I have been spending my time in the last few months in pursuits other than watching TV. I have enjoyed reading and spending time with friends and it is becoming a secondary thought to me. Last night I realized that it had been a week since I had watched any TV and I had a movie from Netflix sitting on my dresser waiting for me to view. I decided I wanted to watch it and I asked Gwen and the children if they wanted to watch it with me. The movie was Good Luck Chuck and I thought it was a simple romantic comedy. How could I be so wrong?
Gwen told me that she had seen it before but she would watch it again. I asked her if the movie was appropriate for the children and she commented that it wasn’t too bad but maybe Melvin (the 13 year old) shouldn’t watch it. So we got Melvin set up in the other room with the Disney channel and I proceeded to watch the movie with Gwen, Heather (17), and Ronnie (15). Did I mention that the version of the movie I had was unrated. I think that this should have given me warning that perhaps this was a movie to watch by myself. It was very funny but very inappropriate. There were several graphic sex scenes that included nudity as well as sexual humor throughout the film.
Buy the end I was feeling very uncomfortable. Have I mentioned how conservative and religious Gwen is? She is a very devout Lutheran and I find her children to be very sheltered and innocent. I am not sure why she OK’ed this movie for us to watch. I could tell she was uncomfortable throughout the movie as well as when it was over. I had no idea that it was so graphic. I am also not used to having to censor what I watch, read or listen to. It is hard to have to think about those things for the length of their visit.
December 31, 2008
December 30, 2008
The Guide to Getting It On, 6th Edition (Paperback)
The Guide to Getting It On, 6th Edition (Paperback)by Psy.D. Paul Joannides (Author), Daerick Gross Sr. (Illustrator)
I decided to get Wyatt (Lou’s 16 year old son) a peculiar gift for Christmas. It was an informational sex book called “The Guide to Getting it On”. I thought he would find it interesting and it would have much needed information for him.
This idea occurred to me about a month ago when Lou and I were driving to Wendy’s dad’s funeral. We agree that he got to listen to his IPOD on the way there and I got to listen to my IPOD on the way back. One of the things that I chose to listen to was a podcast about abstinence only sex education in America . I thought Lou and I could have a good conversation about the topic when it was over and I was right. I was VERY surprised to discover just how conservative he is. He believes in teaching his children abstinence until marriage…I just couldn’t believe he was saying that. We weren’t raised to be this conservative and in reality our parents NEVER talked to us about this at all. Never!
So, I took it into my hands to give the boy some educational materials. When I gave the book to Wyatt I pulled him away from the family into a room alone on Christmas Eve. I wish I had a camera to capture the pure shock and surprise on his face as he opened it up. I had him thumb through it and I asked him to read the contraception chapters first. Although, I do think that everything else is also important. Later, I found out that he shared the book a bit with my seventeen year old niece that night. I hope her mom doesn’t find out because I think that she is about 20 times more conservative than Lou is. His reaction to me giving it to Wyatt was more exasperation than anything else….I don’t think that he really minded.
I texted Wyatt today to see if he has read any of the book and what did he think? He replied that he has read the first eight chapters but he doesn’t get much private time to read while they are on vacation in Florida . A few minutes later he texted me and asked me if I had read the book. I didn’t expect that question and I was surprised. I replied back that I hadn’t yet but I planned to…now I need to get myself a copy of this book. I guess since I was the one to open up this topic with him I should now expect to field questions.
So what would you think if your COOL older aunt had given you this book as a Christmas present when you were sixteen? Would you have liked it? Would that have elevated her to GOD status? Would you have been embarrassed or able to overcome the embarrassment?
December 29, 2008
Holiday Fun
What a fun Christmas this year. I have never had such a full house….ever. My older brother Ron's ex wife and three children arrived on Christmas eve at 5pm for a week and a half visit. The children are 13, 15 and 17 and are fairly quiet people and enjoyable to be around. I immediately took them over to Lou's house so they all could go to Christmas Eve church services, I went back home and put together a yummy breakfast casserole for Christmas morning breakfast. When they all returned from church we had decedent appetizers for dinner and Lou's children opened a couple of gifts. The gifts just happened to be two fabulous Wii games, Guitar Hero and Disney's Sing It. I spent the rest of the evening upstairs with the boys playing the Guitar Hero game and loosing, but at least I was the only one who knew the words. 
I am not sure why why Lou is so serious and I have that very odd expression?
We all went back to Lou's house at 7:30am on Christmas morning to participate in the mass opening of gifts. It was crazy...and exciting....and chaotic...and fun. Everyone was opening up their gifts at the same time. In the prior years each person opened one gift at one time. I think I prefer it that way because you can watch what is going on with every person in the room. The children seamed to enjoy their new gifts and couldn't wait to play with them. BTW....I received a bike rack for my car. So...when spring hits...I will be hitting up my friends to go bike riding with me around town.
We had a tasty breakfast and then played more Wii games until 11am when Gwen, her children and I returned to my house. We had the best time when we came home. We spent the entire rest of the day playing games - Rummycube and Cat-Opoly (Like Monopoly but with Cats). I enjoyed this time at home talking and laughing and spending time with the Himburg’s more than any other part of Christmas day. I am so glad that they came for a visit.
On Friday evening my sister Wendy arrived with her three children (11, 9, 6 years old) at 9pm for a weekend visit. I then had a total of ten people staying in my 1400 square foot house. I assure you we were all feeling the love for each other. I had the Himburg’s in my spare room which had one queen size bed and one queen size blow up bed on the floor. Then I had two twin size blow up beds and a full size blow up bed in the living room for my sister and two of her children and the third child was on the couch in my room. Joanne was lucky to be able to sleep in her room alone...except she has had to share her bathroom with all of these guests. Ashley was the nine year old in my room, and she talked and moaned in her sleep for a good portion of the night. I don't think that I got much sleep that night and it had nothing to do with me sitting up in bed with my laptop and book light playing on the Internet until all hours…ummm 2am.
I spent a good part of Saturday being a short order cook and preparing Breakfast, Lunch and dinner for the entire bunch. I have to say that it is allot more food than I usually have to prepare for just me. I made scrambled eggs, sausage and donuts for breakfast; I made tuna sandwiches with a orange and banana fruit salad for lunch and spaghetti, salad and garlic bread for dinner. I believe that I ran the dishwasher three times on Saturday as well doing a large load of dishes the old fashion manual way.
Did I mention that my sister also brought her large golden lab with her. Her name is Harley and she is gigantic. We had to make up a space for her in the laundry room as I didn't want her in the house upsetting my precious Mickey and Sparks . She stayed in there most of the time but I did introduce Wendy to the joys of the dog park. She got a temporary day pass to the one near my house and she took Harley there twice so she could frolic.
We had beautiful weather on Saturday and it would have been great to take my guests hiking but I had already promised them ice skating. We went to the Pepsi Coliseum at the State Fairgrounds and had a terrific time. Everyone got completely worn out and I didn't fall once. The best part was the great price. It is only $4 for adults and $3 for children with a $2 skate rental fee. So for just me it was only six dollars for two hours of fun. This is a very cheap and fun family activity. My sister and all of her children even have their own skates. They go often in Ohio to an outdoor location.
I was very stressed out the week leading up the all of my visitors but it was for no reason. I have really enjoyed having them here and getting to spend so much time with the adults as well as the children. It has been a good holiday break.
This is Wyatt and Ronnie
I am not sure why why Lou is so serious and I have that very odd expression?We all went back to Lou's house at 7:30am on Christmas morning to participate in the mass opening of gifts. It was crazy...and exciting....and chaotic...and fun. Everyone was opening up their gifts at the same time. In the prior years each person opened one gift at one time. I think I prefer it that way because you can watch what is going on with every person in the room. The children seamed to enjoy their new gifts and couldn't wait to play with them. BTW....I received a bike rack for my car. So...when spring hits...I will be hitting up my friends to go bike riding with me around town.
We had a tasty breakfast and then played more Wii games until 11am when Gwen, her children and I returned to my house. We had the best time when we came home. We spent the entire rest of the day playing games - Rummycube and Cat-Opoly (Like Monopoly but with Cats). I enjoyed this time at home talking and laughing and spending time with the Himburg’s more than any other part of Christmas day. I am so glad that they came for a visit.
On Friday evening my sister Wendy arrived with her three children (11, 9, 6 years old) at 9pm for a weekend visit. I then had a total of ten people staying in my 1400 square foot house. I assure you we were all feeling the love for each other. I had the Himburg’s in my spare room which had one queen size bed and one queen size blow up bed on the floor. Then I had two twin size blow up beds and a full size blow up bed in the living room for my sister and two of her children and the third child was on the couch in my room. Joanne was lucky to be able to sleep in her room alone...except she has had to share her bathroom with all of these guests. Ashley was the nine year old in my room, and she talked and moaned in her sleep for a good portion of the night. I don't think that I got much sleep that night and it had nothing to do with me sitting up in bed with my laptop and book light playing on the Internet until all hours…ummm 2am.
I spent a good part of Saturday being a short order cook and preparing Breakfast, Lunch and dinner for the entire bunch. I have to say that it is allot more food than I usually have to prepare for just me. I made scrambled eggs, sausage and donuts for breakfast; I made tuna sandwiches with a orange and banana fruit salad for lunch and spaghetti, salad and garlic bread for dinner. I believe that I ran the dishwasher three times on Saturday as well doing a large load of dishes the old fashion manual way.
Did I mention that my sister also brought her large golden lab with her. Her name is Harley and she is gigantic. We had to make up a space for her in the laundry room as I didn't want her in the house upsetting my precious Mickey and Sparks . She stayed in there most of the time but I did introduce Wendy to the joys of the dog park. She got a temporary day pass to the one near my house and she took Harley there twice so she could frolic.
We had beautiful weather on Saturday and it would have been great to take my guests hiking but I had already promised them ice skating. We went to the Pepsi Coliseum at the State Fairgrounds and had a terrific time. Everyone got completely worn out and I didn't fall once. The best part was the great price. It is only $4 for adults and $3 for children with a $2 skate rental fee. So for just me it was only six dollars for two hours of fun. This is a very cheap and fun family activity. My sister and all of her children even have their own skates. They go often in Ohio to an outdoor location.
I was very stressed out the week leading up the all of my visitors but it was for no reason. I have really enjoyed having them here and getting to spend so much time with the adults as well as the children. It has been a good holiday break.
December 24, 2008
Pipes
OK…watch out…there could be extensive cursing within this posting. I am just saying that home improvements bring out that side of me.
Ok, my problem started in the fall of 2007. I decided that it was time to get a water softener unit for my home after living there for three years. I was tired of the hard water and the spots on my dishes. I received a recommendation from my brother and got an appointment for the instillation. I cleaned out the utility room and removed a cabinet to make room for the new unit. My brother was kind enough to come to my house to let the instillation person do their job. When I came home that night I discovered that they installed the unit in my garage. I never said that I wanted it in the garage. The two MEN decided that the utility room would be too crowded and I had to pay extra for them to drill holes in the wall and install the network of pipes back into the utility room where the hot water heater is located. Duh…they never listen to me.
In January of 2008 it got extremely cold and caused the pipes on the water softener to freeze and therefore I did not have water in the cold morning when I woke up. The first time that this happened I panicked because I had never had frozen pipes in the prior three years that I resided in my house. I called my brother and he was not helpful. I made the determination that the only new element in the situation was the water softener so it must be the problem. I called the emergency number and talked to a guy who told me to take my hair dryer and try to thaw out the area. The hard part is you cannot see where it is frozen as the pipes are opaque. However, the hair dryer did fix the problem and I had running water again in twenty minutes.
This event occurred a total of four times during the winter of 2008 much to my aggravation. I complained about it but that didn’t fix it. I talked to a handy guy at work who suggested that I insulate it with duck tape and egg crate foam. He had some in his truck so I went home and hillbillyed up my pipes. This did not work and they still froze up. When the water softener guy came for a repair that was unrelated to the frozen pipes he suggested that I get a space heater or place an electric blanked over the unit or insulate the pipes.
