolerate confined spaces, small bathrooms, people with attitudes (read attendants here) and asinine policies.
The truth is that the airlines should have a special file on me concerning this issue. Think about it, I can be a bit out spoken (Ok, you can take the laugher down a notch!), and I do know how to make a scene. (Really do need to quite laughing so hard) Really, they don’t want to leave me in the population of passengers. I’m a community organizer, that has to represent their worst nightmares!
We laughed but you know it’s always a real possibility, which is a really sad comment on the airline industry. I’ve already made up my mind that if I’m going to be stuck on the tarmac waiting for a flight to take off, I’m just ringing the attendant over and telling them to call the FBI out to meet me at the door, because I’ll be getting ready to throw a hissy fit. I’m not about to wait for the toilets to fill up, the air conditioner to be turned off, and the drinks to be consumed. The older I get the less I tolerate confined spaces, small bathrooms, people with attitudes (read attendants here) and asinine policies.
The truth is that the airlines should have a special file on me concerning this issue. Think about it, I can be a bit out spoken (Ok, you can take the laugher down a notch!), and I do know how to make a scene. (Really do need to quite laughing so hard) Really, they don’t want to leave me in the population of passengers. I’m a community organizer, that has to represent their worst nightmares!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The panty line conspiracy
The fashion industry has spent decades perpetrating a conspiracy on the women of the world, and it all involves panties. In the 60’s we all wore briefs, granted some were more frilly than others and they came in various colors and some even had the days of the week on them. We might have worried about getting caught in an accident without clean ones on, but one of the things we never gave a thought to were panty lines. That didn’t come until the 70’s and hip-hugger, high cut leg panties were introduced. Then the 80’s brought us the bikini panties and more angst about panty lines. So the answer to all our worries was the thong, which is really just a new name for a G-string, all which boils down to butt floss, and no panty lines.
Now instead of the hated panty lines, we have to live with the peeping thong. You know that instance when you realize that all essence of class has been wiped form the younger generation, as a girl bends over and above her jeans you see her thong and her butt crack. Of course this is in perfect harmony with her date’s outfit. His jeans have been belted around his knees so that he can barely walk and his boxer cover butt is right there for all the world to see. He’s obviously not worried about boxer lines.
Now instead of the hated panty lines, we have to live with the peeping thong. You know that instance when you realize that all essence of class has been wiped form the younger generation, as a girl bends over and above her jeans you see her thong and her butt crack. Of course this is in perfect harmony with her date’s outfit. His jeans have been belted around his knees so that he can barely walk and his boxer cover butt is right there for all the world to see. He’s obviously not worried about boxer lines.
Camping update
Thought it was time for an update on Debbi’s Great Camping Adventure. LOL The most important point to report is….she survived!! It’s also significant to report that she and Jerad, as a couple, survived as well.
The morning they returned I spoke to Jerad first, I asked if there were pictures, and how it went. He said one of the relatives had taken video. I told him I knew people that might pay handsomely for copies. Here are some highlights:
The morning they returned I spoke to Jerad first, I asked if there were pictures, and how it went. He said one of the relatives had taken video. I told him I knew people that might pay handsomely for copies. Here are some highlights:
- Six people and the dog were all stung by bees.
- Emily, who is easy going and usually ready to go along with most anything, was in the car at the crack of dawn buckled in and ready to leave for home.
- Debbi drove an hour and a half to the restroom. I asked if she did that every time and she said only once. I asked what she did the rest of the time, and she said she only went once! She claims to have gone 6 days before without use of the facilities when someone sighted a rattle snake. If that statement came from anyone else I’d have to call “Bullshit” but with Debbi I have to admit that I believe it.
- Not only where there no modern facilities, Debbi was also horrified by their consumption of beer and fatty foods. In her campaign to Not Go, she restricted herself to cheese.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Post Office pains
Holy crap, Bat Fans, what day is it!? Where has this week gone? I’ve spent a good portion of it in Mail Hell, working on an extremely complicated mailing at work. Thank God someone was paying me to figure it out and get it done, because if not that thing would still be laying around.
