On the Down Low in Vegas

Well, I'm back from my vacation and I spent it in a wheelchair due to Arnold's size and my foot injury. Let me tell you it is not all it is cracked up to be--being in a wheelchair I mean.
First, I had a bird's eye view of every fanny in Vegas. Not a very pretty sight for the most part. And there were tons of them--it was really crowded!
I also have an intimate knowledge of every wastebasket/trashcan/ashtray in Harrah's. I tried to stay out of the way when I stopped and every out of the way corner had one of them. You can only look at so many ashes and cigarette butts on one vacation!
Did you know that most of the people who visit Las Vegas are blind?? What? Well, no one seemed to notice me. People walked in front of me, stopped dead in front of me, pushed in front of me, looked at me and then walked in front of me, walked straight at me....well, you probably have the picture.
In Vegas, you can rent a wheelchair. I was expecting a pretty nice one. Silly me! It was a standard wheelchair like the ones they push you in at the hospital. Note to Vegas: could you at least make them gold lame or something?? And how about a seat cushion with some padding? Let me tell you the bum is the first thing to go. I finally had to put a bed pillow on the seat so I could stand it. How about putting on some of those flashing lights for at night? And how about a horn? You know, for all those blind people who can't see you(that would be everyone).
I finally got the hang of pushing myself around to so I didn't have to rely on someone else to push me all the time. I got pretty good at it but the inclines up and down were a challenge that I needed my trusty drivers for. My nephew and my daughter turned out to be the best drivers for me and they got me around real well. My husband was a willing driver but he was a little too fast and close to those blind people for me.
There were some people who weren't blind. The kids. Yes, people actually bring their kids to Vegas. Kids in strollers were my comrades. They all looked at me and smiled and sometimes talked or waved. My favorite was at Circus, Circus where a little boy about 4 years old saw me out of the corner of his eye as his family was about to turn a corner. He took a giant step back and waved to me like we were old buddies or I was one of his favorite cartoon characters. It was real cute.
Anyway, no more vacations in wheelchairs for me if I can help it. I am either too stubborn or weakwilled to handle it--I'm not sure which!

You Should Be Dancin'

I just watched two of the best little dancers I have ever seen. The first one was Billy Elliot in the movie of the same name. This kid was a tough Irish(I think) who was from a mining town and his dearest wish was to dance "the ballet." He danced all the time! Walking down the street, in his bedroom, at his friend's, in the studio(which also held a boxing ring). He was a sight to behold. He could throw the emotion into it too. His father was dead set against it being all macho and stuff but in the end he saw his son had talent and sent him off to The Royal Ballet School. At the end, we see Billy as a grown man doing what he was born to do. I don't know the little boy's real name as I didn't see the credits as I was in the bathroom weeping. It was a really really good movie.
Then I saw Tracy Turnblatt in Hairspray. That little chubby-ubby can dance up a storm. She faced a different kind of challenge than Billy. She was fighting against racism and weightism. She was always smiling though and always positive. She had a more creepy mother--John Travolta and as my brother in law said it was a little disconcerting to see him. Her father was played by the always creepy(to me) Christopher Walken. They were much more supportive of their daughter and in spite of the drag and the fat costume, John T. still has all the right moves.
Personally, I am not much of a dancer. Years ago, when I danced with my dad at a wedding, "Susan," he said, "A ballerina you ain't!" and he was right on!! I still love to dance and nothing, not even, my cast, stops me. I may not be Billy or Tracy but I'm no Seinfeld's Elaine either.

