Sunday WIth Larry

OH, yes I spent the entire afternoon and evening with this guy yesterday.  That movie is 4 and 1/2 hours long with a fifteen minute intermission.  Our showing was supposed to start at 2:30 but the movie before it ran long (?) and we had to wait.  We got a free pass for our trouble so that was OK.
Now the movie is vast and sweeping and Peter O'Toole is handsome as all get out but boy, it is one depressing film.  The poor guy gets used and abused(literally) from almost the beginning of the story.
The story starts with his death so it is kind of a harbinger of doom.
The best part was I got popcorn.  It was my "lunch".  I am a popcorn lover but it doesn't always love me back.  I don't really care, I like it that much.  DH got it for me while I saved our seats on the hardest bench in the world.
The theater was Capitol Theater at West 65th and Detroit Ave. in Cleveland.  If you ever get a chance to go there, you should.  It has a giant screen like when I was a kid.
We went because DH remembers seeing it in Junior High during the noon movies.  Twenty minutes at a time!  That would have been fine by me.
After, our son met us for dinner and we went to XYZ.  It is a little bar and restaurant.  I had incredible corned beef and homemade chips with homemade onion dip.  Needless to say, I am starting my diet today!

Out and About

Last night DH took me out to dinner after we did a little shopping for pants for him.  Let me tell you I deserved it.  How long does it take to try on a pair of pants?  Answer: 30 minutes!!  To be fair, it was more than one pair but still.  I can try on a whole cartload of clothes in less than 15.  I guess it seems longer because I have to lurk by the men's changing room and that always feels.......well, lurky.
Once we finished that chore it was time to go to dinner and I couldn't wait.  I am in a cooking slump.  I hate doing it.  I will do just about anything to get out of it.  If I do cook, it is something fast and easy.  Emphasis on easy and fast.
So we were given a booth just behind another couple and we were enjoying wine and an appetizer when a second couple who looked like they were leaving swooped down on the other couple and proceeded to have a long conversation.  The two wives started up and then the husband who was supposedly leaving got started.
The poor sap who was sitting there had to listen to this guy talk about his receipts for income tax purposes on his income properties and then about some procedure this guy had on his back.  It was gross.  Even DH was grossed out but lucky him, he had his back to them so he didn't see the guy who had the income properties and the procedure pull out his phone and SHOWED PICTURES OF HIS PROCEDURE.  OMG!  I am trying to eat here, buddy.
Now you know that we don't like to eavesdrop but sometimes you just can't help yourselves especially when you are in an almost empty restaurant and the people are so close to you.
The couple who was leaving finally left, fur coat and all.  Oh, I failed to mention the wife was wearing a full length faux fur coat which she never took off while she sat next to the other woman.  I'll bet they were both sweating! Anyway, the couple in the booth behind us left as soon as they could after that.  We took one look at each other and just cracked up.
So now we think we know why we don't go out so often.  We might become the world's biggest eavesdroppers.

Workout Girl

I go to Curves five days a week.  In case you don't know it is a gym for women.  I go with a friend but today she has a commitment in the evening and so do I so I went this morning after my physical at the Dr.
Now you probably think I am going to tell how I work my muscle groups and how much I sweat.  Well, you're wrong because my real workout didn't start until after I was done with my usual routine.
I have a bag in which I keep my workout shoes(no outdoor shoes allowed past a certain point) It is big enough for shoes, glasses, keys and a water bottle.  I also bring my purse.
So anyway, I was putting on my coat and got ready to grab my keys and they were missing.  They were not in my pockets as the pockets of this jacket are rather slim so I was afraid the keys would fall out.  So I tucked them away....in my purse?  Or in my workout bag?
So I did a thorough search and came up empty.  No big deal, it happens all the time.  I looked again. Nope.  Looked again and took everything out of the bag and purse, one pocket at a time.  Nope.  Oh, wait I had to go back out and get my workout bag because I forgot to bring it into the gym.  Maybe I left my keys in there.  Nope.  It was locked up tight.
Deep breath and back inside.  Now, people are starting to notice.  Darlene, who works there, said she'd help me and she searched the cubbies and the restrooms and the towel basket. Nope. Nope. and Nope.
I again emptied my bags, one pocket at a time and still no keys.  I am now starting to sweat more than usual.  So I went into the store next door and asked the guy if anyone had turned in keys.  He said no.  OK, it was the move of a desperate woman.
Back at the gym, a helpful woman said her friend couldn't find her keys and they were in her pocket all along.  I had no pockets.
So Darlene went on the hunt again and I looked through and Lo! and Behold!  there were the little rascals right in the front pocket of my gym bag which I have now emptied 3 or 4 times.  I swear they weren't in there before.
Actually, here's what happened.  I checked one pocket at a time and when I stuck my tennis shoes back in the bag, they pushed the fabric over just enough to make a little pocket for a hiding place.  Wasn't that nice of them?
Through this whole debacle, I never panicked.  I thought I could walk home and get my extra key.  The part of me that was a little panicked thought I should call my DH. But saner heads prevailed.
As I drove home, my calm exterior started to  break down and thank goodness, no one took my blood pressure!!
So the case of the missing keys was solved.  But I have to admit, I'm no Sherlock Holmes.

