Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
At least its not Writer's block
Have you ever been in the middle of writing a really great blog, where the words are flowing and your fingers are flying across the keyboard with such excitement and accuracy and then, suddenly, your computer shuts itself down?
Yeah. That happened to me tonight. And the creative bubble I'd been in was popped with concern as to why my laptop would go and do such a thing. After that, I couldn't find the effort to attempt to write it again. Damn.
Yeah. That happened to me tonight. And the creative bubble I'd been in was popped with concern as to why my laptop would go and do such a thing. After that, I couldn't find the effort to attempt to write it again. Damn.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Your choices are half chances, so are everyone else's
I have been a bit troubled in the last week after hearing about the reaction a former classmate of mine from school had to a bit of advice I'd "given" her. Actually, I hadn't given it to her, but rather mentioned it to her friend, not realizing the chord it would strike in both the friend and the girl I was "advising". It somewhat explained the slightly cold manner the girl would have towards me from that point on until she graduated, but not realizing that she'd been made aware of what I'd said, I just thought she was just a wee bit bitchy. Ehh . . . oh well.
The girl had made plans after graduating from beauty school to join her boyfriend of nearly a year and a half in Colorado where he was doing on-the-job training. Their ultimate plan was to one day soon return to their home and families here in the PNW, but after being apart for so long, all they wanted was to be together. And so here she was, 19, about to drop everything in her life to go live in another state where she knew no one, but her boyfriend. Hmmmm . . . who does this sound like?? Aja? Liz?
When I heard this, I kind of callously said "She shouldn't be even thinking of moving to be with him unless she has a ring." Yeah. Nice one. I know if I had been 19 and my best friend came and told me someone who barely knew me was saying that about me and my boyfriend, I would have the same reaction she had to me. Of course, my best friend pretty much was the one saying that to me and I didn't want to listen. I turned a deaf ear to her for so long, we didn't talk for about three years. In the end, she was right. It didn't turn out, obviously, since my last name is now Frey and not Smith.
But life is the real teacher and we have to choose what we are going to learn from everything we experience in life. I had to figure out things for myself and make my own mistakes and take those chances. In the end, I came out the person I am today and I love her, so I can't grumble too much.
The girl left for Colorado at the beginning of the month and while we occasionally hear from her via text messages or check up on her on Myspace, we are all just left to wonder if it will work out or if it won't. Believe me, I would LOVE for them to prove me wrong. I am praying she proves me wrong. I just see a little bit too much of myself and Zack in this situation and my stomach wrenches into a knot as I tried to not recall the ugly parts of it all.
Advice is really only something you should hand out when people specificially are asking you for it. Unless it is about cooking, cleaning or any time-saving tips; those you can hand out any given time. They are always appreciated. But advice on life, love and all those other messy things . . . wait until you are asked for them. That way, you aren't misunderstood and you are given the opportunity to fully explain yourself.
Anyway . . . here is my favorite piece of written advice.
"Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" by Mary Schmich
(a.k.a. Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen)
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience…
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind;
you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….
You're not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes
you're behind…the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children,maybe
you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…
What ever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own..
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for
good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen…
The girl had made plans after graduating from beauty school to join her boyfriend of nearly a year and a half in Colorado where he was doing on-the-job training. Their ultimate plan was to one day soon return to their home and families here in the PNW, but after being apart for so long, all they wanted was to be together. And so here she was, 19, about to drop everything in her life to go live in another state where she knew no one, but her boyfriend. Hmmmm . . . who does this sound like?? Aja? Liz?
When I heard this, I kind of callously said "She shouldn't be even thinking of moving to be with him unless she has a ring." Yeah. Nice one. I know if I had been 19 and my best friend came and told me someone who barely knew me was saying that about me and my boyfriend, I would have the same reaction she had to me. Of course, my best friend pretty much was the one saying that to me and I didn't want to listen. I turned a deaf ear to her for so long, we didn't talk for about three years. In the end, she was right. It didn't turn out, obviously, since my last name is now Frey and not Smith.