Running on Empty

Well, today should be disaster free. I only have to buy hamburger patties at the store later and that is my only assignment for today. We are taking our aunt and cousin( love them even more today) to the tea room for a ladies' lunch.
Good thing too. I am suddenly exhausted. I am not exactly sure why...my sister has done the lion's share of the preparation and work but yesterday's mess wore me out. The kitchen is all cleaned up and my husband got rid of the broken glass pan so I can put that behind me.
I have to turn my mind to our next trip--Vegas on Sunday. We are going to celebrate my nephew's 21st there and it will be fun but I do have to get ready.
I am doing laundry right now and am preparing to go to the foot doctor for some good news(I hope I hope) about my foot. I really don't want to wear this sucker to Vegas. Sorry, Arnold, but you are a pain in the a**.
Vegas is always a fun trip and we are staying at Harrah's for the first time so that will be fun too. I heard Whoopi is entertaining there on Sunday night so you never know we may see her. I don't know if my nephew is a fan or not but maybe we will just bump into her(oh, sure).
I hope our flight goes better than the last time. We were delayed for a couple of hours and that is never fun. Plus it would be kind of a bummy way to start one's birthday celebration, wouldn't it??
Anyway, we will try to find the loosest slots and maybe some electronic black jack or maybe even get brave and sit at a table. If I get rich I will report it here first...but don't hold your breath. I may have used up all my luck on our last trip when I played one hand of Black Jack and won!!!!!! I used my last chip and went home with around 90 bucks. I know, but I felt rich and LUCKY!!!!! So cross your fingers for us, I'll be thinking of you in Vegas. Might even report back if I get a chance!

The Silver Menace

Some days I should just stay in bed! Today was one of those days. My aunt and cousin are coming for a visit(I am so happy to get to spend time with them as I love them both dearly) and in an effort to help my sister out as they are staying at her home, I offered to make some breakfast goodies and some desserts for the three days.
Yesterday after we got home from Pittsburgh, my husband and I went to the grocery and I even had made a list of what I needed before I left town. We got everything(still in that wheelchair) and I was ready to start my baking marathon in the morning.
Yes, this morning..the one I should have stayed in bed on.
Anyway, first I made brownies and in cleaning up I got brownie goo all over my new kitchen towel(white as the driven snow of course) and had to put it in the wash but no big deal, right?
Sure.... Then I made lemon cookies and splashed the egg and yogurt mixture all over my pajamas and the counter(yes, I do cook in my pajamas) so I had to clean up that mess before I could continue and now I am cooking in my very wet pajamas! But I carried on to the next task and I thought I was home free. Cheese danish--no problemo. Cupcakes(all right I didn't plan these I bought the wrong box but I am flexible) done in a flash.
Took a little break to ride the stationary bike at the Y and go buy the Confectionery sugar I forgot to put on my list.(No wheelchair this time)
Came home and made a lemon glaze for the cookies--made multiple small batches so I wouldn't have another mishap..See, I do catch on eventually..........
Then I made the frosting for the cupcakes. I got the electric mixer out and it won't work. Well, I am nothing if not smart so I figured I have to push that little red button on the other outlet so it will work and I WAS RIGHT...I also forgot to turn the mixer off and so butter and cream cheese went flying all around me. On the floor! On the counter! On my workout shirt(at least it was already dirty)! On my shoes! On my face! On my glasses! I think you probably get the picture. Luckily I had only 12 cupcakes to frost.
Anyway, I got the darn things frosted, cut the brownies and the danish and got them ready to transport and I was ready.
Oops, forgot the salad. No problem, I still had plenty of time. So I got the salad spinner and was getting ready when I realized I had to transfer some things (plastic bowl, utensils from the frosting debacle) to the other side of my double sink where the glass pans from the danish and the brownies were waiting for me. Carefully, I balanced the load and I started cleaning lettuce. Things were going swimmingly until some water sloshed over to the other side of the sink( I am kind of hazy here I might have hit it with my elbow or maybe it just came down on its own--we'll never know) and smash, down came my precarious work of art!!!!!
OHMYGOSH!! I thought I broke the sink. Nope, just the bottom glass pan...Oh, crap. I had to wash all the dishes on top of it first watching carefully for glass shards and I just finished and came here to vent.
See what I mean?? I'm a menace............sometimes!!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Yesterday as I was driving home from my foot MRI I saw a chicken cross the road. At least , I think it was a chicken. It was little and reddish brown and had a little red comb on the top of its head. I must admit though that I didn't have my glasses on and so it may have been a little fuzzy. And I'm not totally sure you can trust my eyes as I once mistook dry leaves for a chipmunk. I even stopped so I wouldn't hit the poor thing! The wind was blowing so it was moving a little, ok??
Anyway, what would a chicken be doing on my street anyway?? I think it is against the law to keep a chicken as a pet. Maybe it escaped from somewhere....or maybe it was a cat.
I am sick of chicken. I eat so much of it that it never sounds good to me. I like the taste and all that but it never sounds good any more. Lemon chicken is my favorite. Especially if I don't have to make it. I do make a pretty mean lemon chicken myself but it always tastes better when you don't make it yourself, I think. We had chicken at the last wedding we went to and it was good. It had some kind of little sauce on it but I couldn't tell what it was.
I always loved that Foghorn Leghorn. I know he is a rooster but he fits in my theme a little. He was always so pompous and trying to help out that baby chicken hawk and he always called him Boy. It never failed to make me laugh. He was a one trick pony though, wasn't he? I don't remember him doing much of anything else.
I am pretty much a chicken myself. I don't like taking risks. I have never done any dare devil type things like parachuting or riding a motorcycle. Even when I was young I played it pretty close to the vest. The wild side never held much appeal for me because I was.......(you guessed it) TOO CHICKEN!!!!