Last week I decided to try and be proactive about the water freezing up because it has been so cold. I decided to purchase a $30 twin size electric blanked. This seamed the easiest of the above solutions. I set it up and the stupid thing was defective. It never heated up. I tried to put the situation out of my head until I woke up to frozen pipes on Monday morning. I had to reenact the prior year’s morning routine of dragging my tired ass out the garage with the hair dryer and try to guess what was frozen. It was so cold in the garage that the kitties didn’t even want to come out and frolic in the garage (this is their second favorite thing to do..their first thing being escaping outside…and playing…"I know I can run faster than that giant and taunting me").
I was now serious about this home repair. I stopped at Wal Mart on my way home on Monday night to return the defective electric blanket and purchase some real pipe insulation items. I brought my new stuff home and set about this very definitive BOY task. I have no interest what so ever in doing any types of repairs at my house. I absolutely HATE IT! So with a heavy heart and bad words in my head I began the dreaded task. The first horrible part was reading the instructions. They are so boring. They always want you do follow them exactly…I don’t like that. I bought some heating tape stuff…you know the long cord that wraps around the pipes and heats up. Wrapping stuff around these pipes in the tiny little area was not fun and I usually lack a certain precision on these types of tasks. I eventually got it around them but I wouldn’t call it smooth or even or neat. The next step was to wrap the insulation around the heating tape and pipes. Duh…it was this big giant roll and it didn’t fit around the back of the pipes. So I had to cut it…the only thing I had on hand was a steak knife. It sort of worked on the job. Then I had to duck tape it all together. This was not easy as I kept getting the tape stuck on things…you know the pipe…the insulation…me. However, I did purchase some very cute hot pink tape….it added to the overall look.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I finally finished this task about an hour after I started and I was happy to be done. It didn’t look like any type of professional instillation but it was somehow less hillbilly than the egg crates taped around the pipes and then half way falling off. Guess what…my pipes didn’t freeze last night and the house didn’t catch on fire. Hurray…I believe that this was a successful home improvement project.
What do you think of my handy work? Sorry for the nose shot…it was kind of hard taking a picture of myself.
Ok, my problem started in the fall of 2007. I decided that it was time to get a water softener unit for my home after living there for three years. I was tired of the hard water and the spots on my dishes. I received a recommendation from my brother and got an appointment for the instillation. I cleaned out the utility room and removed a cabinet to make room for the new unit. My brother was kind enough to come to my house to let the instillation person do their job. When I came home that night I discovered that they installed the unit in my garage. I never said that I wanted it in the garage. The two MEN decided that the utility room would be too crowded and I had to pay extra for them to drill holes in the wall and install the network of pipes back into the utility room where the hot water heater is located. Duh…they never listen to me.
In January of 2008 it got extremely cold and caused the pipes on the water softener to freeze and therefore I did not have water in the cold morning when I woke up. The first time that this happened I panicked because I had never had frozen pipes in the prior three years that I resided in my house. I called my brother and he was not helpful. I made the determination that the only new element in the situation was the water softener so it must be the problem. I called the emergency number and talked to a guy who told me to take my hair dryer and try to thaw out the area. The hard part is you cannot see where it is frozen as the pipes are opaque. However, the hair dryer did fix the problem and I had running water again in twenty minutes.
This event occurred a total of four times during the winter of 2008 much to my aggravation. I complained about it but that didn’t fix it. I talked to a handy guy at work who suggested that I insulate it with duck tape and egg crate foam. He had some in his truck so I went home and hillbillyed up my pipes. This did not work and they still froze up. When the water softener guy came for a repair that was unrelated to the frozen pipes he suggested that I get a space heater or place an electric blanked over the unit or insulate the pipes.
Last week I decided to try and be proactive about the water freezing up because it has been so cold. I decided to purchase a $30 twin size electric blanked. This seamed the easiest of the above solutions. I set it up and the stupid thing was defective. It never heated up. I tried to put the situation out of my head until I woke up to frozen pipes on Monday morning. I had to reenact the prior year’s morning routine of dragging my tired ass out the garage with the hair dryer and try to guess what was frozen. It was so cold in the garage that the kitties didn’t even want to come out and frolic in the garage (this is their second favorite thing to do..their first thing being escaping outside…and playing…"I know I can run faster than that giant and taunting me").
I was now serious about this home repair. I stopped at Wal Mart on my way home on Monday night to return the defective electric blanket and purchase some real pipe insulation items. I brought my new stuff home and set about this very definitive BOY task. I have no interest what so ever in doing any types of repairs at my house. I absolutely HATE IT! So with a heavy heart and bad words in my head I began the dreaded task. The first horrible part was reading the instructions. They are so boring. They always want you do follow them exactly…I don’t like that. I bought some heating tape stuff…you know the long cord that wraps around the pipes and heats up. Wrapping stuff around these pipes in the tiny little area was not fun and I usually lack a certain precision on these types of tasks. I eventually got it around them but I wouldn’t call it smooth or even or neat. The next step was to wrap the insulation around the heating tape and pipes. Duh…it was this big giant roll and it didn’t fit around the back of the pipes. So I had to cut it…the only thing I had on hand was a steak knife. It sort of worked on the job. Then I had to duck tape it all together. This was not easy as I kept getting the tape stuck on things…you know the pipe…the insulation…me. However, I did purchase some very cute hot pink tape….it added to the overall look.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I finally finished this task about an hour after I started and I was happy to be done. It didn’t look like any type of professional instillation but it was somehow less hillbilly than the egg crates taped around the pipes and then half way falling off. Guess what…my pipes didn’t freeze last night and the house didn’t catch on fire. Hurray…I believe that this was a successful home improvement project.
What do you think of my handy work? Sorry for the nose shot…it was kind of hard taking a picture of myself.
December 23, 2008
Condoms
Last week at work the accounting department played the secret Santa game. Every day we had to bring in a small present and surprise our secret Santa person. They wouldn’t know who we were until the end of the week at an Ice Cream Party when we revealed ourselves.
When I gave my Friday gift out at the ice cream party my person didn’t like it and seamed disappointed, she then re-gifted it to someone else. I felt bad about her not liking the bottle of pomegranate bath soap. She said that she only uses Dove because her skin is so sensitive and that is why she didn't keep it. I didn't want this person to be disappointed and I wanted to give her a better present or at least one she would like.
Now you are wondering why I titled this Condoms...come on be patient....wait for it....
Earlier in the week we (my secret Santa recipient and I) had a conversation that ended in us talking about her jar of colored condoms at home. I had though a couple of time it would be funny to give her some as a gag on Friday, but I thought it might be inappropriate at work. I told her this story on Friday when we exchanged our gifts and she laughed and she said I should of given her that instead of the pomegranate soap.
I decided to do it, (all the while knowing that it was inappropriate but not caring) and I stopped at CVS this morning at 8am. BTW…I was the only customer in the store and all of the employees wanted to help me due to their boredom. After I rid myself of the over helpful employee, I found the “Family Planning” section and looked over the extensive inventory. I was looking for something a little bit different to get a good laugh, but I didn’t see anything that was too weird. I chose a Trojan female pleasure product and drove to work.
When I got to work I walked over and gave it to her and she had a good long laugh. I think she really appreciated the late secret Santa gift. She said she would make good use of them. As I was walking away someone who heard us laughing asked if we were already talking about something dirty at 8:30am. I guess they could tell by our laugh.
I hope your secret Santa’s was good to you and made you laugh.
When I gave my Friday gift out at the ice cream party my person didn’t like it and seamed disappointed, she then re-gifted it to someone else. I felt bad about her not liking the bottle of pomegranate bath soap. She said that she only uses Dove because her skin is so sensitive and that is why she didn't keep it. I didn't want this person to be disappointed and I wanted to give her a better present or at least one she would like.
Now you are wondering why I titled this Condoms...come on be patient....wait for it....
Earlier in the week we (my secret Santa recipient and I) had a conversation that ended in us talking about her jar of colored condoms at home. I had though a couple of time it would be funny to give her some as a gag on Friday, but I thought it might be inappropriate at work. I told her this story on Friday when we exchanged our gifts and she laughed and she said I should of given her that instead of the pomegranate soap.
I decided to do it, (all the while knowing that it was inappropriate but not caring) and I stopped at CVS this morning at 8am. BTW…I was the only customer in the store and all of the employees wanted to help me due to their boredom. After I rid myself of the over helpful employee, I found the “Family Planning” section and looked over the extensive inventory. I was looking for something a little bit different to get a good laugh, but I didn’t see anything that was too weird. I chose a Trojan female pleasure product and drove to work.
When I got to work I walked over and gave it to her and she had a good long laugh. I think she really appreciated the late secret Santa gift. She said she would make good use of them. As I was walking away someone who heard us laughing asked if we were already talking about something dirty at 8:30am. I guess they could tell by our laugh.
I hope your secret Santa’s was good to you and made you laugh.
December 21, 2008
Yuletide Celebration - Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
I had tickets last night to go and see the Yuletide Celebration at the ISO at 8pm. I have been very excited to see this event because I really enjoyed my last event at the ISO. Before the event we went to dinner at the Hard Rock cafe and enjoyed our $20 burgers. There was no waiting at the restaurant and I was surprised that they were not busier and that we didn't have to wait in line. After we ate we walked to the circle and made a round of the monument and enjoyed the beautiful lites and decorations. There were tons of people milling about and even a wedding party taking pictures on the steps of the monument.
When we got to the front of the ISO there was a pen with two reindeer's that people could look at and pet. I was shocked. I never imagined encountering a reindeer last night. They were very cute and added to the Christmas environment. I took a few pictures of my friend Casey in front of them but I didn't think to get one of me. O well.
The performance was sold out on Saturday night and there were tons of people milling about. There were so many it was hard to walk through the lobby. We chose to get the medium priced seats for this performance and I loved them. They were located in the Orchestra Box Right. They were individual seats that were very comfortable and you didn't have to sit so close to your neighbor. There was also plenty of leg room for the tall patrons...although, as you probably know I usually don't have to worry about leg room.
My overall impression of this performance was bad. They had a women from NY, Ann Hampton Callaway, who was the hostess of the event and the key singer. I DID NOT LIKE HER. She had this superior smirk on her face the entire performance. I just didn't like her demeanor and I felt like she detracted from the orchestra's music. I also wasn't impressed with her voice, it was a very low tone and I just didn't think that it suited the music she was singing. She sang a couple of duets with Daniel Okulitch and they just didn't go together. There was a scene where she was making up a song involving things from Indianapolis that the audience members yelled out from the audience. I didn't find this scene amusing or even entertaining.
There were a couple scenes that I did like. I enjoyed the beginning of the performance where they had a huge cast of singers singing "We Need A Little Christmas". There were beautiful costumes and clever dancing and choreography. I could have used more of these types of numbers and not so much of the "featured" singer. I also enjoyed the closing number of "The First Noel". I think that it was sung well and I enjoyed it.
There was a secondary distraction during the performance. Sitting in front of us were six teenagers who were not at all enjoying the show. The were talking, laughing and passing around a phone and generally distracting me. Why would they pay so much to see this show and not pay attention. Unless their rich parents paid and they just didn't care. I am all for adding cultural events to children and teenagers but they should behave. Sitting right next to us at the show were two little girls about 8 years old and they were great. The teenagers could have taken some pointers.
I plan on attending another event in February and I hope that it is better than this. I would like my money back!
When we got to the front of the ISO there was a pen with two reindeer's that people could look at and pet. I was shocked. I never imagined encountering a reindeer last night. They were very cute and added to the Christmas environment. I took a few pictures of my friend Casey in front of them but I didn't think to get one of me. O well.
The performance was sold out on Saturday night and there were tons of people milling about. There were so many it was hard to walk through the lobby. We chose to get the medium priced seats for this performance and I loved them. They were located in the Orchestra Box Right. They were individual seats that were very comfortable and you didn't have to sit so close to your neighbor. There was also plenty of leg room for the tall patrons...although, as you probably know I usually don't have to worry about leg room.