But life is the real teacher and we have to choose what we are going to learn from everything we experience in life. I had to figure out things for myself and make my own mistakes and take those chances. In the end, I came out the person I am today and I love her, so I can't grumble too much.
The girl left for Colorado at the beginning of the month and while we occasionally hear from her via text messages or check up on her on Myspace, we are all just left to wonder if it will work out or if it won't. Believe me, I would LOVE for them to prove me wrong. I am praying she proves me wrong. I just see a little bit too much of myself and Zack in this situation and my stomach wrenches into a knot as I tried to not recall the ugly parts of it all.
Advice is really only something you should hand out when people specificially are asking you for it. Unless it is about cooking, cleaning or any time-saving tips; those you can hand out any given time. They are always appreciated. But advice on life, love and all those other messy things . . . wait until you are asked for them. That way, you aren't misunderstood and you are given the opportunity to fully explain yourself.
Anyway . . . here is my favorite piece of written advice.
"Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" by Mary Schmich
(a.k.a. Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen)
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience…
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind;
you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….
You're not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes
you're behind…the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children,maybe
you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…
What ever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own..
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for
good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen…
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Comfy? Cozy?
It seems that recently, a lot of topic of conversation in a lot of different arenas and situations have somewhat flittered around comfort levels and appropriate conversation. Even the blogs I read are discussing it. Earlier this month, Maggie Mason at Mighty Girl posted her list of 7 Things Every Woman Should Master, and it is hard to miss item number 5. Naturally, at a discussion she and Heather Armstrong gave in Vancouver BC this week at Vidfest, that was the high point of the discussion. Though the internet may not be shut down over a mommy blogger using the term blow job, it definitely had to ruffle some feathers.
In the last year or two (mostly since I've gotten a little older, a little more married and my mom started reading my blog regularly), my own blog has taken a more superfacial feel, with the occasional, deeper, more indepth entry, as compared to posts from 2000 or 2003 or even 2005 or 2006, where I would generally and uninhibitedly rehash my ex and his life with me and his life post me and I would even post letters he'd written to me. I know a good part of it was me just getting past it all and finding something more worthwhile in my life than picking at the same old scabs. But I've also come to find that a bit of decorm can go a long way.
A friend at school jokingly suggested that I start writing blog erotica and I kind of shrugged and said "Yeah, I used to do that." And I did. It's not something I have discussed much, but I did write some naughty little stories and posted them on an anonymous blogger website. I kept it up for awhile but then I hit a writer's block and then I got busy and then I just forgot. So after awhile, I took the stories down and deleted the site. I didn't think about it again until Halley suggested I do it. And when she asked why I took it down, I couldn't really answer. But I guess my impudent behavior had something to do with finding myself and coming more into my own. Once I figured out who she was, I knew that shocking people, whether they knew it was me or not, was no longer an answer.
Comfort levels are definitely as varied and personal as your choice in deodorants. Some people live as a complete and open book, sometimes to the point that you are forced to hear things about them you don't necessarily ever want to know and others are so private about themselves and their lives that they don't post pictures of themselves on their Myspace pages and keep the few tidbits of info they are willing to share on here in a private account. They are welcome to do so, but it just goes to show the varying levels of comfort.
There are a lot of days that I have to stop and delete what I am about to write because I am not sure how it will go over. I know that girlfriends of Mike's friends read my blog, as do people I have never even met and of course, close friends. Though some of my entries can be chalked up to "Betsy being Betsy", I know there are some that hit the wall and slide to the ground, leaving a messy residue behind. I can sometimes hear the emails being sent before I even hit Preview & Post. "Can you believe she wrote about that? I am speechless!" Do I write for me or do I write to my audience? Do I risk losing readers because I discuss Brazilians and threesomes and blowjobs and silly things my husband says and does or do I stick to nothing but surveys? I don't have kids or pets, so I lose out on topics right there and there are only so many times I can talk about trying to lose weight, school and memories. This trying to decide what is discussion-worthy, appropriate and interesting can be so difficult. But I do like for people to be comfortable here.