Revelation

OHMYGOSH! I just watched an old Red Skelton movie and it was really corny, corny, corny. Not that that is any kind of surprise. Remember him on television?? He was always so goofy. I don't really like him but I am passing time as I get dressed for my MRI.
Anyway, the bad guy escaped from the jail and couldn't find the judge's house where all the action was taking place and he wakes up a little black boy and it's BUCKWHEAT!!!!!!!!!!! Well, I am laughing to myself ..he'll never find it now and he asks the kid. Buckwheat smiles his famous smile and tells him how to get there in PERFECT ENGLISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He didn't even have an accent of any kind. WHAA????????????????? I had to rerun the scene. Yup, it was really him.
SO that means either he outgrew his famous speech pattern or he was faking it all along. He was like 6 years old. He must be the world's greatest actor. He certainly has never gotten the respect or regard he deserves if he could fake that at such a young age. I'm guessing he was faking because it is really hard to outgrow a speech problem that is so pervasive and there was no speech therapy in the schools in those days that I know of. Unless the studio trained him which I guess is possible.
It just cracked me up that he was so glib so I thought I would share especially since so many of us remember Eddie Murphy's imitation of Buckwheat on SNL. Aren't you glad to know he wasn't still stuck in his childhood? I know I am. He will live on in my memory as a little rascal, but I'm glad to know that wasn't his only lot in life.
One of my husband's colleagues was telling him about a weird movie he saw in Canada called The Delicatessen. Remember the clown and the musical saw?? That's the one. Only he saw it with no subtitles--only in French. Poor man..I can't imagine what he must have thought was going on if he didn't understand any French at all. And to add salt to the wound, as he left the theater, a French journalist asked him what he thought of the movie and he had to admit he didn't even speak French. I wonder when she stopped laughing?? I bet she told her friends that story.
I sure am glad I watched it in the privacy of my own home. Whatever would I have said after seeing it?? Uh, I really liked the cannibalism....no... he was a funny clown.......no...I really liked when the old Gramma fell down the stairs.....no....Oh, I know..I loved the musical saw...Now, how do you say that in French???