What is it with the Post Office? No wonder they’re running out of money. They have not made an effort to bring their processes up-to-date with current technology, or only marginally so. For instance, when I mail a package to my soldier, I send it military priority mail (good price) but it involves filling out a long customs form by hand. There are 5 carbine copies so you have to make sure you write firmly enough to go through, or the clerk will make you rewrite it at the post office. At which point you lose your place in line or everyone behind you stares daggers at you.
It’s true that you can fill our the form on the computer, but you must then print 5 pages to make up for all the carbons. Imagine if you are mailing just three boxes, that’s 15 sheets of paper. Also, because it’s going outside the country you have to physically take it to the post office to mail it. What’s that about? I thought we were concerned with dangerous items coming in, not going out.
For a certified letter, which is what I have been sending my time on for the past two day, you have to address the envelope, address the tear off sheet, address the return card twice, transfer a sticker from the tear off sheet to the return card, and check at least one box. Oh yeah, and for all your hard work you will pay over $5 to mail it. How crazy is that? On top all this, I also had to include a mail merged letter, site specific map, project flyer, two pamphlets and a self-addressed postage paid envelop. I’m telling you the diagram on the instruction would have look like one those drawing where it takes a thousand senseless steps to get for point A to point B. I was trapped in a Rube Goldberg drawing!
I had to go to the post office to pick some more certified letter materials. I asked for a set of 100, they only had 150 sets so all they would give me was 10 sets. They needed to save some in case other customers needed them. What’s the deal with that? Isn’t the point in printing them to get them used? It’s not like I wasn’t going to use them, I really needed them! It wasn’t like I was trying to horde them so other people couldn’t get any. What if no one else came in for certified mailing materials, they miss the opportunity to have them go to a good home. And really if I need a 100 than 10 just isn’t going to do it. For a moment I had flash back to my times with Sprint Customer Service. (As vile an organization that ever existed and the ultimate oxymoron.)
I used to have to do bulk mailings at another job, and let me tell you there are a thousand ways to get those wrong, and a lot of it depends on who is manning the counter when you take it in. I used to cruise the parking lot peeking into the windows to see if it was even worth going in. One clerk in particular you just couldn’t please! She would always have you at one of the tables making changes, or send you away completely. Who your clerk is, is a big factor in determining how successful and painful your visit is. The truth is you’re not getting out of the Post Office without some pain involved. It’s a wonder that its only been postal worker shooting up the place.
What is it with the Post Office? No wonder they’re running out of money. They have not made an effort to bring their processes up-to-date with current technology, or only marginally so. For instance, when I mail a package to my soldier, I send it military priority mail (good price) but it involves filling out a long customs form by hand. There are 5 carbine copies so you have to make sure you write firmly enough to go through, or the clerk will make you rewrite it at the post office. At which point you lose your place in line or everyone behind you stares daggers at you.
It’s true that you can fill our the form on the computer, but you must then print 5 pages to make up for all the carbons. Imagine if you are mailing just three boxes, that’s 15 sheets of paper. Also, because it’s going outside the country you have to physically take it to the post office to mail it. What’s that about? I thought we were concerned with dangerous items coming in, not going out.
For a certified letter, which is what I have been sending my time on for the past two day, you have to address the envelope, address the tear off sheet, address the return card twice, transfer a sticker from the tear off sheet to the return card, and check at least one box. Oh yeah, and for all your hard work you will pay over $5 to mail it. How crazy is that? On top all this, I also had to include a mail merged letter, site specific map, project flyer, two pamphlets and a self-addressed postage paid envelop. I’m telling you the diagram on the instruction would have look like one those drawing where it takes a thousand senseless steps to get for point A to point B. I was trapped in a Rube Goldberg drawing!