Sometimes, they manage to cancel each other out.
In the last year or two (mostly since I've gotten a little older, a little more married and my mom started reading my blog regularly), my own blog has taken a more superfacial feel, with the occasional, deeper, more indepth entry, as compared to posts from 2000 or 2003 or even 2005 or 2006, where I would generally and uninhibitedly rehash my ex and his life with me and his life post me and I would even post letters he'd written to me. I know a good part of it was me just getting past it all and finding something more worthwhile in my life than picking at the same old scabs. But I've also come to find that a bit of decorm can go a long way.
A friend at school jokingly suggested that I start writing blog erotica and I kind of shrugged and said "Yeah, I used to do that." And I did. It's not something I have discussed much, but I did write some naughty little stories and posted them on an anonymous blogger website. I kept it up for awhile but then I hit a writer's block and then I got busy and then I just forgot. So after awhile, I took the stories down and deleted the site. I didn't think about it again until Halley suggested I do it. And when she asked why I took it down, I couldn't really answer. But I guess my impudent behavior had something to do with finding myself and coming more into my own. Once I figured out who she was, I knew that shocking people, whether they knew it was me or not, was no longer an answer.
Comfort levels are definitely as varied and personal as your choice in deodorants. Some people live as a complete and open book, sometimes to the point that you are forced to hear things about them you don't necessarily ever want to know and others are so private about themselves and their lives that they don't post pictures of themselves on their Myspace pages and keep the few tidbits of info they are willing to share on here in a private account. They are welcome to do so, but it just goes to show the varying levels of comfort.
There are a lot of days that I have to stop and delete what I am about to write because I am not sure how it will go over. I know that girlfriends of Mike's friends read my blog, as do people I have never even met and of course, close friends. Though some of my entries can be chalked up to "Betsy being Betsy", I know there are some that hit the wall and slide to the ground, leaving a messy residue behind. I can sometimes hear the emails being sent before I even hit Preview & Post. "Can you believe she wrote about that? I am speechless!" Do I write for me or do I write to my audience? Do I risk losing readers because I discuss Brazilians and threesomes and blowjobs and silly things my husband says and does or do I stick to nothing but surveys? I don't have kids or pets, so I lose out on topics right there and there are only so many times I can talk about trying to lose weight, school and memories. This trying to decide what is discussion-worthy, appropriate and interesting can be so difficult. But I do like for people to be comfortable here.
Sometimes, they manage to cancel each other out.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Inspiration
This is my inspiration board. Every creative type person should have one . . . . somewhere to put all the images and quotes and fabrics that really stimulate your creativity. And mine is definitely lacking in recent inspiration. It's still pretty much set up around the wedding planning and if you click on the picture, it will take you to the Flickr page of the pic and all the notes I've placed on it.
The picture on the right side of the hens and chicks I actually did take today in my own patio garden and I printed it on photo paper I got at the dollar store. The dollar store!!! I try to steer clear of that store as much as possible because it is so easy to spend money there. Ohh . . . a dollar. A dollar . . . before you know it, you are spending twenty bucks in a dollar store. But I figured if the paper was crap, I'd wasted a dollar and if they were decent . . . well, it's a good find.
So far, they seem like a great find. I am going to had back to the store tomorrow to pick up a box or two more.
I love this board though . . . so of the items on it I have had around since high school, like the naked silhouette picture at the top. It was an ad in SHAPE magazine years ago and it states "Pretty is something you are born with. But beautiful, that's an equal-opportunity adjective." I think they were selling shoes . . . And there is the Robert Frost poem I hand wrote out in college and have kept on my board ever since.
What things inspire you? What colors, fabrics, smells?