My overall impression of this performance was bad. They had a women from NY, Ann Hampton Callaway, who was the hostess of the event and the key singer. I DID NOT LIKE HER. She had this superior smirk on her face the entire performance. I just didn't like her demeanor and I felt like she detracted from the orchestra's music. I also wasn't impressed with her voice, it was a very low tone and I just didn't think that it suited the music she was singing. She sang a couple of duets with Daniel Okulitch and they just didn't go together. There was a scene where she was making up a song involving things from Indianapolis that the audience members yelled out from the audience. I didn't find this scene amusing or even entertaining.
There were a couple scenes that I did like. I enjoyed the beginning of the performance where they had a huge cast of singers singing "We Need A Little Christmas". There were beautiful costumes and clever dancing and choreography. I could have used more of these types of numbers and not so much of the "featured" singer. I also enjoyed the closing number of "The First Noel". I think that it was sung well and I enjoyed it.
There was a secondary distraction during the performance. Sitting in front of us were six teenagers who were not at all enjoying the show. The were talking, laughing and passing around a phone and generally distracting me. Why would they pay so much to see this show and not pay attention. Unless their rich parents paid and they just didn't care. I am all for adding cultural events to children and teenagers but they should behave. Sitting right next to us at the show were two little girls about 8 years old and they were great. The teenagers could have taken some pointers.
I plan on attending another event in February and I hope that it is better than this. I would like my money back!
December 16, 2008
Funeral Arrangements...I am aware that I am being morbid
While I was in the shower this morning I was reflecting upon the two funerals that I have recently attended. The thing that most came to mind was just how awful they were stylistically, and how I hoped that my loved ones would do me better when I was gone. I don’t want there to be a preacher…after all I am an atheist. I don’t want there to be some horrible organ music…gag. I would want it to be something that would reflect me and who I was during my life. So this is my idea of what the perfect funeral service for me.
First of all there would be no church involved…but I guess it would be necessary to have a funeral home. Please stay away from Peinert's in Tontogany Ohio. Do we have to give them all of our family business? I would want it in Indianapolis where most of my friends and close family live. Wendy…you would just have to suck it up and drive here. I would want my IPOD hooked up to the speaker system at the funeral home and have it playing the playlist of the 25 most played songs. This way it reflects the music I really loved at the time I died. If IPODS are antiquated when I die in 2073 when I am 100, then substitute the current trendy music storage system. Odds are that I will own it. I would like a big screen TV set up in the front of the room so when the funeral starts at 4pm (it needs to be in the late afternoon because I wouldn’t want my ghost to have to get up to early) it can begin playing my favorite movie. Currently that movie is Independence Day with Will Smith, but you can substitute in my favorite movie in 2073. I hope it isn’t anything too sappy. I would want there to be popcorn and cokes passed around for the movie portion of the ceremony, perhaps even some goobers.
After the movie is over there should be pizza (pepperoni, onion and black olive…after all it is my funeral and it should be pizza that I liked) and more cokes. Currently I am drinking regular coke…but who knows maybe I will be back on the fake stuff by then. Perhaps that is what killed me, or was it the aluminum in the deodorant? This pizza party should be pretty short as I know everyone is feeling uncomfortable at this point.
The final act should be driving to the cemetery to drop off my casket. I think I want it to be silver with green accents. I would like to be dressed in my favorite outfit…jeans, T-Shirt and sneakers with white sox. Before you close the casket don’t forget to put my IPOD and headphones in the casket with me. I know I will need it. Don’t forget the battery charger. Also…I think I will need my Amazon Kindle. It is important to have the proper accessories in the afterlife.
So these are my wishes as I see them today. Please follow these instructions as close as possible and don’t horde the insurance money and skimp on my wishes.
After the movie is over there should be pizza (pepperoni, onion and black olive…after all it is my funeral and it should be pizza that I liked) and more cokes. Currently I am drinking regular coke…but who knows maybe I will be back on the fake stuff by then. Perhaps that is what killed me, or was it the aluminum in the deodorant? This pizza party should be pretty short as I know everyone is feeling uncomfortable at this point.
The final act should be driving to the cemetery to drop off my casket. I think I want it to be silver with green accents. I would like to be dressed in my favorite outfit…jeans, T-Shirt and sneakers with white sox. Before you close the casket don’t forget to put my IPOD and headphones in the casket with me. I know I will need it. Don’t forget the battery charger. Also…I think I will need my Amazon Kindle. It is important to have the proper accessories in the afterlife.
So these are my wishes as I see them today. Please follow these instructions as close as possible and don’t horde the insurance money and skimp on my wishes.
December 15, 2008
Match.com AKA I am being crazy part II
So this whole “Internet dating” thing has sent my mind into a crazy whirlwind of emotion. I have not been able to focus on anything. I just keep thinking of things that have nothing to do with the task at hand. I guess this isn’t the time of the year to add such a large quantity of craziness to my life. I will be sitting at my desk trying to work and the next thing I know it is fifteen minutes later and I was just staring at the wall thinking.
So, I do not seem to be able to make a decision of what to do about the guy I went out with last week. After we were done with our date on Sunday, I really didn’t think that we were compatible. So I decided in my head that I wouldn’t go out with him again. But I was also going to wait and see what happened. I just couldn’t bring myself to call or write him an email. On Tuesday I received an email from him saying that he had a great time on Sunday and we should go out again this weekend. It would have been easier if he had just ignored me but then I would have been upset at being rejected. This put me into a full panic mode. I just didn’t know what to do, one minute I would think we were not compatible, the next minute I would think maybe I didn’t give him enough of a chance. Then I have had to listen to my various friends and their opinions on whether or not I should go out with him again. Now it is Thursday and I haven’t done anything yet. I am feeling very bad…like I should have contacted him by now. I feel like a jerk. No wonder "A" told me I was acting like the man in the situation. Perhaps I am too practical and analytical. But the crazy thoughts in my head NEED to stop soon! I guess I need to get the courage to send him an email tonight saying thanks, but no thanks.
*****Update*****
I did write him an email back on Thursday. I knew that I just had to do it and pull off the band aid. This is what I wrote:
"I am sorry for the delay in answering your email. You are a great guy and very nice, but I just don't think that we are compatible. I hope you find what you are looking for. Thanks for the nice date on Sunday."
Secondarily, I must have received a large ego boost because I have reviewed the website and sent several guys emails this week. So some of them have responded but they are weird. The first weird thing happened on Tuesday. I received an email from a guy and we had the following email conversation:
Match Guy –
hi my cousin would like to chat with you he is not a member but i can give you his cell # ......thanks
C - HI There-I wouldn't mind talking to him. Could you send me some info on him??? Where he lives, what he likes, his age, a photo?
Match Guy –
HI HE JUST LEFT HERE IS HIS CELL # 765-xxx-xxxx GIVE HIM A CALL HE WONT BITE...LOL
C - Hi....so what is your cousin’s name?
Match Guy –
hi candias (HELLO…he didn’t spell my name right) we call him arnie give him a call ........
We call him Arnie….this last email seemed like the person could be crazy. I don’t know, it was some gut feeling. So I didn’t call. This task is becoming very difficult even worse than trying to find a roommate. On the judgmental side…the name Arnie sounds like someone real OLD. Do you think I should call “Arnie”? I don’t have a profile or a photo or know anything about him.
The third thing was I received a virtual “wink” last night. This person lives in Missouri . Aren’t there any boys in the Indianapolis area? Why are they emailing me from out of state. I also received a wink from a guy in Milwaukee , WI last week. These people seem fine enough, but why would I want to start conversations with strangers so far away. Maybe this is where I need to lax my qualifications.
BTW I received a viewer feedback email from Diane earlier this week that said the following:
I think there has to be some leeway in that internal list you have so you can be open to meeting someone who does not meet your"qualifications". That might be why someone said you sound like the guy. Many guys are Hef-like in their lists. Here they are older and not at their prime and they expect youth and beauty. I'm not saying you expect that, but why not consider going out with someone 5 to 10 years older than you? You really like to talk. They would be more likely to listen to you or act like they are.
So the boys have to act like they are listening…perhaps. I am a bit judgmental but I think I know right away when I meet a person if I like them. Even if I am only thinking of friendship.
So, I do not seem to be able to make a decision of what to do about the guy I went out with last week. After we were done with our date on Sunday, I really didn’t think that we were compatible. So I decided in my head that I wouldn’t go out with him again. But I was also going to wait and see what happened. I just couldn’t bring myself to call or write him an email. On Tuesday I received an email from him saying that he had a great time on Sunday and we should go out again this weekend. It would have been easier if he had just ignored me but then I would have been upset at being rejected. This put me into a full panic mode. I just didn’t know what to do, one minute I would think we were not compatible, the next minute I would think maybe I didn’t give him enough of a chance. Then I have had to listen to my various friends and their opinions on whether or not I should go out with him again. Now it is Thursday and I haven’t done anything yet. I am feeling very bad…like I should have contacted him by now. I feel like a jerk. No wonder "A" told me I was acting like the man in the situation. Perhaps I am too practical and analytical. But the crazy thoughts in my head NEED to stop soon! I guess I need to get the courage to send him an email tonight saying thanks, but no thanks.
*****Update*****
I did write him an email back on Thursday. I knew that I just had to do it and pull off the band aid. This is what I wrote:
"I am sorry for the delay in answering your email. You are a great guy and very nice, but I just don't think that we are compatible. I hope you find what you are looking for. Thanks for the nice date on Sunday."
I had a very large sense of relief on Friday after I finished this task. I was calm and actually able to focus on work and I got a large quantity of stuff done.
Secondarily, I must have received a large ego boost because I have reviewed the website and sent several guys emails this week. So some of them have responded but they are weird. The first weird thing happened on Tuesday. I received an email from a guy and we had the following email conversation:
Match Guy –
hi my cousin would like to chat with you he is not a member but i can give you his cell # ......thanks
C - HI There-I wouldn't mind talking to him. Could you send me some info on him??? Where he lives, what he likes, his age, a photo?
Match Guy –
HI HE JUST LEFT HERE IS HIS CELL # 765-xxx-xxxx GIVE HIM A CALL HE WONT BITE...LOL
C - Hi....so what is your cousin’s name?
Match Guy –
hi candias (HELLO…he didn’t spell my name right) we call him arnie give him a call ........
We call him Arnie….this last email seemed like the person could be crazy. I don’t know, it was some gut feeling. So I didn’t call. This task is becoming very difficult even worse than trying to find a roommate. On the judgmental side…the name Arnie sounds like someone real OLD. Do you think I should call “Arnie”? I don’t have a profile or a photo or know anything about him.
The third thing was I received a virtual “wink” last night. This person lives in Missouri . Aren’t there any boys in the Indianapolis area? Why are they emailing me from out of state. I also received a wink from a guy in Milwaukee , WI last week. These people seem fine enough, but why would I want to start conversations with strangers so far away. Maybe this is where I need to lax my qualifications.
BTW I received a viewer feedback email from Diane earlier this week that said the following:
I think there has to be some leeway in that internal list you have so you can be open to meeting someone who does not meet your"qualifications". That might be why someone said you sound like the guy. Many guys are Hef-like in their lists. Here they are older and not at their prime and they expect youth and beauty. I'm not saying you expect that, but why not consider going out with someone 5 to 10 years older than you? You really like to talk. They would be more likely to listen to you or act like they are.
So the boys have to act like they are listening…perhaps. I am a bit judgmental but I think I know right away when I meet a person if I like them. Even if I am only thinking of friendship.
December 14, 2008
On Thin Ice - A Very Phoenix Xmas
I went to see a new fun play last night at The Phoenix Theatre near Fountain Square . I have never been to this Theatre before so I was excited to experience something new. I was very surprised when we arrived at the location because the building resided on a residential street and looked like a house and it was a bit difficult to find. When G and I went to get our tickets there wasn’t a reservation waiting for us. We had rescheduled this event a couple of times and I guess there was a miscommunication between us on who was responsible for making the reservations. I think we both decided to take fault because it wasn’t a big deal and we still got a seat.