I had to go to the post office to pick some more certified letter materials. I asked for a set of 100, they only had 150 sets so all they would give me was 10 sets. They needed to save some in case other customers needed them. What’s the deal with that? Isn’t the point in printing them to get them used? It’s not like I wasn’t going to use them, I really needed them! It wasn’t like I was trying to horde them so other people couldn’t get any. What if no one else came in for certified mailing materials, they miss the opportunity to have them go to a good home. And really if I need a 100 than 10 just isn’t going to do it. For a moment I had flash back to my times with Sprint Customer Service. (As vile an organization that ever existed and the ultimate oxymoron.)
I used to have to do bulk mailings at another job, and let me tell you there are a thousand ways to get those wrong, and a lot of it depends on who is manning the counter when you take it in. I used to cruise the parking lot peeking into the windows to see if it was even worth going in. One clerk in particular you just couldn’t please! She would always have you at one of the tables making changes, or send you away completely. Who your clerk is, is a big factor in determining how successful and painful your visit is. The truth is you’re not getting out of the Post Office without some pain involved. It’s a wonder that its only been postal worker shooting up the place.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Grandbabies, long distances, and the yenta gene
I got the best picture of my grandbaby the other day. It was taken on the beach in Hawaii and she is buried in the sand. While that in itself would be an adorable photo, it’s the look on her face that just sell the whole thing. It screams, “It’s good to be me!” It is now officially my favorite picture of her.
Physically she is so much like her mother at that age that it will be hard to tell their pictures about later, but Boo has a different kind of energy about her. Kristin was a studier, and in her pictures she is almost always looking head on at the camera and is very aware of the fact that her picture is being taken and she is focused on that. Kristin was good a sitting still or posing. Boo is a constant motion machine, and we have almost no pictures of her where she is interested in taking a good picture. She’s all about whatever she’s doing, and she is constantly doing something. Getting her to look into the camera for more than a half a second is a Herculean task. I wonder if her dad was that way when he was her age. I need to do some note checking with the grandparent-in-laws.
Of course, it would be nice if Kristin could come home more often, or if Kenny came from here, that way they wouldn’t have to divide their time between the Georgia, Washington and Texas. It’s tough on everyone. It would be great to meet Kenny’s family and see them with Kristin and Boo.
So, in the end I’m kind of stuck between regret that they have to live so far, pride that they are so independent, happy that they are getting to experience different places, understanding that they have to try to fit us all in, and wishing that whoever is going to invent the Star Trek transporter would get a flipping move on!!
Meanwhile, in my ongoing hope that I will eventually have grandchildren from my other child, Matt, I try to keep on the look for any indication that he is at least seeing a particular girl on a steady basis. He never talks about a girl unless he adds that they are so and so’s girlfriend, they are 40 something years old and just a friend, they’re married and have children, or some other disclaimer so I don’t get my hopes up that he might be serious about someone. He knows that I know, that would be the first baby step to grandchildren. Really I just want him to find someone to be happy with, even if they don’t produce any grandchildren. But, grandchildren would be nice. With Matt I have the biggest hope of having grandchildren near me.
On the 4th of July Matt came riding his scooter past the house while all of us were setting off fireworks in the street (yes, another white trash moment in my life) with a girl on the back. Not too long later he came around again with her. Well, me, Danna, Wendy and Mark are all wondering if Matt has a girl. We’re getting a little excited about the possibility. Except for Mark, he’s just curious and isn’t affected with the Yenta gene that we women are. So the next day Matt’s comes by the house and I try to ask casually who the girl was. He laughs and asks which one. Apparently there was a different girl each time. One was Ali’s girlfriend and the other was “just a friend.” Damn it!! I think he’s baiting me now.
Physically she is so much like her mother at that age that it will be hard to tell their pictures about later, but Boo has a different kind of energy about her. Kristin was a studier, and in her pictures she is almost always looking head on at the camera and is very aware of the fact that her picture is being taken and she is focused on that. Kristin was good a sitting still or posing. Boo is a constant motion machine, and we have almost no pictures of her where she is interested in taking a good picture. She’s all about whatever she’s doing, and she is constantly doing something. Getting her to look into the camera for more than a half a second is a Herculean task. I wonder if her dad was that way when he was her age. I need to do some note checking with the grandparent-in-laws.