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Rain Check
've tried so hard to be happy and perky and optimistic today, despite the gloomy weather, but knowing what weekend it is and where I could have been this weekend, had it not been for my school schedule. See this weekend is our annual Memorial Day weekend trip, a tradition that my closest friends from high school and I try to do each year. It started in 2003, when several of the girls went to visit Kate while she was still living in Las Vegas. The following year, seven of us got together in San Diego, staying at Jessica's family's house on Coronado. After that, we all headed out to Miami while Liz was living there. This year it was decided we would head to Sedona, Arizona and we secured a timeshare for the entire week before anyone could definitely commit to attending.
It's the smallest group of all this year down there right now - Aja, Kate and Liz. The rest of us had schedule conflicts and though it sucks, we all accepted it and hope that next year will be far more allowing for all of us to join up. And up until today, I was fine with the fact that I wasn't going to be able to go. It's just another sacrifice in a growing list of things I am giving up for 2008 to get this license of mine. But when I woke up this morning and it was pouring and gray and nasty out . . . well it took every fiber in my being not to look up the weather report for Sedona. I don't think I could handle seeing just how warm and sunny and beautiful and Memorial day weekend-ish it is down there.
It's not even about getting to get away for a long weekend to a warm destination. With my pale Irish skin, I am generally the one slathered in SPF 70 and hanging out on the beach in a tiny tent. It's about getting away from things and getting to see my friends who used to be a car ride away and now are in Seattle, Boulder, Washington D.C. It's about being able to shed all previous schedules and just live for the weekend.
The pools in our apartment complex opened up this weekend for the summer. I am hoping it is nice enough tomorrow for me to lay out for a little bit to begin to build a base for New York. Ahhh yes . . . I may not be able to spend a week in Sedona, but I do have that family reunion coming up in July. I guess my waterlogged heart will just have to look forward to that.
It's the smallest group of all this year down there right now - Aja, Kate and Liz. The rest of us had schedule conflicts and though it sucks, we all accepted it and hope that next year will be far more allowing for all of us to join up. And up until today, I was fine with the fact that I wasn't going to be able to go. It's just another sacrifice in a growing list of things I am giving up for 2008 to get this license of mine. But when I woke up this morning and it was pouring and gray and nasty out . . . well it took every fiber in my being not to look up the weather report for Sedona. I don't think I could handle seeing just how warm and sunny and beautiful and Memorial day weekend-ish it is down there.
It's not even about getting to get away for a long weekend to a warm destination. With my pale Irish skin, I am generally the one slathered in SPF 70 and hanging out on the beach in a tiny tent. It's about getting away from things and getting to see my friends who used to be a car ride away and now are in Seattle, Boulder, Washington D.C. It's about being able to shed all previous schedules and just live for the weekend.
The pools in our apartment complex opened up this weekend for the summer. I am hoping it is nice enough tomorrow for me to lay out for a little bit to begin to build a base for New York. Ahhh yes . . . I may not be able to spend a week in Sedona, but I do have that family reunion coming up in July. I guess my waterlogged heart will just have to look forward to that.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
It's Electric
Kristie and I were safely tucked into Top Shelf, enjoying the (loud) music and sipping on our first round of martinis when I noticed the first bolt of lightening. I thought it might be a camera flash, but after I pointed out the sky from the East growing darker and darker, I knew we were in for a storm. But we happily sipped away on our drinks and settled into some great conversation.
It was pouring by the time Halley and Mel joined us.
And we sipped our drinks, chatted with people we ran into at the bar and sent stupid text messages back and forth between each other. Actually, Kristie and Halley were texting each other. Sarahbear was texting me from her sofa at home, intoxicated just enough that I couldn't coax her to come out and join us.
We then headed to Dodge City after Halley's pleading, where we danced it up a bit.
(Yeah, that's the Electric Slide they are doing. Or attemping to do in Halley's case.)
We lost Halley to the bathroom after awhile and weren't sure what was taking so long. We knew there wasn't a line. . . Mel went in there after her, only to find her backcombing hair for the girls in there who were complaining that their hair had fallen flat.
Leave it to a beauty school student to carry a comb for teasing in her purse.
I am definitely are going to need many more nights like this . . . .