The demographic of the audience was very different than at most of the other venues that I frequent. Most of the time the audience is comprised of older women or older couples, there usually isn’t that many younger members or people my age. When I went to the ballet last week the audience was mostly parents and young children since The Nutcracker is a family production. The audience of this show was mainly same sex and opposite sex couples around my age. I was very surprised. The second odd thing was the theatre housed a wine bar and most of the audiences were drinking it up during the show. I have been places that had alcohol but this was different, it was more like a subdued bar atmosphere and not a playhouse.
A Very Phoenix Christmas was wrote by a local women who happened to be in attendance while were there. It was a show of several short stories all dealing with Christmas in a different way. Most of it was comedy and some of it had singing. Most of it was funny and I enjoyed it but some of it was, “what was that all about?”. There were a few that were very funny and stuck out in my head. The very first one was called “Balls”, this was a short story from the perspective of four different colored Christmas balls in a box waking up thinking it was time to be put up on the tree. The balls were funny and bickered amongst each other and had very distinctive personalities. The unusual part was the balls figured out it was near St. Patrick’s Day and their ‘owners’ were having a fight and were in the midst of breaking up and dividing their things. The was a good starter story and it made me laugh.
The next one that I especially liked was titled, “Oy Vey Maria”. This was from the perspective of Mary just after she gave birth to Jesus and then her parents came over and her mother was a very stereotypical Jewish mother. It was hysterical and I laughed very hard. The actors put on the Jewish accents very thick and there was allot of funny humor poking fun at Christmas and pointing out that Jesus was a Jew.
The next scene I liked was short but humorous; it was called “Christmas at Amy Wine’s House”. This depicted Amy Winehouse having Christmas day with her family including her grandmother and father. All of the presents that she received were Heroin because they knew that was the thing she liked the best. Her grandmother gave her cocaine because she was confused about the difference between the two drugs. It was very imaginative and funny. The first thing I listened to on my IPOD Friday morning was her album.
The final scene that I really liked was called “Poodolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer". This scene took place in the ladies bathroom at a Christmas party. There were two ladies in there hiding out and one of them defecated and the toilet got clogged up. When the maintenance man was called to repair it he noticed that the poo was shaped like Rudolph including the red nose. It was very much filled with bathroom humor but it amused me nonetheless. The interesting part was while I was in line for the bathroom at intermission there was two ladies talking and she was dating the actress who does the poo scene in the play. She commented that this lady doesn’t like to talk about body functions and how uncomfortable she was in the part. She had even considered not doing the play. It is funny how you find out this insider information.
I am glad that I got a season pass to this theatre and I am excited to see more of their original productions. I would recommend it to my friends who enjoy original productions.
The demographic of the audience was very different than at most of the other venues that I frequent. Most of the time the audience is comprised of older women or older couples, there usually isn’t that many younger members or people my age. When I went to the ballet last week the audience was mostly parents and young children since The Nutcracker is a family production. The audience of this show was mainly same sex and opposite sex couples around my age. I was very surprised. The second odd thing was the theatre housed a wine bar and most of the audiences were drinking it up during the show. I have been places that had alcohol but this was different, it was more like a subdued bar atmosphere and not a playhouse.
A Very Phoenix Christmas was wrote by a local women who happened to be in attendance while were there. It was a show of several short stories all dealing with Christmas in a different way. Most of it was comedy and some of it had singing. Most of it was funny and I enjoyed it but some of it was, “what was that all about?”. There were a few that were very funny and stuck out in my head. The very first one was called “Balls”, this was a short story from the perspective of four different colored Christmas balls in a box waking up thinking it was time to be put up on the tree. The balls were funny and bickered amongst each other and had very distinctive personalities. The unusual part was the balls figured out it was near St. Patrick’s Day and their ‘owners’ were having a fight and were in the midst of breaking up and dividing their things. The was a good starter story and it made me laugh.
The next one that I especially liked was titled, “Oy Vey Maria”. This was from the perspective of Mary just after she gave birth to Jesus and then her parents came over and her mother was a very stereotypical Jewish mother. It was hysterical and I laughed very hard. The actors put on the Jewish accents very thick and there was allot of funny humor poking fun at Christmas and pointing out that Jesus was a Jew.
The next scene I liked was short but humorous; it was called “Christmas at Amy Wine’s House”. This depicted Amy Winehouse having Christmas day with her family including her grandmother and father. All of the presents that she received were Heroin because they knew that was the thing she liked the best. Her grandmother gave her cocaine because she was confused about the difference between the two drugs. It was very imaginative and funny. The first thing I listened to on my IPOD Friday morning was her album.
The final scene that I really liked was called “Poodolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer". This scene took place in the ladies bathroom at a Christmas party. There were two ladies in there hiding out and one of them defecated and the toilet got clogged up. When the maintenance man was called to repair it he noticed that the poo was shaped like Rudolph including the red nose. It was very much filled with bathroom humor but it amused me nonetheless. The interesting part was while I was in line for the bathroom at intermission there was two ladies talking and she was dating the actress who does the poo scene in the play. She commented that this lady doesn’t like to talk about body functions and how uncomfortable she was in the part. She had even considered not doing the play. It is funny how you find out this insider information.
I am glad that I got a season pass to this theatre and I am excited to see more of their original productions. I would recommend it to my friends who enjoy original productions.
December 12, 2008
Birthday Fun
I was invited to my brother’s house on Wednesday night to attend a birthday party for my little niece who turned 6. Lou’s new wife made a beautiful Barbie cake and a tasty comfort food dinner of meatloaf, baked sweet potato and glazed carrots. The kids made up a funny play to entertain us after dinner , it was based upon Sleeping Beauty. They here hilarious. They didn’t have time to memorize the script so the had it written down on paper and propped it up where they could see it and read their lines. I appreciated their creativity. They even made set decorations with paper and hung them up on the walls.
After the great play, we sat around the table to sing her the Happy Birthday song. We turned out the lights and the candles were burning. Then poof…her HAIR caught on FIRE. You can see the little flame in the photo below but it got pretty big for a moment, and then fizzled out. I freaked out and screamed. I was so frightened for her. It went out rather quickly and she was unharmed. But she was very scared, and so was I. She was so shook up she couldn’t even eat her cake and ice cream. I felt so bad that her birthday was marred buy this awful experience. Except now we all will remember the events of her sixth birthday.
After the great play, we sat around the table to sing her the Happy Birthday song. We turned out the lights and the candles were burning. Then poof…her HAIR caught on FIRE. You can see the little flame in the photo below but it got pretty big for a moment, and then fizzled out. I freaked out and screamed. I was so frightened for her. It went out rather quickly and she was unharmed. But she was very scared, and so was I. She was so shook up she couldn’t even eat her cake and ice cream. I felt so bad that her birthday was marred buy this awful experience. Except now we all will remember the events of her sixth birthday.
December 9, 2008
I have gone CRAZY!
I often like to make fun of my brother Ron for his complete lack of communication skills. The best story of this is when I called him early in January 2005. He had moved to North Carolina and I wanted to know what he was up to. While we were talking I heard a baby crying in the background. I asked him what the sound was? He said just a moment and he put a woman on the phone. The woman was Gigi. He had been Internet dating her for the past year and she lived in Hong Kong. He had talked a little bit about her in the past and she even had sent him a cell phone from Hong Kong in which he could call her at no charge to him. I assure you Lou and I found this to be extremely amusing and we often referred to it as the "Hong Kong Cell Phone".
The story was that he married Gigi the prior spring, she got pregnant and moved to the US to be with Ron. Ron never told us that he got married or was expecting a baby. Not even when he came to Indiana twice in June of the year to see my mom while she was sick and then to come to her funeral.
So I have decided to not act like Ron and tell you a story of something happening in my life. I don't normally share things this personal...I hope it doesn't backfire on me.
I had a large quantity of time on my hands the long weekend of Thanksgiving and I decided to create a profile on match.com. I was very nervous about this and also decided to be very passive. I was reluctant to contact anyone so I just posted my profile and waited to see if anything happened and then tried to put it out of my mind. Honestly, I never thought anything would happen.
On Sunday I get an email from match saying I have a message waiting for me. I was a little scared but I opened it up. It was from a guy saying I looked like a person with whom he could have a good conversation with. I was stunned and I didn't quite know what to do. I think I wore out some carpet walking around the living room thinking. I am sure that there was steam coming out of my head. I think it took me about three hours to get the courage to write something back. When I finally decided to write something...I seemed to have developed a form of writers block. I just couldn't think about what to say. I felt like anything I did write would sound incredibly stupid. Twenty minutes later I finally created a short three sentence response and hit send. It was done!
Early Monday evening I get a response that he would like to talk to me on the phone and he included his phone number. I was completely freaked out. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to build up the courage to actually call. Rather than calling I decided to go to bed at 9pm and go to sleep. I think that it was the only way I was able to deal with it, and allow my brain some additional calm processing time.
I got up at 5am on Tuesday and checked my email and there was a second message waiting from him wanting to know if I got his first message from yesterday. I responded yes...and that I would try to call that night after work. It was 5am and I still had all day to think about it. I tried to work...but honestly I am not sure if I put in very much effort. I was completely distracted all day. I get home about 5:30pm and then proceed to procrastinate because I was so completely nervous. I walked back and forth in the kitchen trying to find things to do. I ate dinner, cleaned up from dinner, cleaned the cat boxes and suddenly it was 7:45. I knew I needed to do it but I still didn't know if I could actually push the buttons. I called the only friend that I had told this story to earlier in the week for some encouragement. She tried to build me up and to give me the courage and we hung up.
I sat on my couch in my bedroom with the door closed and my head in my hands trying to give myself some positive self talk. I tried to feed myself positive thoughts...It will be fine...what is the worst that could happen...it is just a person....I finally pushed the buttons and hit send. You know what; I got the fricking voice mail!!! Hallelujah...leaving a message wasn't nearly as difficult as actually talking to someone. So I called my friend back and we conversed for about 10 minutes when my call waiting beeped in. It was him and I knew I needed to answer it.
All of this hype in my head and it was fine. We talked for about 45 minutes. Just basic small talk stuff. Honestly, I don't remember much. I don't really think that I said much. I just sat on my bed Indian style trying to not say anything too dumb. I did tell him how nervous I was to talk to a stranger on the phone. I think he was nervous also.
So he is 32 and divorced and has a four year old girl with whom he has shared custody. He is a mechanic somewhere in Carmel and he owns a house in Lawrence near Fort Ben Harrison. He has lived in Florida and Michigan and doesn't travel much. He (gasp) doesn't really like to use the computer! He likes to fish and attends tournaments in the summer. Did I mention that he really likes to fish! I have a friend who has been Internet dating for a while and she made an observation that most of the guys posting are hunters and fishers. I guess those are the guys who cannot get girls.
So on Wednesday morning I wrote him an email telling him I enjoyed talking to him on the phone on Tuesday and we should do it again.
I traveled to Ohio to attend a funeral for my sisters father for the entire day and when I return to town at 6:15 I immediately headed to the west side of town to meet my friends for our monthly book club meeting. At this point I am dying to see my email. I wanted to know if there had been a response to my morning communication. When I finally got home at 9:3o I immediately booted up my computer expecting to find an email. There was...it was something like I was nice to talk to and we had a good conversation and he wanted to know if I wanted to go out sometime. I replied and said I would call him on Thursday night and we could talk about it.
Buy this time I am not feeling nearly as nervous. I think the first phone call was the hardest. I already had plans on Thursday night to see a movie with some friends and I got a bit drunk. I was mostly sober by the time I called him but not completely. We talked for an hour and fifteen minutes. I think it was ten minutes too long. I really cannot remember many of the topics we talked about, but just ordinary stuff. Then he told me something shocking. His friend shot a deer and it is dead and hanging in his garage. I was like WHAT! I guess it is deer season and he was waiting for it to...I don't know...tenderize? I could not get the image of a dead deer hanging in the garage out of my head. A few minutes after that I said goodnight and hung up the phone. After this revelation I wasn't nearly as enamored with this situation as I was before.
