The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I've been reading some of my old posts lately--it amazes me how much I used to write! Now I just wonder how the hell I did it? Granted the computer up until this most recent move was in my bedroom, very handy for late night posting while the hubby serenaded me with grizzly bear-esque snoring sonotas. Now the computer is on the complete opposite end of the house, and it's in the 'game room'-- that translates into the room with the pool table, stereo and ceiling mounted TV (remind me to bitch about how good my kids have it sometime really soon). Normally this room stays busy until all 3 of the teenagers are forceably made to take their showers and go to bed, usually about 10 p.m. By that time I've been in bed a good hour--probably not asleep but relaxing. I just can't make myself walk in here...

Prior to retreating to my bedroom I am normally so busy with shopping for dinner, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, taking my shower, etc... I just simply don't have the time before I drop somewhere around 9 p.m. Tonight is an oddity, well sort of double duty, I'm doing laundry--guess I forgot to mention the laundry room was right off of the game room?

As I sat here in between cycles and reading some of my favorite blogs I thought about the time when I used to post a lot. When I used to dream of someday possibly writing a newspaper column--what the hell kind of column would I write? Who knows. Just one of those 'closet writers' pipe dreams I suppose.

The ironic thing here is I think of tons of topics to write about lately, my mind is just ablaze with different things to write about--some deep and perspective, others just whimsical. Maybe I should get one of those little recorders doctors dictate into! Hmm. Interesting but that would just require me to type it later, and let's  face facts the chances of me getting it typed here lately are somewhere between slim and none.

Oh well, maybe someday.

My kids think it's strange when I tell them about the holidays when I was young. One of the first things I mention is the fact that on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days nothing, and I mean nothing was open.  If you were caught on Thanksgiving morning with no sage, well then, you were having a rather bland cornbread dressing. And on Christmas morning you could forget about trying to find batteries for that new 8-track player! Truly when I was a kid there was one little local convenience store that would be open, they catered to truckers and the like for the majority of the year but on a holiday you'd likely see most everyone in the store.

Over the years as grocery stores began to stay open until early afternoon and shopping retailers soon followed suit, it made me a little sad. Every merchant being home, celebrating the holiday made it very 'exclusive'--or to me it did anyway. Of course there were never any restaurants open, ever. Last year we ate Thanksgiving dinner at The Cracker Barrel and I was amazed to see so many people 'eating out' on such a sacred cooking holiday.

This week as I was driving to work I noticed that one of the few 'sit down' restaurants in my hometown was dispalying a sign out front that reads, "Open Thanksgiving 11-3". I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it. I know the owners of the restaurant and couldn't believe that they were going to be open, but then I started to think about this little community...

...there are many mobile, elderly people that live here. They aren't running foot races anymore but they still are relatively independent. While they more than likely could cook a small dinner for Thanksgiving, what's the point? I mean if it's just you and perhaps a cousin or two and you're all enjoying your golden years why should you cook all that food when you could go out and have a nice dinner and good company? And what about the people that have no family here, how nice it must be to have lunch out and just do a little people watching! At first I didn't much like the idea of Thanksgiving not being so 'exclusive' as it used to be but then I realized that now it's even more special because there are a lot of businesses that are looking to offer those who might sit at home all alone a chance to get out and celebrate like everyone else. I really like that.

I hope that wherever you are celebrating Thanksgiving this year that you're happy and healthy and that you have a full belly!

VH-1 has been broadcasting The Top 100 Songs of The '80's for a week or so now and  I've managed to catch all 100 at various times. While much of what the 80's were all about left me with a bad taste in my mouth, I can't help being transported back in time when I hear some of that music. Several times the man would walk in while I was watching/listening and roll his eyes and make that primal man sound. I figured it was because he was much more into 'rock & roll' at that time and I had to factor in the fact that he's 6 years younger than me--while I was jammin' to Dexie's Midnight Runners he was in grammar school.

This weekend I saw a different side of him, a very green eyed side of him. He made a remark to the effect, "seems like you have a lot of good memories of the times I wasn't a part of your life." For the love of God take that pacifier out of your mouth when you whine something like that!! I honestly didn't know how to respond but attempted to explain that I had many, many good memories of being a teenager. It wasn't until we were about a half hour into this discussion that I realized that he wasn't so much jealous of the time he was envious that I actually had a good time at that age. He on the other hand did not. He was married at 17 and had a baby, he was forced to get his GED and work full time. He never knew what it was like to go to his Senior Prom, he never walked across the stage at graduation, he never went on a senior trip to Florida. All things I did. And all things I took for granted as a rite of passage.