It was pouring by the time Halley and Mel joined us.
And we sipped our drinks, chatted with people we ran into at the bar and sent stupid text messages back and forth between each other. Actually, Kristie and Halley were texting each other. Sarahbear was texting me from her sofa at home, intoxicated just enough that I couldn't coax her to come out and join us.
We then headed to Dodge City after Halley's pleading, where we danced it up a bit.
(Yeah, that's the Electric Slide they are doing. Or attemping to do in Halley's case.)
We lost Halley to the bathroom after awhile and weren't sure what was taking so long. We knew there wasn't a line. . . Mel went in there after her, only to find her backcombing hair for the girls in there who were complaining that their hair had fallen flat.
Leave it to a beauty school student to carry a comb for teasing in her purse.
I am definitely are going to need many more nights like this . . . .
Friday, May 23, 2008
Another new mother
Big congrats to my friend Christina, The Sometimes Crafter, for giving birth to her first baby! Brice was born late yesterday afternoon, 7 lbs, 11.5 oz and 19 3/4" long. I cannot wait to meet him.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Itch
I am feeling that itch again to do something with my hair. Specifically to cut it. Not just a trim but an actual cut. We are talking taking like 8 inches off or something. I have been trying to hold off until I was thinner, so that I could use the haircut as a reward . . . but I am really wanting to cut it. I think it would be a well needed update on my look.
This is what I am recalling/missing:
I took this in January of 2006. I'd already begun to grow it out in anticipation for getting engaged and married, but it was still short enough that I wore it down and straight most of the time.
A friend asked me to look up and send her pictures of popular hairstyles and colors tonight, which only made me more antsy to cut mine . . .
So cute. . . so summery. Grrrr . . .
Why is it so hard to cut off long hair? I miss the short hair but I think about how long it took me to grow this and that is part of the reason that I keep pushing back. But it is just hair. It grows back.
So what do you think? 5 pounds? 10 pounds? Or bite the bullet and just do it now?
This is what I am recalling/missing:
I took this in January of 2006. I'd already begun to grow it out in anticipation for getting engaged and married, but it was still short enough that I wore it down and straight most of the time.
A friend asked me to look up and send her pictures of popular hairstyles and colors tonight, which only made me more antsy to cut mine . . .
So cute. . . so summery. Grrrr . . .
Why is it so hard to cut off long hair? I miss the short hair but I think about how long it took me to grow this and that is part of the reason that I keep pushing back. But it is just hair. It grows back.
So what do you think? 5 pounds? 10 pounds? Or bite the bullet and just do it now?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Spread too thin . . .
Sometimes, it all is just too much. But I really cannot complain, because I take it on myself. So I'm just saying . . .
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The ugly side of beauty school
You get a vast mixture of clientel coming into a beauty school to have their hair cut, colored and permed. From the elderly who live across the street to friends of the school's owner who have some form of blind faith in students, you see them all. I hear our clientel has improved, even if the numbers have fallen, ever since the ciy of Vancouver removed the Bus Mall that was located in downtown Vancouver (a block away from us) and the mini mart across the street went out too. Now I am not all that sure how having a mini mart kitty corner to us increased our foot traffic, but I do get how losing the bus mall meant a loss of business for sure.
However, like I mentioned before, there are several elderly/assisted living communities within walking distance to us and our discount haircut days seem to bring them out in drives, not to mention their semi-annual need to have their toenails clipped.
So today, being one of those discount days, we had several gentlemen come in for trims and lucky me, I was one of the stylists to get one. He was nice. Easy to please. He'd washed his hair several days before, so he didn't really see the need for me to wash it for him today and he didn't seem all that particular in how short or long I left his hair.
But he smelled. He was a resident of the assisted living community across the street and up the block and it is well known that the residents there are not forced to bathe on a regular basis. And the few residents that do come to us all have that common smell about them.