I Love Mayhem

I love this guy.  Whether he is the heavy snow on the garage roof or a crying teenager who clips your car in the parking lot or a guy staring at a pretty jogger until he crashes into a telephone pole, I love him.
I don't know why he cracks me up so much but he always has and always will.  I kind of recognize the actor so maybe that's what got my attention at first.
The funny thing is that in life, I hate mayhem.  I politely call it too much input.  Chucky Cheese was a good example of that.  When I went there(dragged kicking and screaming mind you) all I wanted to do was stand up and scream, "Everybody sit down and shut up!" 
I am uncomfortable with shouting and arguing.  Just ask my DH.  He loves to debate.  I hate it.  Good thing he has our kids to go around the block with because I refuse.
I like quiet and smiling and reading or watching television. None of those are mayhem.  Well, maybe television once in awhile but I don't really watch that kind of show very often.
I like soothing music and a glass of wine.  I like chatting with my friends.  I love being on the computer. Most of the things I enjoy are quiet and the opposite of mayhem.  You might wonder how I ever taught Kindergarten then.  That was controlled chaos.  I controlled that and the chaos was a trick.  It was really a well oiled machine that a casual observer just wouldn't understand.
Anyway, I just love that mayhem guy.  Him and the French model, but that's for another day.
Bon Jour!

It Might As Well Be Spring

I know, I know, technically it's still winter but yesterday the sun was shining and I had the whole day to myself so did I take advantage of that and go outside and run errands or anything outdoors?  Um, no...I cleaned.
Not just your every day cleaning but drawer cleaning.  I started at my desk.  I think I kept every piece of paper I was given in the last year.  Not ones I need for taxes, those were in a special folder.  Oh, no, receipts from a car repair on a car we don't even have any more, sixteen or so receipts from my yard guy(so I wouldn't lose his phone #) and stuff like that--you know, the important stuff.
It took most of the morning though to be honest, I didn't work that hard.  I was distracted by Kelly and Michael and Dr. Oz and of course, Polyvore!
I took a real break to eat lunch and watch my soap. Oh, yes, I still watch that soap but we won't talk about that today. Then I went into the bathroom to hit the drawers in there.  
If I'm being honest, I didn't really spring clean those last year.  I know because I found a ton of makeup and skin cream that was almost hard in the bottles!  Also a lot of empty plastic baggies. I know, baggies?  In the bathroom?  I don't know either.
I was really careful not to throw out anything that I thought DH still uses.  He had a bunch of tools for his shaver so I put those in, guess what, a baggie.  When he got home he told me they were for a shaver he threw away!!! I'm proud to say there is no empty baggie in the drawer, I just tossed the entire thing.
I'm a little embarrassed to tell you that I took DH on a tour of the clean drawers.  He was impressed... the big Faker!!!!  I appreciated it though.
I think I am pretty clean.  When I do this kind of stuff, I doubt that very much. And that was just the start.  Tomorrow is the kitchen.  YIKES!!  I know I have a ton of stuff I don't need in my junk drawer... OK, OK, drawers.
The sun is shining again today and I am outta here.  I'm on my way to lunch with my sis and my best friend.  No drawers today, thank goodness.

May the Forced Smile Be With You

There's an old song about smiling.  It says you should smile even though your heart is aching and breaking.  I always thought it was a stupid sentiment but I've changed my mind.

I have a natural down turning mouth.  And as I've gotten older it is drooping more than ever.  So about a year ago I decided to train myself to have a smile on in public.  It is not as easy as one would think.  I had to practice and check in the mirror once in a while.  One time when I thought I had a nice smile on my face it looked like I was sneering.  So that's why you have to practice.
I decided I needed to do this when we were headed to Mt. Sandia in New Mexico for the annular eclipse.  An annular eclipse is not a full one but it looks like a ring of fire.  Very cool and it hardly ever happens.  Anyway, I knew there would be a huge crowd and my husband insisted that we get there nice and early...like hours early....like ten.
So I took my handy Kindle and my fake smile and sat there and I met a lot of interesting people.  I figured they wanted to sit by us because of my charming smile.
I even smiled while I trudged my way through our boring book club selection.
It is true that people smile back when you are  smiling.  I always thought that was just made up but it's not.  I forget I'm smiling now and am startled at times when a stranger throws a smile my way.  It happens though.  In the grocery, in Target and even when I'm driving.  Really.
We have a weather reporter here that has a natural all-the-time smile.  He can tell me we are having a tornado and 15 feet of snow all on the same day and it is not so awful when you see his cute smile.  He always looks happy to be on air and talking about our not so fun weather.  I'll bet most of his viewers are smiling at him!  I know I am.
So force yourself to smile, you'll be glad you did no matter how fake it may be.

Yesterday

See that slug?  That was me yesterday.  After the dentist appointment.  I know, I know enough with the dentist already.  Unfortunately for you, I have to go back again but not for a couple of weeks.
But that slug?  That was me.