After we finished our talk and changed stations I started thinking about an episode of "The King of Queens" (one of my fav's) where Doug had to deliver a package to his old High School where he meets up with his old football coach. Doug begins to hang around the High School a lot and Carrie is visibly upset about it--they too have a discussion. After a few minutes it hits Doug much like it did me and he says,  "You're jealous because I rocked in high school and you didn't. I'm Emilio Estevez and you're Ally Sheedy," in a reference to their characters in The Breakfast Club. I suppose I did have an Emilio Estevez or Molly Ringwald kind of experience while he, by his own choices, did not.

I've said it over and over I wouldn't go back and relive those times again for anything, while incredibly fun and carefree they were hard, very hard at times. I'm thankful for the somewhat charmed life I had then but also can feel sad for my husband because he missed out on it. My children didn't/haven't followed in my footsteps, they're both sort of introverted where as I was extremely outgoing. This doesn't bother me because they both seem pretty happy with who they are and what they've done. I hope that they have some good memories just like I do.

Last night I met up with 4 of my girlfriends for a 'snack' dinner and a few drinks. These plans just came out of the blue. It had been a particularly busy day for me when my best friend called and told me they were going. Since I've been married I usually hear about these outings the day after--ya, they know I don't go out too much anymore. But a night out is good for everyone now and then.

We met at a local Applebee's and ordered several appetizers and drinks. We were just shooting the breeze when one of the girls mentioned that one of our favorite old waiters was now a bartender. My heart skipped a small beat when I heard his name, you see, this waiter was my mid-life crisis after my divorce. I've blogged about the whole thing and it's burried away in my archives somewhere. But, the Readers Digest version is this--I was 32 and newly divorced, he was 20 and just way too charming for his own good. Long story short, we had a 'fling' that lasted for a couple of years, on and off.

Last night I put off going to the restroom until I thought my bladder might rupture the minute I stood up. I put it off because I knew I'd have to walk past him and possibly have to speak. I don't know why I dreaded it so much? Was it because I hadn't seen him in so long? Was it because I'd not taken the time to really 'fix' myself up before venturing out? Was it the fact that lately I'm feeling very old expecting my first grandchild? Actually I know it was a combination of all the above. Finally I had to go, as I walked back from the ladies room I heard someone whistle and I looked up to see him standing there grinning from ear to ear. I know my face was beet red! Of course now I had to talk to him--he was very sweet and extremely complimentary--which made me wonder exactly what his motives were! In the end he told me of his marriage and the fact that they were comtemplating having children of their own. He was very sweet and as cute and charming as ever. As I walked away he said, "It's amazing but you're just as gorgeous as you were the first time I laid eyes on you--please don't let this Grandmother thing get you down!"

Every now and then it's nice to hear those kinds of things.

I've heard it over and over again, "having a knock-down, drag-out, is almost worth the trouble when it means we're going to have make-up sex!" Usually I've heard it from my girlfriends but the occasional male has made the same statement. I've never understood 'make-up' sex.  Call me crazy, but when I'm mad to the point of screaming and yelling there's not much chance that I'm gonna want to be intimate. That doesn't mean I hold a grudge, in fact I sometimes wonder if I forgive too easily--but that doesn't mean that I'm ready to just be over it 30 minutes later.

What's your take on this?

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 I've been a Streisand fan for as long as I can remember, literally. Both my parents were big fans when I was young and as I got older and began to sing and take music lessons I realized just what a phenomenally talent she really was. However, I am now developing a disappointing opinion of her and the likes of her.

The above link tells about the most recent audience reaction to her much publicized 'skit' during current concert tour. I expect tickets to this event are very expensive and I would also imagine the audience is treated to several decades of 'greatest hits'--what I would think most concert-goers would not want would be a very satiric skit right smack-dab in the middle of the whole thing. Speaking strictly personally here, if I've paid $150 bucks for a seat to see one of my favorite singing artists the last thing I want to have to deal with is more political BS--we can barely escape from it as it is!

I can agree that celebrities have just as much right to their opinions as anyone else does. What I have a problem with is people like Streisand and The Dixie Chicks making it part of their live show. I don't expect these folks to never express their opinion--I do it myself, but when average working-Joe's are shelling out a lot of money to hear you sing, we don't want to be subjected to your tirades.

I actually agree with a lot of what Babs and The Chicks have to say regarding our President, but I think it casts an unfavorable shadow on these artists and individuals that take liberty of making it part of a performance people were not expecting. You go to a political rally--you know what you're gonna get when you sign on. You go to a concert--I for one expect some good music.

For me Babs is opening herself up for more incidents like this. She's good but I'm not sure she's that good?