So, I didn't do anything for a few days. I didn't send any emails or call him back. On Saturday afternoon while I was hanging out with a friend he called and then sent an email. I didn't take the call because I didn't want to be rude to my friend. So I called him after I left her house that evening and we talked for about 45 minutes. This conversation ended in us making a date for the following day. So I am meeting him somewhere in Castleton after I finish going to the ballet in the afternoon. What am I going to wear????? I got some new perfume tonight so at least I will not be smelly!
So I had the date. I was completely exhausted when I was done. I met him at a Starbucks in Castleton. I wanted to stay away from food but be somewhere in public. I think it was a good choice but neither of us drink coffee (I had ice tea and he had orange juice). Things went ok. We talked for about 1.5 hours and I learned allot about him, his life and his ex wife. I don't think that we have very much in common but I feel that I need this practice. When we were leaving he said he had a good time and we should do it again. I guess I will see if he calls this week. After thinking more about this I really don’t think that we are very compatible. We are very different. I have a bit of a list but I don’t want to post it. So I am going to keep trying.
Any Advise???
So, I am sorry to all of my friends that I didn't tell this story to in person. Sometimes communicating these things are hard for me. This is my attempt to not act like Ron.
The story was that he married Gigi the prior spring, she got pregnant and moved to the US to be with Ron. Ron never told us that he got married or was expecting a baby. Not even when he came to Indiana twice in June of the year to see my mom while she was sick and then to come to her funeral.
So I have decided to not act like Ron and tell you a story of something happening in my life. I don't normally share things this personal...I hope it doesn't backfire on me.
I had a large quantity of time on my hands the long weekend of Thanksgiving and I decided to create a profile on match.com. I was very nervous about this and also decided to be very passive. I was reluctant to contact anyone so I just posted my profile and waited to see if anything happened and then tried to put it out of my mind. Honestly, I never thought anything would happen.
On Sunday I get an email from match saying I have a message waiting for me. I was a little scared but I opened it up. It was from a guy saying I looked like a person with whom he could have a good conversation with. I was stunned and I didn't quite know what to do. I think I wore out some carpet walking around the living room thinking. I am sure that there was steam coming out of my head. I think it took me about three hours to get the courage to write something back. When I finally decided to write something...I seemed to have developed a form of writers block. I just couldn't think about what to say. I felt like anything I did write would sound incredibly stupid. Twenty minutes later I finally created a short three sentence response and hit send. It was done!
Early Monday evening I get a response that he would like to talk to me on the phone and he included his phone number. I was completely freaked out. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to build up the courage to actually call. Rather than calling I decided to go to bed at 9pm and go to sleep. I think that it was the only way I was able to deal with it, and allow my brain some additional calm processing time.
I got up at 5am on Tuesday and checked my email and there was a second message waiting from him wanting to know if I got his first message from yesterday. I responded yes...and that I would try to call that night after work. It was 5am and I still had all day to think about it. I tried to work...but honestly I am not sure if I put in very much effort. I was completely distracted all day. I get home about 5:30pm and then proceed to procrastinate because I was so completely nervous. I walked back and forth in the kitchen trying to find things to do. I ate dinner, cleaned up from dinner, cleaned the cat boxes and suddenly it was 7:45. I knew I needed to do it but I still didn't know if I could actually push the buttons. I called the only friend that I had told this story to earlier in the week for some encouragement. She tried to build me up and to give me the courage and we hung up.
I sat on my couch in my bedroom with the door closed and my head in my hands trying to give myself some positive self talk. I tried to feed myself positive thoughts...It will be fine...what is the worst that could happen...it is just a person....I finally pushed the buttons and hit send. You know what; I got the fricking voice mail!!! Hallelujah...leaving a message wasn't nearly as difficult as actually talking to someone. So I called my friend back and we conversed for about 10 minutes when my call waiting beeped in. It was him and I knew I needed to answer it.
All of this hype in my head and it was fine. We talked for about 45 minutes. Just basic small talk stuff. Honestly, I don't remember much. I don't really think that I said much. I just sat on my bed Indian style trying to not say anything too dumb. I did tell him how nervous I was to talk to a stranger on the phone. I think he was nervous also.
So he is 32 and divorced and has a four year old girl with whom he has shared custody. He is a mechanic somewhere in Carmel and he owns a house in Lawrence near Fort Ben Harrison. He has lived in Florida and Michigan and doesn't travel much. He (gasp) doesn't really like to use the computer! He likes to fish and attends tournaments in the summer. Did I mention that he really likes to fish! I have a friend who has been Internet dating for a while and she made an observation that most of the guys posting are hunters and fishers. I guess those are the guys who cannot get girls.
So on Wednesday morning I wrote him an email telling him I enjoyed talking to him on the phone on Tuesday and we should do it again.
I traveled to Ohio to attend a funeral for my sisters father for the entire day and when I return to town at 6:15 I immediately headed to the west side of town to meet my friends for our monthly book club meeting. At this point I am dying to see my email. I wanted to know if there had been a response to my morning communication. When I finally got home at 9:3o I immediately booted up my computer expecting to find an email. There was...it was something like I was nice to talk to and we had a good conversation and he wanted to know if I wanted to go out sometime. I replied and said I would call him on Thursday night and we could talk about it.
Buy this time I am not feeling nearly as nervous. I think the first phone call was the hardest. I already had plans on Thursday night to see a movie with some friends and I got a bit drunk. I was mostly sober by the time I called him but not completely. We talked for an hour and fifteen minutes. I think it was ten minutes too long. I really cannot remember many of the topics we talked about, but just ordinary stuff. Then he told me something shocking. His friend shot a deer and it is dead and hanging in his garage. I was like WHAT! I guess it is deer season and he was waiting for it to...I don't know...tenderize? I could not get the image of a dead deer hanging in the garage out of my head. A few minutes after that I said goodnight and hung up the phone. After this revelation I wasn't nearly as enamored with this situation as I was before.
So, I didn't do anything for a few days. I didn't send any emails or call him back. On Saturday afternoon while I was hanging out with a friend he called and then sent an email. I didn't take the call because I didn't want to be rude to my friend. So I called him after I left her house that evening and we talked for about 45 minutes. This conversation ended in us making a date for the following day. So I am meeting him somewhere in Castleton after I finish going to the ballet in the afternoon. What am I going to wear????? I got some new perfume tonight so at least I will not be smelly!
So I had the date. I was completely exhausted when I was done. I met him at a Starbucks in Castleton. I wanted to stay away from food but be somewhere in public. I think it was a good choice but neither of us drink coffee (I had ice tea and he had orange juice). Things went ok. We talked for about 1.5 hours and I learned allot about him, his life and his ex wife. I don't think that we have very much in common but I feel that I need this practice. When we were leaving he said he had a good time and we should do it again. I guess I will see if he calls this week. After thinking more about this I really don’t think that we are very compatible. We are very different. I have a bit of a list but I don’t want to post it. So I am going to keep trying.
Any Advise???
So, I am sorry to all of my friends that I didn't tell this story to in person. Sometimes communicating these things are hard for me. This is my attempt to not act like Ron.
Am I a Robot??
So I came to the realization over the weekend that I have a large quantity of automation in my life. I know that I never like to be inconvenienced by stuff and basically daily life in general. Let me list it for you and you decide if I am a Robot?
1. All of my outside Christmas lights are on timers so they automatically turn on and off each day at dawn and dusk
2. All of my inside Christmas decorations are on timers so they automatically turn on an off each day at 6pm and 11pm
3. My alarm clock automatically goes off Monday – Friday at 7am without any daily interference from me
4. I have a light in my bedroom that automatically turns on and off daily from 7am-9am
5. I had my phone alarm set to go off daily at 9:30 am and 9:30 pm to remind me to take my medicine, I have since disengaged it because it annoyed my co-workers
6. All of my various podcasts automatically download daily if ITUNES is running on my laptop
7. I have set up my yahoo calendar to automatically send me emails 4 days and 1 day prior to any birthday, anniversary or social activity
8. I have several bills that automatically get charged to my debit card monthly
9. My Amazon Kindle...the ultimate....I just pick a book and it downloads in less than a minute...instant gratification at it's finest
So are there any daily automation items that I could still be using but don’t? Does this make me a robot or crazy or just plain old LAZY?
1. All of my outside Christmas lights are on timers so they automatically turn on and off each day at dawn and dusk
2. All of my inside Christmas decorations are on timers so they automatically turn on an off each day at 6pm and 11pm
3. My alarm clock automatically goes off Monday – Friday at 7am without any daily interference from me
4. I have a light in my bedroom that automatically turns on and off daily from 7am-9am
5. I had my phone alarm set to go off daily at 9:30 am and 9:30 pm to remind me to take my medicine, I have since disengaged it because it annoyed my co-workers
6. All of my various podcasts automatically download daily if ITUNES is running on my laptop
7. I have set up my yahoo calendar to automatically send me emails 4 days and 1 day prior to any birthday, anniversary or social activity
8. I have several bills that automatically get charged to my debit card monthly
9. My Amazon Kindle...the ultimate....I just pick a book and it downloads in less than a minute...instant gratification at it's finest
So are there any daily automation items that I could still be using but don’t? Does this make me a robot or crazy or just plain old LAZY?
December 8, 2008
The Nutcracker
One of my friends suggested going to see the Nutcracker about a month ago and I said yes and got us some tickets. I had never seen this ballet or any ballet before. I was impressed with the quality of the costumes and set. I enjoyed the performance and I just sat there and adsorbed it. I really didn’t get the story line too much. My friend read it to me while we were waiting, but I still had a hard time following. There was no speaking or singing or communication of any sort except for dancing. I have never been to any type of performance where there wasn’t any type of talking. Even with that being the case I wasn’t bored. I never looked at my watch to see what time it was or fidgeted in my chair. After seeing this production it gave me the desire to see more types of dancing. My friend suggested checking out some modern dancing troupes in the area. I think I would like to do that.
This production was located at the Zionsville High School. I had never been through the town before. It was very quaint and lovely. The main street was in brick and it was lined with loads of individual sellers of various types of merchandise…antiques, Ice Cream, a ballet store, Ice Cream. I would love to come back sometime and walk up and down Main Street to see all of the stores. Also, apparently there is tons of nature and trials in Zionsville for people to walk down. It is funny to me that I have lived in Indianapolis for eight years and I never knew that all of this stuff existed.
December 6, 2008
Books
I have decided to humor my avid readers and not blog about my book reading on this site. In order to make all of us happy I have created a second blog website that will just house my reading list and reflections of books.
If you are interested in my future entries, this is the web address:
http://candacebooks.blogspot.com/
If you are interested in my future entries, this is the web address:
http://candacebooks.blogspot.com/
December 5, 2008
3 Beers and Slumdog Millionaire
I got invited to see a free movie last night at the Art Theatre in the Fashion mall. As most of my friends know, I LOVE free stuff, so I accepted the invitation without much notice to the movie or what it was about. I arrived at the mall at 6:15 last night and found some of my friends in the bar next to the movie theatre. When I joined them I thought to myself, “What the heck…why not order a real drink…the movie is free”. So I asked the bartender if they had a Smirnoff, he said no, so I then asked if he had any “girly” drinks. He suggested this special holiday beer and he said, “It tastes nothing like regular beer, it is kind of sweet”. I said sure, why not, even though I don’t ordinarily like beer. When it arrived it tasted SOOOOOOOOOOOO good. I drank the first glass in about 10 to 15 minutes and I am fairly certain that I got a bit tipsy. I hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch so it went straight to my head. I ordered a second glass and I took it into the movies with me.