Of course, it would be nice if Kristin could come home more often, or if Kenny came from here, that way they wouldn’t have to divide their time between the Georgia, Washington and Texas. It’s tough on everyone. It would be great to meet Kenny’s family and see them with Kristin and Boo.
So, in the end I’m kind of stuck between regret that they have to live so far, pride that they are so independent, happy that they are getting to experience different places, understanding that they have to try to fit us all in, and wishing that whoever is going to invent the Star Trek transporter would get a flipping move on!!
Meanwhile, in my ongoing hope that I will eventually have grandchildren from my other child, Matt, I try to keep on the look for any indication that he is at least seeing a particular girl on a steady basis. He never talks about a girl unless he adds that they are so and so’s girlfriend, they are 40 something years old and just a friend, they’re married and have children, or some other disclaimer so I don’t get my hopes up that he might be serious about someone. He knows that I know, that would be the first baby step to grandchildren. Really I just want him to find someone to be happy with, even if they don’t produce any grandchildren. But, grandchildren would be nice. With Matt I have the biggest hope of having grandchildren near me.
On the 4th of July Matt came riding his scooter past the house while all of us were setting off fireworks in the street (yes, another white trash moment in my life) with a girl on the back. Not too long later he came around again with her. Well, me, Danna, Wendy and Mark are all wondering if Matt has a girl. We’re getting a little excited about the possibility. Except for Mark, he’s just curious and isn’t affected with the Yenta gene that we women are. So the next day Matt’s comes by the house and I try to ask casually who the girl was. He laughs and asks which one. Apparently there was a different girl each time. One was Ali’s girlfriend and the other was “just a friend.” Damn it!! I think he’s baiting me now.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Debbi - comfort = hell for somebody
Yesterday my good friend Debbi, and my next door neighbor Jerad, came over to borrow my 10x10 canopy for their camping trip this weekend. This is a trip Jerad takes every year with his family, but it will be Debbi’s first time. Every year they camp at the same place, it’s a pretty rustic place with no restrooms or camping amenities at all.
Frankly, I can’t wait for Jerad’s photos. Debbi’s idea of roughing it is having to give herself a pedicure, and even then she will have every pampering product known to womankind to finish it off. Debbi is a material girl, and most of her materials need electricity to run, and she needs adaptors that accommodate multiple plugs. In short, I’d pay good money to watch her “rough it” for even a day. Longer than that would just be cruel.
Given Debbi’s love of electricity, plumbing and overall general comfort, we have been speculating on how long she will last, and/or what excuse she will come up with to come home early or move into the nearest hotel.
What the hell was Jerad thinking? He’s been dating her for two years he should know by now that she can make him pay dearly for something like this.
Yeah, these picture ought to be something.
Frankly, I can’t wait for Jerad’s photos. Debbi’s idea of roughing it is having to give herself a pedicure, and even then she will have every pampering product known to womankind to finish it off. Debbi is a material girl, and most of her materials need electricity to run, and she needs adaptors that accommodate multiple plugs. In short, I’d pay good money to watch her “rough it” for even a day. Longer than that would just be cruel.
Given Debbi’s love of electricity, plumbing and overall general comfort, we have been speculating on how long she will last, and/or what excuse she will come up with to come home early or move into the nearest hotel.
What the hell was Jerad thinking? He’s been dating her for two years he should know by now that she can make him pay dearly for something like this.
Yeah, these picture ought to be something.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Getting there from here
The daughter, Kristin, has informed me that they will likely be heading to Ft Riley, Kansas at the end of the year. Understandably I’ve been lobbying for Ft Lewis, here in Washington, but Ft Riley should be a better commute to visit. When I asked why they chose Kansas, she said because it was central to all the grandparents and didn’t overly favor one over another. Well, at least they will be closer.