On the Down Low

I've been spending a lot of time alone with Arnold and have had plenty of time to read and watch my soaps. I haven't been in touch with many people and I haven't been at the computer a lot so I haven't been sending emails etc and have as a result not gotten many either. Which is fine for a while.
I haven't been out in the yard much either and so have not seen much of my neighbors. I hear them out in their yards weeding and cutting the grass. I feel bad since I can't get out there and do what I usually do but such is life on the down low.
I wish I could tell you I've read an important novel but I have been reading chicklit and cookbooks. None of the food sounds like something I should make( a lot of cupcake and appetizer books) so I haven't been in the kitchen either.
My workouts had been going so well but this week I haven't gone so I will be in great shape(foot wise) for the wedding we are attending on Saturday. I can't really clean house very well and I just do the minimum of laundry.
I could be working on my novel but I have taken a vacation from it as I feel I need to look at it with a somewhat fresh eye. When I read some of these books from the library, I think mine is as good or better than some. I really have to do a final edit and add a few more pages(about 50) to make it a more viable length. After all, I am not Janet Evanovich who seems to crank out about 150 pages and calls it a book. I like her books but they are becoming pretty predictable.
I won't read mysteries or romance novels any more. I have read so many of them that I always know what is going to happen and it bores me. I like an easy read for the summer too.
I'd love to do my scrapbook work but that requires going upstairs--not a great idea at this point in time.
I'm also trying not to eat too much. It is hard when you are sitting near the kitchen all day. I usually try to avoid being near the food. Sometimes I hear it calling my name but it is just yogurt or an avocado so I can resist.
So being on the down low is not too much fun. When I was working, I thought it would be grand to be in this situation. In truth, it is just boring!

We All Scream for Ice Cream

One thing about the Cheapo Diet is that you really change your eating habits and then when you eat "regular" stuff it doesn't always turn out so well. I have been faithfully eating my shakes or a granola bar and a yogurt(you know how I love that Activia) and for lunch I usually make guacamole with an avocado, 1/2 tomato, a garlic clove, a squeeze of lime juice and a little salt. It is very good and I eat it with a spoon!!!!! I also like to have a few taco chips but they have to be multigrain and because of Arnold I haven't been to the store very often or for very long so I forget to get some stuff. I eat a snack of peanuts or mixed nuts around 4p and then I eat dinner--fish, steak, chicken, pork and a veggie or two. I have another small peanut or nut snack around 9p. That's it. It is working well as I lost all the 7(yes,7 lbs. I gained while my daughter was here in a week-- lots of it was water weight as I was not watching the salt and we drank quite a bit of wine). That weight gain scared me but good as I have no wish to return to real fat status and not just be a little bit fat. So I spent a whole week watching myself...oh, and riding the stationary bike didn't hurt either. It is the only exercise Arnie and I are allowed to do right now.
Anyway, yesterday was our anniversary and I said "Screw(sorry) the diet" and told my husband to bring home whatever he wanted. He brought chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and salad from our favorite Italian place and we cracked a bottle of champagne. Then he said let's get ice cream!! So I said Oh no thanks(Gotcha!!! I said YES of course) and he went to East Coast Custard and got me a Tin Roof Sundae. OHMYGOSH...it was so good. In a little while I found I was having trouble keeping my eyes open and the next thing I slept through half a show I wanted to watch. And I woke up WITH A STOMACH ACHE!!!!! Husband said he wasn't feeling too hot either(he is semi on the diet) so we went to bed around 10:45.
So the moral of the story is a Sundae might sound good but it really isn't. Just ask us any time you forget and we will tell you our tale of woe.

Time Goes By

I was married 29 years ago today. It hardly seems like that time could have passed so quickly but it has. I always had a very romantic view of marriage and what it should be. All those romantic musicals and love stories I grew up on weren't fiction to me, they were how things should be. You know, the hero always expressed his love eloquently(or sang it preferably). The girl always got the man she wanted and not the man who she settled for. If she did settle, then her true love would come and sweep her up and get her out of there.
I had on rose colored glasses and married my husband with a song in my heart if not on his lips so I thought everything was perfect. Plus I had a short and terrible marriage when I was very young for comparison. Naturally, I thought I was at the gates of marriage heaven.
Marriage heaven probably does exist but you can't just say it and make it so. You have to work on it. I took a long time to hear that yet alone believe it. I used the wrong measurements to decide if and when my marriage was working.
You have to work on it and make necessary changes in yourself and your spouse has to do the same. You have to compromise and be willing to let the other person have their way...gladly, with no resentment. You have to support each other and even agree to disagree.
Maybe most people know that going in. I didn't. I had to learn and it took a long time. I don't want my husband to sing his love to me...I just want him to share it.
Please don't think I am deluded enough to think that I am an expert or have the answers. Every couple has to decide that for themselves. I just wanted to share what I have learned on this momentous occasion. If you are married, keep working on it. If you are single, wait until you find the one who is willing to work with you for a lifetime.