We had to arrive super early because someone was handing out a large quantity of free tickets to this movie and there was expected to be a large turnout. Se we sat around talking for about 45 minutes while I drank the second beer and ate a small bag of popcorn. The theatre got completely filled up in this time and people were even sitting on the floor and stairs to watch the movie. I think that takes dedication to be willing to sit on the floor. Just before the movie was to start I got up for a bathroom break and to get one of my friends a bag of popcorn. Somehow on my way back I ended up with a third beer in my hand. I am not sure how that happened.
I have to tell you that I am paying for the indulgence today. My head has been very thick and a little achy. I guess I have a small hangover. Maybe I need to increase my tolerance a bit. A friend told me a while ago that since she graduate with her MBA in August she was working on increasing her tolerance to alcohol and bars. I guess she wants to get good at it. I don’t think that it the move I want to take. I just should have stopped at two. O Well…I still had fun. Perhaps I was a bit overly chatty last night. Maybe my companions will have an opinion on that?
We had to arrive super early because someone was handing out a large quantity of free tickets to this movie and there was expected to be a large turnout. Se we sat around talking for about 45 minutes while I drank the second beer and ate a small bag of popcorn. The theatre got completely filled up in this time and people were even sitting on the floor and stairs to watch the movie. I think that takes dedication to be willing to sit on the floor. Just before the movie was to start I got up for a bathroom break and to get one of my friends a bag of popcorn. Somehow on my way back I ended up with a third beer in my hand. I am not sure how that happened.
I have to tell you that I am paying for the indulgence today. My head has been very thick and a little achy. I guess I have a small hangover. Maybe I need to increase my tolerance a bit. A friend told me a while ago that since she graduate with her MBA in August she was working on increasing her tolerance to alcohol and bars. I guess she wants to get good at it. I don’t think that it the move I want to take. I just should have stopped at two. O Well…I still had fun. Perhaps I was a bit overly chatty last night. Maybe my companions will have an opinion on that?
BTW...the total cost of the free movie was $18.50
So about the movie, I did like it. I don’t think that I would have ever saw it if it weren’t for the free ticket and invite, but I am glad that I spent the time watching it. It was interesting to see India and Mumbai from this perspective. There were some violent torture scenes in the beginning of the movie that I didn’t like watching. I don’t usually like movies showing people hurting each other, I find it upsetting. There was also a scene where the character as a boy jumped into the bottom of the outhouse and got completely covered in excrement and when running through the village to get an autograph of a famous actor. It was very disgusting. I might have nightmares about that for a while.
I did like the way the story was told in the film. The story was told in a flashback format about how the character knew all of the answers to be on the India version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. I liked the actors and they did a very good job making the scenes believable. The movie was filmed in India and it was kind of fun to point out to my friends that I was there.
I would recommend this film to my friends and especially to my friends who went to India.
This is the info on the film.
The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...
Production Status:
Released
Logline:
An illiterate kid looks to become a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire in order to re-establish contact with the girl he loves, who is an ardent fan of the show.
Genres:
Art/Foreign, Comedy, Drama, Adaptation and Teen
Running Time:
2 hrs.
Release Date:
November 12th, 2008 (limited)
MPAA Rating:
R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
Distributors:
Warner Independent Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Production Co.:
Celador Films, Film4
U.S. Box Office:
$3,544,374
Filming Locations:
Mumbai, India
Produced in:
United Kingdom
So about the movie, I did like it. I don’t think that I would have ever saw it if it weren’t for the free ticket and invite, but I am glad that I spent the time watching it. It was interesting to see India and Mumbai from this perspective. There were some violent torture scenes in the beginning of the movie that I didn’t like watching. I don’t usually like movies showing people hurting each other, I find it upsetting. There was also a scene where the character as a boy jumped into the bottom of the outhouse and got completely covered in excrement and when running through the village to get an autograph of a famous actor. It was very disgusting. I might have nightmares about that for a while.
I did like the way the story was told in the film. The story was told in a flashback format about how the character knew all of the answers to be on the India version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. I liked the actors and they did a very good job making the scenes believable. The movie was filmed in India and it was kind of fun to point out to my friends that I was there.
I would recommend this film to my friends and especially to my friends who went to India.
This is the info on the film.
The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...
Production Status:
Released
Logline:
An illiterate kid looks to become a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire in order to re-establish contact with the girl he loves, who is an ardent fan of the show.
Genres:
Art/Foreign, Comedy, Drama, Adaptation and Teen
Running Time:
2 hrs.
Release Date:
November 12th, 2008 (limited)
MPAA Rating:
R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
Distributors:
Warner Independent Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Production Co.:
Celador Films, Film4
U.S. Box Office:
$3,544,374
Filming Locations:
Mumbai, India
Produced in:
United Kingdom
December 4, 2008
Two Stories for One - Dumb Blond and Smelly
I experienced the biggest blond moment today. I don’t usually like to put myself into this category but unfortunately, I think that it applies today.
I made plans with three of my co-workers to go out to lunch today. While we were in the elevator we were trying to decide which restaurant we should eat at. I said either The Olive Garden or Applebee’s, because I was going to drive separately, and I needed to go to the post office afterwards to mail my passport renewal forms (Hurray for me). I made the decision for the group to meet up at The Olive Garden. So I got in my car and drive to the restaurant. I go inside and get us a table for four in the bar. I start to review the menu and one of my co-workers pokes her head in and says, “Candy, What are you doing?”. I just gave her the blank look and waved her to the table. She walks to the table and asks me again, “What are you doing?”, She then says, “What restaurant is this?”
My face gets completely red and I say, “Oh F..K!!!) I was at Applebee’s! How could I end up at the wrong restaurant! I had only just left work. Why was I so distracted? I was lucky my friends were watching me and noticed that I entered the wrong restaurant.
Then while we were eating I had a couple smaller blond moments also. I ordered soup and salad and when the server brought the soup I didn’t remember that it was what I ordered. My friend had to point out that it was mine. Then payment time came. When the server returned with our various credit cards he called the first person by her name and she claimed her credit card, then he just said, “Chase Card”. I just sat there oblivious. Again, it had to be pointed out to me that the credit card belonged to me.
I have been better this afternoon and I need to leave that craziness behind.
The second story involves my trip to Ohio yesterday for my sister’s father’s funeral. I met my brother at the mall by my house at 7:30 and drove in his car. About ten minutes after we left he looks at me and asks me if I was wearing perfume. I said yes and he then asked what kind. I said I didn’t remember the name but I got it from an Avon clearance sale. He said he hated to hurt my feelings but it smelled like body order. He really told me I smelled like BO! We had just begun the trip and I had to spend the rest of the day worried that I smelled badly. I guess you need people in your life who are honest enough with you to tell you things like that. But, I would rather not smell. He knew that I had showed that morning as I do every day.
A few weeks ago I was at Lou’s house after work and I gave my nine year old niece a very long hug. After we were done she looked up at me and told me that I smelled. I guess that the perfume doesn’t react well with my body chemistry or with the natural deodorant or soap that I use. I have to say I would rather use the chemicals than smell.
Does anyone have any suggestions on any pleasant and even pleasing scented cologne? I am in desperate need of something different.
I made plans with three of my co-workers to go out to lunch today. While we were in the elevator we were trying to decide which restaurant we should eat at. I said either The Olive Garden or Applebee’s, because I was going to drive separately, and I needed to go to the post office afterwards to mail my passport renewal forms (Hurray for me). I made the decision for the group to meet up at The Olive Garden. So I got in my car and drive to the restaurant. I go inside and get us a table for four in the bar. I start to review the menu and one of my co-workers pokes her head in and says, “Candy, What are you doing?”. I just gave her the blank look and waved her to the table. She walks to the table and asks me again, “What are you doing?”, She then says, “What restaurant is this?”
My face gets completely red and I say, “Oh F..K!!!) I was at Applebee’s! How could I end up at the wrong restaurant! I had only just left work. Why was I so distracted? I was lucky my friends were watching me and noticed that I entered the wrong restaurant.
Then while we were eating I had a couple smaller blond moments also. I ordered soup and salad and when the server brought the soup I didn’t remember that it was what I ordered. My friend had to point out that it was mine. Then payment time came. When the server returned with our various credit cards he called the first person by her name and she claimed her credit card, then he just said, “Chase Card”. I just sat there oblivious. Again, it had to be pointed out to me that the credit card belonged to me.
I have been better this afternoon and I need to leave that craziness behind.
The second story involves my trip to Ohio yesterday for my sister’s father’s funeral. I met my brother at the mall by my house at 7:30 and drove in his car. About ten minutes after we left he looks at me and asks me if I was wearing perfume. I said yes and he then asked what kind. I said I didn’t remember the name but I got it from an Avon clearance sale. He said he hated to hurt my feelings but it smelled like body order. He really told me I smelled like BO! We had just begun the trip and I had to spend the rest of the day worried that I smelled badly. I guess you need people in your life who are honest enough with you to tell you things like that. But, I would rather not smell. He knew that I had showed that morning as I do every day.
A few weeks ago I was at Lou’s house after work and I gave my nine year old niece a very long hug. After we were done she looked up at me and told me that I smelled. I guess that the perfume doesn’t react well with my body chemistry or with the natural deodorant or soap that I use. I have to say I would rather use the chemicals than smell.
Does anyone have any suggestions on any pleasant and even pleasing scented cologne? I am in desperate need of something different.
December 2, 2008
Email Critique Part A
My brother told me I sounded a bit harsh in my prior post. I was just trying to be funny...not harsh. I was not mad. He said because I am an accountant and I don't usually use that type of humor it sounded like I was being an a..hole. I just wanted to be funny!
I hope I didn't offend anyone.
Candy
I hope I didn't offend anyone.
Candy
Email Critique
So this is in response to the email critique I received from an avid "Candace Adventures" fan. So read the item below in red…
Candy,
As you know I am a huge fan of your blog. Although I tend to skip through the blogs about the “Vampire Love,” I still am a huge fan. Well, I just read your latest “Christmas” blog and did enjoy the pictures…..I want you to know that I need more. Please do what you can to please your blog readers, I really would appreciate it. Think of it as your Christmas gift to me…..I mean your readers.
Thanks so much.
Txxxxxx
P.S. The Christmas movie starring the Grinch is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” it’s not “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”
Ok…I guess I am the only one really cares about the “Vampire Love” stories. I get it. Except that I am still going to post them because it has become a good place for me to list the books that I read. I have always wanted to track read books but I have never been able to devise a system that I was able to keep up with. I like posting them here and then I always have easy access wherever I am. So if you don’t like it…F..k You, just ignore it.
So now you want more text with the photos. I do these small “picture book” blogs for my nearly illiterate (attention deficit) readers who are not able to read more than two paragraphs at once. I am sorry that I cannot please everyone. I happen to like the longer more in-depth stories. So if you don’t like it…well you know, just ignore it.
OK..Ok..OK I did get the Grinch movie name wrong…so sue me. At least you know what I was talking about.
So please keep the critiques coming…just remember I might have a response back for you.
Yes...T....I was trying to be funny...No Offence
Candy,
As you know I am a huge fan of your blog. Although I tend to skip through the blogs about the “Vampire Love,” I still am a huge fan. Well, I just read your latest “Christmas” blog and did enjoy the pictures…..I want you to know that I need more. Please do what you can to please your blog readers, I really would appreciate it. Think of it as your Christmas gift to me…..I mean your readers.
Thanks so much.
Txxxxxx
P.S. The Christmas movie starring the Grinch is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” it’s not “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”
Ok…I guess I am the only one really cares about the “Vampire Love” stories. I get it. Except that I am still going to post them because it has become a good place for me to list the books that I read. I have always wanted to track read books but I have never been able to devise a system that I was able to keep up with. I like posting them here and then I always have easy access wherever I am. So if you don’t like it…F..k You, just ignore it.
So now you want more text with the photos. I do these small “picture book” blogs for my nearly illiterate (attention deficit) readers who are not able to read more than two paragraphs at once. I am sorry that I cannot please everyone. I happen to like the longer more in-depth stories. So if you don’t like it…well you know, just ignore it.
OK..Ok..OK I did get the Grinch movie name wrong…so sue me. At least you know what I was talking about.
