Tuesday
August 21, 2007
Hello,
As I wrote about a week ago, I will be receiving an unexpected, retroactive check from Happy Heywood today. I'll be sure to let you know if it's more than $10. :) My second gift of abundance was a text message from Tammy last night, telling me that the salon sold some of my jewelry and she had $81 for me.
I started to write last week about the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, but it was depressing the hell out of me, so I stopped. Oh, not because I was an Elvis fan. I liked him well enough when I was a kid, but then the Beatles arrived and the rest, as they say, was history.
The reason it was depressing me to talk about Elvis had more to do with my marriage, then his death (sorry, Elvis). My "was-band" idolized Elvis. Still does, for that matter. I began to despise his music after a few years of married life and hearing it now only brings back some very unhappy times. My ex would come home when the bars closed, put an Elvis album on at rock concert decibels, and weep into his warm beer. RIP Elvis.
The weather has been fantastic! Cool, dry, mostly sunny. It's getting down into the 40's at night though. Nature, not having a calendar by it's side, only knows it's cold out, so it has prematurely begun to dress in it's autumn finery...about a month early. I fear another crappy Fall is on the way.
I made a commitment last night. Yoiks... When I joined the gym in June, I paid for 3 months at their highest rate, figuring that this would be a good trial period. I admit to having missed going on more evenings than would be weight loss producing, but I blame(d) the weather and well, anything else that sounded feasible. To be fair, I HAVE had a lot of things going on this summer. And, the weather WAS a huge hindrance (for me). I absolutely abhor hot, humid days. I am a complete slug. So, during our tropical weeks, I didn't go much.
Since it's been autumn-like for about a week, I've been more inclined to haul my arse over there. Guess what? My 3 months are up. So, my choices were to continue on a month by month basis at $45/month(where I can quit any time w/out penalty), or commit to a year at $40/month. My knees started to knock. My wallet started to hide. My head started to bounce up and down of it's own accord. "Of course, I want to save $5 a month. Who wouldn't?" :) So, I signed a contract stating that I am now a "committed" member, and beginning Sept. 17, $40/month is coming out of my checking account for one year whether I go to the gym or not! So, I've either bought myself an expensive motivator, or I've just pissed away $480. After she handed me my "contract", I wobbled into the locker room to change my shoes for Body Pump, still wondering what in the hell had just happened! :)
The class was great...however, I was getting a bit irritated with the Barbie in front of me who spent 90% of the class looking at herself in the mirror. Get over yourself...you're not that pretty. Godde!
I always leave there red faced and covered in sweat. As I was walking back to the locker room, I took note of the young girl in front of me. Whereas I looked like I'd just spent 8 hours at boot camp, she looked no more disheveled than someone who'd just strolled across the street to toss a letter in the mailbox! HOW is that possible?
I went to Maine on Saturday, but only to stay with the kids for a few hours. I left home at 3:30 or so and arrived around 6:00. Wasn't out of my car more than 10 minutes when Emma, Megan and I headed to the theater in Portland to see Daddy Day Camp (dumb movie). I was a bit unnerved by the cost of things in the Portland theater, as I am used to what it cost in Gardner. Even Gardner's prices shock me sometimes. :) Anyway, it was $22.50 for tickets for 1 adult and 2 kids . That alone made my jaw drop. Then Megan asked if they could have popcorn, so we headed over to the concession stand. I ordered 2 small popcorns and 2 bottles of water. $15.85! Are you freakin' kidding me??? I don't understand the need for raping the general public like that. $3.50 for a bottle of water? You can buy GALLONS for a buck forcrissake!
We topped that whole evening off by discovering we'd been locked out of the house. Lovely. Megan thinks I should break a window..."they deserve that for locking us out". Emma would like me to use a chainsaw to cut down the door. I made a couple of phone calls to Tammy, letting her know of our situation. She suggested that we take the ladder from the garage and Emma can climb in through a window. Problem was, only one window was open and she was afraid of the slant of the roof, not to mention it was a tiny, crank out window that I don't think she could have gotten through anyway. The 3 of us tromped around the house in the dark, lugging the ladder and looking for a way in. We all had to use the bathroom...the girls were squeamish about the darkness and my temperature was rising at an alarming rate. I finally discovered a narrow window at the end of the porch was open about 6". However, I couldn't get the screen off no matter how much I prodded and wiggled. I went into the garage, grabbed a long nail and poked a hole in the screen near the latch so I could release it. FINALLY! Emma and Megan (who didn't need to crawl in the window too, but what 10 year old can resist that novelty?) got in the house and unlocked the door for me.
I still needed to close the garage door, so back outside I went. I couldn't reach it to pull it down. I stood there staring at it for a minute before I completely blew. Swearing like a drill sargent, I went off in search of the smaller step ladder we'd left somewhere in the yard, dragged it back to the garage and closed the door. I looked over at the girls, who were staring at me like I had 3 heads, and told them to go and get ready for bed. They turned and flew up the stairs.
I met them in Emma's room a few minutes later and we all just cracked up! They changed and we headed down to the living room to watch a little t.v. and unwind from our adventure. They asked for snacks. Emma chose cereal (of course) but Megan wanted tomato soup. Em got her a can, but it's not Campbell's. She decides to try it anyway. I can't work the friggin' can opener. It's the kind that crimps around the edge instead of cutting, so that you don't sever a finger with the lid. The 3 of us fidget with it for a few minutes, until I'm ready to throw it through the fish tank. I finally figure it out, open the can and heat it up. Megan hates it and asks if she can have something else instead. Sigh... I offer toast. She doesn't like the looks of the bread (it's 12 grain), sniffs it and shrugs. Okay, she'll try it. I can't get the toaster to work. Again, my temperature is starting to rise. I push down both levers. They won't stay down. I HOLD down the lever. It won't heat up. Megan suggests the toaster oven. I put the bread in there and start pushing buttons. Nothing. I switch the plugs around. Still nothing. Is that plug dead, I wonder? I don't know. I ask her if she just wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead. The peanut butter is foreign. It's not Jiffy or Peter Pan. It's organic and it smells funny. That would be a big no on the PB&J. I ask if she would like some Cheddar Bunnies. What are those? They are the organic version of Goldfish. I get a wrinkled nose in reply. So, I tell her that her options are cereal (also organic and containing no pink hearts, green shamrocks or blue moons), or a granola bar... she declines. She goes without a snack into the t.v. room to watch Hannah Montana with Emma. I take one look at what just happened in the kitchen, and decide to watch Hannah Montana too.
We climbed up to bed around 11:00. I'm praying that they are dead tired...they are wound up tighter than a watch spring. Megan begins to jump on the bed. Ah...nope, don't think so. Let's play the silence game. First one to talk or laugh loses. I shut off the lights and get them settled, but they don't want me to leave, so I sprawl across the foot of the bed with their legs on top of me. Soon, the whispering stops and I drift off to la la land. Woke up around 1:00 and headed to the bathroom. Saw Tammy's car in the driveway, so I went down to the guest room and sprawled out on the bed.
As soon as I opened my eyes on Sunday morning, I wrote them a note and headed home. I pulled up in front of my house before 10:00 a.m. and had the whole day to myself! Did some laundry, sat on the deck and read my book club book, worked on my cross stitch project, made a book mark each for Dawn, Justin, Destinie and Ashley. I also watched Elizabeth I with Helen Mirren. Great movie. Makes me want to read more about her now.
Anyway, that's what's been going on with me. Tomorrow, The Upstairs Folks are leaving for NY. Dawn is bringing Destinie home and they are all staying for 5 days. Yeehawwww... Peace and quiet at last.
Peace,
Kay
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