Oh, Those Commercials II! addendum

OH, I forgot my other favorite, The dancing bladders... OOPS!..I mean, balloons of the class of 1968. Isn't it nice to know that as we get older we are going to be depicted as bladders, I mean balloons?? That isn't even my class..I was 1967. I am so glad the plague missed my class LOL
But really, advertising men, could you come up with some other ways to depict my generation besides bladders, I mean , balloons and people with two(count them, two) outdoor bathtubs they retreat to before( or after I am never sure) having S-E-X??

Oh, Those Commercials II!

OHMYGOSH! Have you seen the ad for deodorant or shaving cream where the girl is running around the big city looking for excuses to raise her arms over her head as high as she can?? She shows them off, strokes them, shakes them around, smells them, pats them and shoves them in peoples' faces. I don't know about you but I am a shave 'em, deodorize 'em, and forget 'em kind of a girl. So when I see that add I have to admit I get a little sick to my stomach.
I get a little sick to my stomach when I see ads for food at restaurants too. They are trying to entice us to come and eat there but the food is so over the top it doesn't look appealing to me. Even steak!! My favorite.
I love the Alltell ad with the wizard's family in it though. The little baby with the white goatee cracks me up and so does the floating spoon. I hadn't really noticed that for the longest time. But not to worry, they show the ad ad nauseum so I finally saw it dangling there in mid air.
There are too many ads for the television shows they threw together for the summer. Have you seen the one with the giant balls that they are supposed to crawl over??? Or the wall with the punching things coming out of it?? Who could do that? Everybody is going to fall...I guess that is the entertaining part of it.
Or how about the Japanese host who talks to the Japanese audience on the side and says mean..Oh, I mean funny...about the American contestants?? That one is real nice. I never watched one of these shows but I have seen the ads so many times I feel like I am a viewer. I even have fast forwarded them and I still can see them in my sleep.
I am spending this summer hiding behind a book in the evenings so I don't end up watching any of this stuff. I just have to hold out a few more days and PROJECT RUNWAY will start and then a few shows I like on SCIFI will be on in the evenings too and I can poke my nose out of my latest novel for an hour or two.

Last Comment Heard

From:
John McCain: OMG Cindy, did you fire the hairdresser??
Barack Obama(under his breath): Shut up, old man.
Hillary Clinton: HEE HEE HEE
Sen. Graham: Whatta bunch of babies
Cindy McCain: What's wrong with my hair??? Oh, John, hold my hand the wind is blowing...HEEELLLPPP!!!!!!
Bill Clinton: I did not have sex with that woman...Huh, whatta you mean nobody cares??
Barbara Walters: Now, now girls......
John McCain: Thanks a lot Graham(under his breath...I almost missed it)
Joe Lieberman: OH,goody, goody, gumdrops
Dennis Kucinich: Could you move over, I can't see.
Sen. Graham: John, you are such a whiner.
The Author: The fun never ends!!!!!