So please keep the critiques coming…just remember I might have a response back for you.
Yes...T....I was trying to be funny...No Offence
Christmas Decorations
On Saturday I spent several hours putting up the inside Christmas decorations at my house. The picture above shows Sparks new hang our spot. I guess he likes to guard the tree.
These are my dueling Santa Clauses...one on each table.
See the fake poinsettia in on the bottom shelf. Well Sparks and Mickey think that it was put there specifically for them to knock off and drag around the living room. IT IS FAKE....why do they like it so much.
My Rudolph collection. I love that Christmas cartoon. I just purchased a 4 DVD set of classic Christmas shows, Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Frosty Returns and The Grinch who Stole Christmas. I got all four for the bargain price of $12.73 and this included shipping.
Mickey and sparks...I guess they think that they are my Christmas presents.
Merry Christmas!!!
November 28, 2008
Death
Two weeks ago my mothers mother passed away. She had been living in a nursing home for the last four and a half years in Ohio where I grew up. I was never close to her growing up or as an adult and I cannot remember the last time that I saw her. It was sometime after I was an adult but I cannot remember...I didn't even see her at my mom's funeral in 2004 because she was in the hospital. I felt bad the her time on earth was over but I didn't have allot of remorseful feelings beyond that.
I have been trying to remember any happy memories of her and I cannot draw any out. She was never that type of "doting" grandmother. I remember her going on vacation with us a child but I don't remember it being happy or fun.
The reason for this post is that I received some more bad news this morning. My sister called to tell me that her father had died in an accident this morning. My mom was married twice so my older sister and brother had a different father. I have been feeling remorseful all day about this...not for him necessarily but more for my sister. The was her last parent alive and she sounded so awful this morning on the phone. She was closer to my grandmother than I was so I know that her death effected her more than me and now her dad is gone so suddenly. It has not been a good November for our family.
Her father has a morning paper route and he was driving it on a county highway this morning with one of his grandchildren and he went left of center and he had a head on collision. The grandchild walked away uninjured but not him. This is the link to the online newspaper article about the accident.
http://www.sent-trib.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8481&Itemid=81
I have been trying to remember any happy memories of her and I cannot draw any out. She was never that type of "doting" grandmother. I remember her going on vacation with us a child but I don't remember it being happy or fun.
The reason for this post is that I received some more bad news this morning. My sister called to tell me that her father had died in an accident this morning. My mom was married twice so my older sister and brother had a different father. I have been feeling remorseful all day about this...not for him necessarily but more for my sister. The was her last parent alive and she sounded so awful this morning on the phone. She was closer to my grandmother than I was so I know that her death effected her more than me and now her dad is gone so suddenly. It has not been a good November for our family.
Her father has a morning paper route and he was driving it on a county highway this morning with one of his grandchildren and he went left of center and he had a head on collision. The grandchild walked away uninjured but not him. This is the link to the online newspaper article about the accident.
http://www.sent-trib.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8481&Itemid=81
November 27, 2008
Thankfulness on Thanksgiving
I know it is a cliche but I thought since today is Thanksgiving that I would put together a list of things that I am thankful for.
Mickey - my old geriatric cat (he is now a robust 15)
IPOD – I have been able to ingest music and podcasts much more easily with this great tool
Amazon Kindle – I know we still have paper books…but I love this little gadget. It also provides me with instant gratification of any book I might want to read.
DVR – Hurray to not being a slave to network TV times.
Friends with Similar Interests – Having the opportunity to see so many cultural events this year with a variety of friends has been great. It wasn’t that long ago that I had to cajole uninterested parties to these events.
Owning my own house – I am still amazed that I accomplished that task.
Mickey - my old geriatric cat (he is now a robust 15)
IPOD – I have been able to ingest music and podcasts much more easily with this great tool
Amazon Kindle – I know we still have paper books…but I love this little gadget. It also provides me with instant gratification of any book I might want to read.
DVR – Hurray to not being a slave to network TV times.
Friends with Similar Interests – Having the opportunity to see so many cultural events this year with a variety of friends has been great. It wasn’t that long ago that I had to cajole uninterested parties to these events.
Owning my own house – I am still amazed that I accomplished that task.
Seeing my family on the holidays - I feel like this needed to be on the list.....I had a nice visit with Traci today while we drove to Ohio
November 25, 2008
IPOD
OK...I know...I know...you have herd enough stories about my IPOD...but it is so precious to me...So I was adding more podcasts to listen to on my trip to Ohio and something horrible happened....I ran out of space (I am aware that this was a long, run on sentence). I never imagined that this would happen to me, I have a 30G. When I purchased the IPOD two years ago (September 22, 2006...This was an important day for me), I thought that my capacity had way exceeded my need. How could I be more wrong. I guess housing all of my music, photos, multiple podcasts and a couple movies taxes the memory card. So now I have to be more discriminating on my content. I can't just download any old item. If I really didn't care about my money I would buy another unit with tons more space...but my frugal nature will not allow me the luxury. I will just have to live with the full 30G unit.
If only I were rich! Or less concerned with the balance on my credit cards...If I was really concerned with the balance I would not be taking a trip to Europe next year.
If only I were rich! Or less concerned with the balance on my credit cards...If I was really concerned with the balance I would not be taking a trip to Europe next year.
Couch Antics
On Sunday night I was doing some work on my laptop that involved a large amount of numerical data entry. This is a difficult task on a laptop because the numbers are above the letters. I have a wireless ten key attachment for such occasions so I decided to get up and get it to make the work easier. The ten key attachment was where I left it on the top of my dresser but the piece that plugs into the USB port was missing. You can’t use it without this piece so I began my search. I looked all over the top of the dresser, behind the dresser and in the dresser drawers. It was no where to be found. I got on the floor and looked under the bed and around the garbage can…then under the couch. It just wasn’t where I left it. I have to say that I usually don’t loose things…it is easier to not loose things since there are not any children that live at my house.
I was getting mad! I then decided to look on the couch and under the couch cushions that are in my room. Sparks was sitting on the couch so I gingerly lifted up the cushion he was sitting on to peak under it and I was disgusted. There was a ton of crap under the cushion. I couldn’t just ignore this mess so I disrupted Sparks and moved all of the cushions off of the couch. I found 10 pens….how could I loose 10 pens in the couch. I guess I just kept getting a new one. I found a pair of scissors…Whatever! I found berets and rubber bands and LOADS of crumbs. I put my hand in the side of the couch and I came back with a fistful of crumbs. How could there be so much food residue in the couch. I know I sit on it and eat…but REALLY I am an adult…I didn’t think that I spilled so much stuff. I got out the vacuum and gave the whole area a through cleaning. I honestly cannot remember the last time that I cleaned the inside of the couch. Probably when I moved into my house 4.5 years ago. I don’t think that I am a dirty person…I do spring cleaning stuff. Just a couple months ago I moved all of the furniture in my bedroom and vacuumed the baseboards. I guess I will have to add this to my cleaning repertoire.
The bad thing is I NEVER FOUND THE THING I WAS LOOKING FOR! The ten key attachment piece is gone. I guess the kitties have a secret hiding place for these items. Whatever! Hint Hint Hint…I might need a new one for Christmas ;)
I was getting mad! I then decided to look on the couch and under the couch cushions that are in my room. Sparks was sitting on the couch so I gingerly lifted up the cushion he was sitting on to peak under it and I was disgusted. There was a ton of crap under the cushion. I couldn’t just ignore this mess so I disrupted Sparks and moved all of the cushions off of the couch. I found 10 pens….how could I loose 10 pens in the couch. I guess I just kept getting a new one. I found a pair of scissors…Whatever! I found berets and rubber bands and LOADS of crumbs. I put my hand in the side of the couch and I came back with a fistful of crumbs. How could there be so much food residue in the couch. I know I sit on it and eat…but REALLY I am an adult…I didn’t think that I spilled so much stuff. I got out the vacuum and gave the whole area a through cleaning. I honestly cannot remember the last time that I cleaned the inside of the couch. Probably when I moved into my house 4.5 years ago. I don’t think that I am a dirty person…I do spring cleaning stuff. Just a couple months ago I moved all of the furniture in my bedroom and vacuumed the baseboards. I guess I will have to add this to my cleaning repertoire.
The bad thing is I NEVER FOUND THE THING I WAS LOOKING FOR! The ten key attachment piece is gone. I guess the kitties have a secret hiding place for these items. Whatever! Hint Hint Hint…I might need a new one for Christmas ;)
November 23, 2008
Christmas Decorations
I decided to put up my outside Christmas decoration on Saturday. Lou came over with Wyatt, Sarah and Paige to help me. Since, I am too scared to climb up the ladder to the attic; we made that our first task. I have never gone up there and I don’t ever want to. I don’t think that I am afraid of heights but I know it would REALLY HURT to fall out of the attic. We brought down about ten boxes of inside and outside decorations, it seamed like a lot for one person. It has been three years since I have put up any decorations and it felt a bit like shopping because I had purchased some outside clearance items in the prior years that I have never hung up or used. Last year I was very stressed with school and I didn’t have the time, energy or the patience to make an effort. Then the year before that (2006) we decided to go to Florida for Christmas and I was also in school so I thought why bother, since I wasn’t going to be home anyway.
It was very cold on Saturday afternoon…when I looked at my temperature widget it said it was 27F degrees. I bundled up in a coat, scarf and gloves and tried to suck it up and not complain because it was nice to have help with this task. Lou had brought a glass of diet coke outside with him and it kept freezing over. I don’t think he was very happy about that. The children were surprising cheerful to help us with this task outside. I guess it was fun for them to hang out in the cold. I let the children place the lawn decorations…I think that they did a very good job.
I love driving home when it is dark and seeing my house all lit up and sparkling. It really puts me in the Christmas spirit.
Let me know what you think?
This is a little lit up tree in the yard.
The moving penguin.
Aren't the lit up gift boxes and candy cane's cute?
Lou was very proud of himself when he hung these lights.
I know it is fuzzy but it really shows off the colors.
I wonder if Joanne is having any trouble sleeping with all of the lights in the front yard since they are directly in front of her bedroom window.
It was very cold on Saturday afternoon…when I looked at my temperature widget it said it was 27F degrees. I bundled up in a coat, scarf and gloves and tried to suck it up and not complain because it was nice to have help with this task. Lou had brought a glass of diet coke outside with him and it kept freezing over. I don’t think he was very happy about that. The children were surprising cheerful to help us with this task outside. I guess it was fun for them to hang out in the cold. I let the children place the lawn decorations…I think that they did a very good job.
I love driving home when it is dark and seeing my house all lit up and sparkling. It really puts me in the Christmas spirit.
Let me know what you think?
This is a little lit up tree in the yard.
The moving penguin.
Aren't the lit up gift boxes and candy cane's cute?
Lou was very proud of himself when he hung these lights.
I know it is fuzzy but it really shows off the colors.
I wonder if Joanne is having any trouble sleeping with all of the lights in the front yard since they are directly in front of her bedroom window.
Twilight
I went to see the new Twilight movie on Saturday afternoon and I was anticipating really loving the movie because of my great love of the books. I am sad to report that the movie just didn't have the same appeal for me as the book. I liked the actors that were picked for the movie. I feel that they represented what I had in my imagination for what the characters should look like...especially Bella. But the movie had a fair amount of cheese as well as a soap opera feel.
The thing that I liked best about the book was the romance between Edward and Bella...the movie just didn't capture this for me. I don't think that I ever saw the actress smile in the movie and she always looked so sad. My favorite scene in the book was when Edward took Bella to an open field to show her how her how his skin sparkles and just generally falling in love. This wasn't really in the movie. Then all of these things were punctuated by the fact that there were several young girls in the audience who were laughing, clapping and making comments in a boisterous manner in the theatre. It was very distracting.
Another thing that I didn't like was the visual aspects of the film. Much of it was in a very close up perspective to the actors. I wanted them to pull back a bit. Most of the time you could only see the actors faces on the screen...I just wanted to see more of the scene.