I don’t know about you but 5 hours confined in a plane over nothing but ocean is wearing on my nerves. Not to mention the whole trying to avoid going to the restroom on a plane thing. Which is one of life’s truly torturous, and mentally scaring experiences, second only to wedging your backend into those tiny seats between two people you don’t know and have no desire to get to know. Basically commercial flight is just one big pain that the pharmaceutical companies have invented a cure or treatment for yet.
So the other day I did a Goggle search on Ft Riley and found that it is in the big middle of nowhere. Actually, it might be about 3 miles beyond nowhere. We’re talking 200 miles from Kansas City, and 100 miles from Topeka, no airport!! Still I figured I could fly into Kansas City and do a puddle hopper, or rent a car. So I do a quick check on air fare and schedules. I’m floored! It’s more expensive! I have my choice; I can do a 7 hour layover in Denver, or a 5 hour layover in Denver. I’d be on layover longer than it takes to fly to Hawaii!! Oddly enough, the layovers on the return flights were only an hour. Can anyone explain that?!
So, I thought I’d check Amtrak, 3 days there and 3 days back. Apparently you can’t get to Kansas from here in any reasonable timeframe.
My sister suggested that I contact the Army and see about a high altitude drop. I’m not sure how that would work on the return trip. I remember in the movie The Green Berets they hooked a guy up to a big balloon, had a plane flew over, grabbed the line, and swung him up at high speed. I could probably do the drop, but that kind of return just isn’t going to work for me.
Oddly enough I don’t mind military transport. Granted it’s a completely no-frills kind of ride, you don’t even have conventional seats. The seats are really just butt hammocks hug along the sides. It’s cold, really, really loud, and the windows are too high and small for a view. The trick is to get on bundled up in layers, bring something you can drape over your head and get yourself comfy in the hammock and go to sleep. You wouldn’t think sleeping would be possible with the loud engines, but it’s like having a big fan going at a really high speed, A LOT of white noise. You sleep like a baby. You can also read and if something is funny, you can laugh out loud and no one will mind, because they can’t hear you. You’ll just look like on of those strange people that talk to themselves.
I don’t know about you but 5 hours confined in a plane over nothing but ocean is wearing on my nerves. Not to mention the whole trying to avoid going to the restroom on a plane thing. Which is one of life’s truly torturous, and mentally scaring experiences, second only to wedging your backend into those tiny seats between two people you don’t know and have no desire to get to know. Basically commercial flight is just one big pain that the pharmaceutical companies have invented a cure or treatment for yet.
So the other day I did a Goggle search on Ft Riley and found that it is in the big middle of nowhere. Actually, it might be about 3 miles beyond nowhere. We’re talking 200 miles from Kansas City, and 100 miles from Topeka, no airport!! Still I figured I could fly into Kansas City and do a puddle hopper, or rent a car. So I do a quick check on air fare and schedules. I’m floored! It’s more expensive! I have my choice; I can do a 7 hour layover in Denver, or a 5 hour layover in Denver. I’d be on layover longer than it takes to fly to Hawaii!! Oddly enough, the layovers on the return flights were only an hour. Can anyone explain that?!
So, I thought I’d check Amtrak, 3 days there and 3 days back. Apparently you can’t get to Kansas from here in any reasonable timeframe.
My sister suggested that I contact the Army and see about a high altitude drop. I’m not sure how that would work on the return trip. I remember in the movie The Green Berets they hooked a guy up to a big balloon, had a plane flew over, grabbed the line, and swung him up at high speed. I could probably do the drop, but that kind of return just isn’t going to work for me.
Oddly enough I don’t mind military transport. Granted it’s a completely no-frills kind of ride, you don’t even have conventional seats. The seats are really just butt hammocks hug along the sides. It’s cold, really, really loud, and the windows are too high and small for a view. The trick is to get on bundled up in layers, bring something you can drape over your head and get yourself comfy in the hammock and go to sleep. You wouldn’t think sleeping would be possible with the loud engines, but it’s like having a big fan going at a really high speed, A LOT of white noise. You sleep like a baby. You can also read and if something is funny, you can laugh out loud and no one will mind, because they can’t hear you. You’ll just look like on of those strange people that talk to themselves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