You Gotta Have Friends

OHMYGOSH!! Poor John McCain. Yes, I really did say that. His good buddy, Senator Graham, just got through telling the country to stop being wimps, buck up and stop calling this dip in the economy a recession. This is the same guy that McCain said was the foremost expert on the economy. Whose judgement he trusted because he was, well......an expert. Senator Graham must be one of those elitists who can afford $4 gas and whose future is secure. Otherwise he is just blind and stupid. Oh, and he said we are a nation of whiners. Well, thanks for that. Like he knows all of us. What an idiot. McCain is busy disavowing any knowledge of this guy. Can you just imagine McCain when he saw this guy on television?? "WHAAAT??" IS he nuts? My campaaaaaaaaign..................................................................................
McCain is not the only one who has a "friend." So does Obama. Now I have watched the advertisements about Barack, the only son of a single mom and how his grandparents raised him. I saw his Father's Day speech and thought he said things that need to be said about responsibility of parenthood(especially fatherhood) and now Jesse Jackson says he wants to um, de-ball him because he spoke down to blacks. REALLY?? It's wrong to say take responsibility for yourself? Does Jackson think shirking fatherhood duties is ok? Does he think that black people should accept their low paying jobs and not try for something more?? Does he think the black community should never be criticized by one of their own?? Come on, who can send those messages? Not John McCain that's for sure!!
Even Jesse Jackson Jr. is not thrilled with his father. He is a big Obama supporter and has been from the get go. Maybe old Dad is just jealous. Maybe he just wishes he was the candidate. He has apologized up and down for "trash talk" but he doesn't look all that sincere to me.
Anyway, we probably all have had a friend who let us down or criticized us behind our backs...at least most of us weren't running for office at the time!

Ants on a Log

Ants on a Log was one of my kids' favorite treats when they were growing up. I even made it with my kindergartners for many years. It is so easy to make. First, you cut a celery stick in two pieces(or three), then you spread peanut butter in the indentation, and you put a few raisins on(for the ants). If you haven't guessed the celery is the log. That's it! Just eat it. Personally, I never ate one as (a) I hate raisins, (b) peanut butter in celery is not for me unless I am on the South Beach Diet and (c) I have watched kids prepare and eat it.
I hate ants too. Every spring we get a small infestation and my husband has to spray around the exterior of the house and then it stops. This year we didn't have one and I was so happy. Even though I kill them with ease and they are pretty harmless in general, I hate when they are around.
So, in the last couple of days, they have started up again. I have found 2 in the kitchen and about 6 in the family room. One was even crawling on my chest!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEW!!! I smooshed the ones in the family room with "Arnold" and that was pretty satisfying. I have been known to pick them up and just squish them in my fingers.(I know...gross) The one on my chest kind of freaked me out though. It was the biggest ant I've ever seen. I am not kidding it must have been almost a 1/2"!! OHMYGOSH!!!! I was completely freaked out. You would have never known it though as I was as calm as could be. You will have to take my word for it as I was alone at the time.
Anyway, my husband will spray and they will be gone and all will be forgotten until next spring. HMMM, why am I suddenly craving peanut butter and celery??

Always on My Mind

I've been thinking lately about a lot of things and I have come to some conclusions.
Never dance with a cast on your leg.
Everything boils down to money.
Billionaires have a lot of ideas, they should run for office.
Firefighters should run Congress.
Summer television is dumb.
Nothing ever happens on the soaps, unless I don't watch them.
Don't eat just everything and anything you want.
Gaining is easier than losing.
Time flies.
Teenagers should not become mothers and then get their picture plastered all over the news like it's a good thing.
I love Lester Holt.
It pays to have a friend who works in a movie theater.
People can be so petty.
It all boils down to money.(I know..it bears repeating)
Vacations are fun but you have to go home.
Kids are exuberant.
Love is all there is.