I feel like I would want to see the move again by myself at home, but it didn't capture the magic of the book in the way that the Harry Potter series has been so successful.
I am sad that I didn't like it more.
I pre bought the tickets online because I had herd lots of hype that there were extremely long lines for this film. I felt a bit ripped off because there was never a line and the theatre was only about half full. Then I overpaid for the tickets....it is $10.50 to buy them online. Shouldn't I have paid an afternoon rate for the movie??? It was at 4:10 in the afternoon.
Spike Heels
Friday night I met a friend for dinner and to see a play at the University of Indianapolis. We went to see Spike Heels by Theresa Rebeck.
This is the schools description of the play-
Studio Theatre
Pygmalion goes awry in this contemporary comedy which explores sex, power, and the possibility of a four sided love triangle. The combatants are a sexy, volatile young woman and three upscale Boston types: a writer, a lawyer and a fiancee in sensible shoes.
I really enjoyed this production. There were only four actors and they had great chemistry together. This was about a lower class girl trying to make something better of herself and how to deal with these two new men in her life and one of the men's finance. The F bomb was dropped practically every other word but it was fitting to the characters and story. Sometimes when I go to these productions at the school you never know what you are going to get. The first one this year, Into the Woods, was just awful. The acting was mediocre and the play itself left much to be desired. I am glad that Spike Heels was so much better. BTW...the lead actress wore five inch heels through much of the play....WOW...I am glad that wasn't me.
Speaking of shoes I had an interesting observation while I was people watching at the school. There was a group of about six girls together and they were all dressed alike in jeans and high heels of various bright colors. Is that the style now...am I missing something. I guess I NEVER wear heels when I wear jeans...to me it is either a sneaker or boot outfit.
This is the schools description of the play-
Studio Theatre
Pygmalion goes awry in this contemporary comedy which explores sex, power, and the possibility of a four sided love triangle. The combatants are a sexy, volatile young woman and three upscale Boston types: a writer, a lawyer and a fiancee in sensible shoes.
I really enjoyed this production. There were only four actors and they had great chemistry together. This was about a lower class girl trying to make something better of herself and how to deal with these two new men in her life and one of the men's finance. The F bomb was dropped practically every other word but it was fitting to the characters and story. Sometimes when I go to these productions at the school you never know what you are going to get. The first one this year, Into the Woods, was just awful. The acting was mediocre and the play itself left much to be desired. I am glad that Spike Heels was so much better. BTW...the lead actress wore five inch heels through much of the play....WOW...I am glad that wasn't me.
Speaking of shoes I had an interesting observation while I was people watching at the school. There was a group of about six girls together and they were all dressed alike in jeans and high heels of various bright colors. Is that the style now...am I missing something. I guess I NEVER wear heels when I wear jeans...to me it is either a sneaker or boot outfit.
November 18, 2008
Spock-Lizard Expansion
The Big Bang Theory
OK…This is my ultimate favorite TV show. I just love it. I laugh and laugh and laugh during the entire 22 minutes…my roommate frequently asks me what is so funny and why am I laughing so hard in my room. If you haven’t seen the show the premise is about two nerdy guys who are roommates and the funny nerdy things that they do while they try to live their life. Last nights episode was especially funny. Wolowitz picked up a girl in a bar and lured her away with the promise that she could drive a vehicle on Mars. Since he works at a Cal Tec he has access to this equipment and while he is entertaining her he drives the vehicle into a hole and it gets stuck. He asks his friend Leonard to take the girl home and when they get their they start to make out. This is very funny as Leonard is a very nerdy guy who has trouble with girls. The whole interaction was extremely humorous and amusing.
The secondary part of the show was there was some debate on a subject and the three guys decide to use rock, paper, scissors to make the decision. Sheldon come up with some reason that says they need to diversify the game and add two new throws into it…Spock and Lizard. It is now called rock, paper, scissors, lizard and Spock. I almost fell out of my bed laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Spock is signified by using the live-long and prosper gesture, and Lizard, fingers and thumb facing the opponent in a sock puppet gesture. The game is played like this…Rock beats both lizard and scissors, Scissors beats lizard and paper, Spock beats Rock and scissors, Paper beats rock and Spock, and Lizard beats Spock and Paper.
So maybe my explanation is not as funny as the original show but you must try it out! It is hilarious!
November 16, 2008
Amusing Website
I had a friend over on Saturday for some inexpensive hang out time and she was telling me about this funny feature on the Mary Kay website. Apparently, you can go on the website and upload a photo of your face and then apply virtual make-up to it. This was the most hysterical thing I have done in a long time. I laughed for such a long time while we were playing with it. You can be serious or you can be crazy...it is up to you.
When we started on the website we were trying to be serious and applied makeup that would look good on my friend...then I took over the mouse and it deteriorated from there. They allow you to apply all types of face make up and apply different hairstyles and colors. If you are looking for a color change this could become a useful tool.
I dare you to try it my friends, you could find some new colors for yourself or just be extremely amused. Your Choice!
When we started on the website we were trying to be serious and applied makeup that would look good on my friend...then I took over the mouse and it deteriorated from there. They allow you to apply all types of face make up and apply different hairstyles and colors. If you are looking for a color change this could become a useful tool.
I dare you to try it my friends, you could find some new colors for yourself or just be extremely amused. Your Choice!
November 12, 2008
Desk
Sunday I decided that I needed to sell the desk in my office at home because I never use it. I got this desk about six years ago free from work and I was happy that it was still in such good shape. I was glad to have it at the time but now that I have a laptop I never use it. It is just easier to use the laptop while I am sitting in bed or in the kitchen. Sitting in my home office seems so stuffy and I really want to redecorate that room to become a library with built in bookshelves. Maybe one day when I don't travel so much I can save my dollars.
So, I put an add on craigslist and had a few responses right away. I listed it for $30 and the person didn't even try to negotiate. I was very excited. She came over today and it was a bit of a debacle. The large portion of the desk just wouldn't fit through the door. We tried it several times but we couldn't get it out. We (and by we I mean the lady that I sold it to) decided to take the door off of it's hinges. Theoretically, it should take some light tapping from the hammer to remove the pin. This wasn't my case. They were really wedged in. We just couldn't remove the last one. We ended up unscrewing the hinges. I guess this should have been our first action...but you know hindsight.
I was surprised that the lady was willing to go to all of the trouble for the desk. I hope she enjoys it at home.
Wish me good luck on my next batch of craigslist castoffs!
So, I put an add on craigslist and had a few responses right away. I listed it for $30 and the person didn't even try to negotiate. I was very excited. She came over today and it was a bit of a debacle. The large portion of the desk just wouldn't fit through the door. We tried it several times but we couldn't get it out. We (and by we I mean the lady that I sold it to) decided to take the door off of it's hinges. Theoretically, it should take some light tapping from the hammer to remove the pin. This wasn't my case. They were really wedged in. We just couldn't remove the last one. We ended up unscrewing the hinges. I guess this should have been our first action...but you know hindsight.
I was surprised that the lady was willing to go to all of the trouble for the desk. I hope she enjoys it at home.
Wish me good luck on my next batch of craigslist castoffs!
November 10, 2008
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
I had a friend expose me to some culture yesterday that I may have never seen otherwise. She had received a free ticket to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and asked me to go with her about a month ago. I said yes with no prior knowledge of what it was about. I just let her plan the evening and I showed up at our designated coordinates yesterday at 6pm. I wore jeans and a sweater and I felt a bit under-dressed when I arrived. We got to the box office and it was still necessary to buy the second ticket as we only have one free ticket. My friend was kind enough to share the discount with me so we each split the price of the one ticket. I am glad that she did because they were pricey…$50 each. So I only spent $25, which is my limit on a ticket because I like to go and do so many things.
The event that she chose was called “A Taste of New Orleans” and it had a special guest Trumpet player and vocalist, his name is Byron Stripling. Not being familiar with Jazz music his name means nothing to me and I am not aware if he is famous. I have to say I really enjoyed the show. I am glad that she invited me and found something interesting for us to do. I love to participate in the arts but I have never been interested in the symphony. It always sounded stuffy to me. BTW…the demographic of the audience was way way into my future. We were not part of the cool crowd there.
As we sat down I thought it might be a bit boring to watch people play music on the stage, but it wasn’t. The show was two hours long and it included a twenty minute intermission and I hardly looked at my watch during the event. I enjoyed the exposure to music that I don’t normally listen to and hearing it in a different way. I am looking forward to future events with the symphony. If only someone knows a cheaper way to procure tickets…please let me know????
A Taste of New OrleansFriday, November 7, 8pm Saturday, November 8, 8pmSunday, November 9, 7pmJeff Tyzik, Conductor Byron Stripling, Trumpet and Vocalist
http://www.indianapolissymphony.org/
The event that she chose was called “A Taste of New Orleans” and it had a special guest Trumpet player and vocalist, his name is Byron Stripling. Not being familiar with Jazz music his name means nothing to me and I am not aware if he is famous. I have to say I really enjoyed the show. I am glad that she invited me and found something interesting for us to do. I love to participate in the arts but I have never been interested in the symphony. It always sounded stuffy to me. BTW…the demographic of the audience was way way into my future. We were not part of the cool crowd there.
As we sat down I thought it might be a bit boring to watch people play music on the stage, but it wasn’t. The show was two hours long and it included a twenty minute intermission and I hardly looked at my watch during the event. I enjoyed the exposure to music that I don’t normally listen to and hearing it in a different way. I am looking forward to future events with the symphony. If only someone knows a cheaper way to procure tickets…please let me know????
A Taste of New OrleansFriday, November 7, 8pm Saturday, November 8, 8pmSunday, November 9, 7pmJeff Tyzik, Conductor Byron Stripling, Trumpet and Vocalist
http://www.indianapolissymphony.org/
November 9, 2008
Dreams
I went with my brother Lou yesterday when he was able to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams. He bought his first BMW. He has dreamed of owning a BMW since he was a little kid. He used to talk about it all of the time. He always had this goal to buy one on his 30th birthday. He didn't make that goal. So he finally found the right deal for him and we had to drive to Merriville, IN to make the purchase. They had exactly what he was looking for.
As a side note...if you look to the right of this photo...there is my new roommate.
I don't especially care about cars. I like my current car more than any other car I have owned in my lifetime. But, I really don't think about it much. Doing this with him made me think about what my lifelong dreams are and what they were in the past.
My first dream was taking a trip to Europe. As a kid growing up in poverty I never thought that it was an obtainable goal. I just thought I would never make it to Europe. Then one day in 1999 my friend Andrea told me about this Au Pair program that she was going to apply to. She wanted to spend her summer in France and thought that this would be a cheap way to do it. My brain immediately began to churn and think of a way to make that happen for myself. So I shamelessly copied her idea and set things in motion to be an Au Pair in England. After all I only spoke English. After working two jobs, going to school full time at night, being disciplined, and getting an unexpected $2000 bonus at work I managed to set things up so I could move to England in May of 2000.
I was set to live with a family in Seven Oaks which was a rich neighborhood outside of London. Being an Au Pair was not what I expected so I only managed to stay with the family for five weeks. Then I went on another five week adventure traveling around the rest of Europe by myself. I was so happy to be able to realize a lifelong dream.
My second lifelong dream was to own my own home. It was a great day when I was able to achieve this goal. Just two years after graduating from college I was in a position to purchase my own home. Just like the trip to Europe I never ever thought I would be able to own a home. I grew up in a family where people did not live in homes. We lived in a mobile home and so did most of my friends. In my head I thought that you had so be sooooo rich to buy a house. As a teenager I never realized that utilizing a great amount of determination I could make things happen for myself.
So now I am thinking about what is my next dream. I have a different perception and view of the world now than I did as a teenager. I know with hard work I can make most things happen for myself. I feel like most things are obtainable except one thing. Loosing Weight! I have never been able to achieve this goal. I am not sure what I need to do to fix my head to make this happen. However, it is still a goal in progress.
So my friends, what are your goals. Is there still something you want to achieve in you life?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)