My Left Foot

Okay, I hate my left foot. It is not getting better fast enough and so I have to get an MRI on the 18th!! That is the day before I leave for Pittsburgh for wedding #2. So I guess Arnold Schwarzenegger and I have another date. You know, this is not the first time I messed up my foot. I am pretty sure I already ranted about it so I will spare you.
Being clumsy is not all that much fun. Just ask my daughter's friend. He was on a camping trip and jumped off a cliff into the water and cut his foot, got a black eye, banged up his arm and leg and pretty much beat himself up. Everyone else did it and they were fine. I would be him.
I know he is really hurting as I fell out of bed (about 10 inches) once and I was sore and beat up for a month. I could hardly get out of bed for the first twenty four hours. My foot got tangled up in the covers and I just fell. It could happen to anyone, couldn't it?
I haven't had a black eye yet but I don't think I've dodged that bullet yet. That would be just my luck...to get all cocky about it and then it would happen.
I also cut my foot once, I walked through the glass door of our entertainment center in the middle of the night. I wish my foot had been stuck in the covers then as there were multiple wounds in the bottom of my foot and I even got some stitches. Cutting your foot is a double edge sword(pardon the pun) as it not only is an injury but it effects your ability to walk. You can do it but it isn't fun. My nephew has a cut on the bottom of his foot and he has been limping around bravely.
The funny thing about my broken foot is that it really doesn't hurt that much. It is just tired--tired beyond belief after about an hour. So you get up and feel great and think it is better and then you put on Arnold and an hour later you are ready to go back to bed. I have fought it this whole time and so far I have escaped afternoon naps. But once again, not getting cocky here...cause you never know... I may submit!

Cash Cab

I have been watching the show Cash Cab while I work out. It is a lot like Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and other shows like that but the contestants actually think they are going in a regular cab and then SURPRISE!! they are on a game show. They can make money and they get three strikes before they're out. I am always amazed at the silly trivia I know and some of the easy things I don't know.
Today there were four blond women on and they got their three strikes and he dumps them out of the cab(politely) and they all start moaning that it's the worst neighborhood!!!! It was pretty funny and I'm sure they found another cab directly.
There were also two guys who were professional eaters-- I kid you not! They did real well they made like 2400 dollars and then there was a gay couple who needed a couch and left the cab without trying to double their 1100 dollars so they could get one. They were going to go out to lunch!! The pros ate one of those giant pretzels through the whole thing and the one gay guy had all the answers while the other one decided about the money. Is that a fair division of labor or what??
I also tuned in to Robin Swoboda on the commercials. The girl is a nutjob!!! She can't stop laughing or stop herself from making terrible jokes(some at her own expense to be fair) and she tells a lot of stuff she probably shouldn't. I could empathize with that though as I probably do the same thing. She just names the names and I don't. So is there much of a difference between us? Well, she's a local celebrity and I'm not.

The Morning After

We are slowly coming out of our wedding hangovers and starting our day. None of us had too much to drink but the excitement and the dancing and all the visiting takes its toll. We were slow to rise and took our time eating breakfast. Our two little nieces were here so we played some YAHTZEE with them and that seemed like a chore--not playing with the girls, the thinking part--and let's face it YAHTZEE is not brain surgery!
I dragged "Arnold" out onto the dance floor with my nieces and nephews and proceeded to have an upper body work out that would rival the best aerobics class. They are all young and sweet and have so much fun together, one couldn't help but want to join in! This was the most dancingest wedding I ever went to. There was someone from every age bracket out there from the sophisticated couple who have been married for 56 years to the 8 month old in his parent's arms.
Our nieces and nephews and our own kids all are so grown up now and they have such a good relationship it is a pleasure to be around them. One has grown his first beard, one is getting ready to go all the way to N. Dakota for school, one is almost finished with college, one is getting ready to enter high school and the two littlest will be all grown up before we know it.
They were wondering who will be the next to get married...it might be a while as they are all still young(even mine!!) and there's no hurry but that is the time they all seem to get to see one another so I understand why the subject came up.

Up on the Roof

The sky was filled with tremendous flashes of light in patterns I have never seen before. There was a waterfall after waterfall of fireworks display like I have never seen before. They slowly and softly fell toward worth in a shower of gold ending in twinkling little red or green lights.

There was a display that exploded into a huge burst with a small and bright white ball in the center. I have never seen anything like it. It was so beautiful!

How do they do that?? And who thinks of the designs and then figures out how to deploy them? I know the Chinese invented fireworks and all that but these were the most amazing things I have ever seen.

The roof was jammed but in our particular corner we were jammed with people we knew so it was fine and the people around me kept a space open so I could see as I was sitting on a chair. We had a champagne toast and went home happy and entertained.

Not being a big fan of fireworks, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed them. We were far enough away so the noise wasn't deafening but the displays were huge. All along the horizon you could see the fireworks of other communities and that was pretty cool too. So I guess I can't say I don't like fireworks any more. I only like them on my terms....on the roof with a glass of champagne!

Fireworks

It is the fourth of July and I am ready for fireworks. I have my earplugs and my ear muffs to go over them. I love the color and the lights but I HATE the noise. Nobody else in my family minds the noise so I am out there all alone. Some years I just skip the whole thing and watch some on television but this year my son is hosting a party at his new place so I have to go. Maybe they will be far enough away that I won't be bothered by the noise.
Fourth of July and the presidential race is going strong. John McCain is alluding to a bipartisan ticket for the fall. I think I know what that means---my old buddy, Joe Lieberman. Remember I said that I thought he was gone?? He isn't..I saw him the other day on television gladhanding the crowd right behind McCain. Oh say it isn't so , Joe....
The McCain campaign has been complimenting(yes, I said complimenting) the Obama campaign for coming closer to their ideas about the situation in the Middle East. I am not sure of the details but apparently Obama is visiting there soon and he has said he may reform some policies after his visit. So now McCain is saying the boy is just like me!! He must be so proud.
Speaking of McCain's, have you checked out "Cindy Lou" ( I just decided to call her that today) McCain lately?? OHMYGOSH, if she gets any thinner, a good wind will blow her right down Pennsylvania Ave. She usually wears understated clothes but she had on some kind of dress in Mexico this week!! It was a real large print in some shades of purple and I think some pink. Really, Cindy? Must we get the fashion police ready?
I hope they take today off. All the politicos are getting on my nerves and if they don't need a day off, I sure do!

Das Boot

Arnie(my boot) and I have been having a whirlwind time. We have been so busy I don't know if I can even tell it all. You know we went to the movies and then the next day we went to the beach(I left Arnold in the car) and off to get ice cream. Then we worked out(again Arnie stayed in the car) and went to the grocery store. What thanks did I get?? My foot looked like a sausage!!

We went shopping yesterday and out to lunch. I was very aware of the potential for sausage foot so I took it easy. I sat as often as I could and my sis dropped me off right at the door and picked me up. Even so, I needed to ice my foot later. Then we went to the movies again!!! Arnie is starting to gain weight too! He is heavier by the day. I feel like I am dragging a small child around(you know how they like to cling to your leg ??)!

So to add injury to insult I need a shoe for the wedding on Saturday. Yes, just one. None of the shoes in my closet worked. They were either too low or too high or too tennis shoe. You bet I am not wearing Arnold and a tennis shoe to a wedding.....I just refuse. So I tried on shoes this morning and the girl finally found a winner. It was on sale and everything so I am pretty happy.

Wearing one shoe will be embarrassing but then what else can I do?? I had thought of wearing two shoes but after my experiences over the last couple of days I know I HAVE to wear the darn thing.

Can you just see my husband and I on the dance floor?? Neither can I!

Out and About

My daughter, my foot and I went out to the movies yesterday. We saw Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day at the Cedar Lee theater. It was only 5 bucks and you even got free popcorn. That was all nice and my foot was a little problematic--had to take the loooonng ramp instead of the stairs and my daughter had to carry more than her fair share of the snacks but it wasn't that bad.
There were a lot of older people there anyway so slowness didn't seem to bother anyone until the guy at the snack counter said if you just wanted your free popcorn just step up and help yourself after he put out a few bags. OHMYGOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a stampede.
On the way out a woman pushing a stroller ran into my daughter a little and thought she had run over her toe. After they established that it hadn't the woman looks at me and says something about it wouldn't be good to run over my foot. Good luck trying was all I could think!! It probably would've tipped the stroller over!
We went to the grocery store too and guess what I saw my twin there!!! I mean my twin foot. We were both hobbling around Heinen's and she looked about as comfy as I did by then.
Let's just say I was glad to get home so I could give "Arnie" a rest before I got dinner ready.