The best way to describe it would be stale ketchup. Maybe mixed with sweet and sour sauce. And for the majority of the haircut, I really couldn't smell him. But every time someone walked past us, the smell would waft up and I would do my best not to inhale. And after he left, I had to wash my hands four times and spray them down with Windex to clear away the smell.
At least he didn't have lice.
However, like I mentioned before, there are several elderly/assisted living communities within walking distance to us and our discount haircut days seem to bring them out in drives, not to mention their semi-annual need to have their toenails clipped.
So today, being one of those discount days, we had several gentlemen come in for trims and lucky me, I was one of the stylists to get one. He was nice. Easy to please. He'd washed his hair several days before, so he didn't really see the need for me to wash it for him today and he didn't seem all that particular in how short or long I left his hair.
But he smelled. He was a resident of the assisted living community across the street and up the block and it is well known that the residents there are not forced to bathe on a regular basis. And the few residents that do come to us all have that common smell about them.
The best way to describe it would be stale ketchup. Maybe mixed with sweet and sour sauce. And for the majority of the haircut, I really couldn't smell him. But every time someone walked past us, the smell would waft up and I would do my best not to inhale. And after he left, I had to wash my hands four times and spray them down with Windex to clear away the smell.
At least he didn't have lice.
Monday, May 19, 2008
All too typical
"Baby, you really need to get up so I can put sheets on the bed." My husband lays face down on a naked mattress.
He groans. "Can't we do that tomorrow night?"
He groans. "Can't we do that tomorrow night?"
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Stimulating the Economy
Way back in 2002 or early 2003, my then boyfriend and I went and bought a new television for no good reason. We didn't really have the money either, so naturally, we put it on a credit card. And just as naturally, my ex laid claim to it. It was kind of this non-game we played, where we would list the things we'd each get if/when we broke up. Since he had been the one to research the tv and had wanted it specifically for his Playstation2 and games . . . it did make sense that he'd get it. And so I laid claim to one of the two other televisions we already had which we had inherited (hand-me-downs) from his parents.
Long story short, we broke up, I moved home and took a tv with me. And have proceeded to use it for the last five years. I have no idea how old it is and I have been blessed with having no problems with it in all this time and moving it four times too. But it's out with the old and in with the new.
Our stimulus check came!!! Another perk to getting married last year was that we filed jointly and tada! Got $1200 on our stimulus check. Now, we are being insanely responsible and putting the majority of it to our bills and credit cards, but we did save a small chunk of it for a brand new HD tv. We had to put a little of the wedding money we had saved up towards it too, but at least its going to something that we use every day. The picture is so clear that Mike could make out fingerprint smudges on an answering machine on "Shaun of the Dead" when we watched it earlier. I cannot wait until I am working again and we can bump up our cable to HD.
Long story short, we broke up, I moved home and took a tv with me. And have proceeded to use it for the last five years. I have no idea how old it is and I have been blessed with having no problems with it in all this time and moving it four times too. But it's out with the old and in with the new.
Our stimulus check came!!! Another perk to getting married last year was that we filed jointly and tada! Got $1200 on our stimulus check. Now, we are being insanely responsible and putting the majority of it to our bills and credit cards, but we did save a small chunk of it for a brand new HD tv. We had to put a little of the wedding money we had saved up towards it too, but at least its going to something that we use every day. The picture is so clear that Mike could make out fingerprint smudges on an answering machine on "Shaun of the Dead" when we watched it earlier. I cannot wait until I am working again and we can bump up our cable to HD.
Technical Difficulties
The lack of a blog entry and picture yesterday can be mostly blamed on a combination of the heat and our internet being as slow as molasses last night. Seriously, I thought it was the heat slowing down the internet or something, but my friend Kristie was perfectly about to "Myspace it up", or so she told me via text message. I guess we just get so accustomed to having things a particular way that even a 24 hour wrench in the system has us up in arms and peeved about the entire situation. Also, while I could have been typing the blog entry somewhere else or even handwriting it, as I have done before, the heat left me lazy and unable to do much more than text message Kristie.
Once I determined that it was just the internet and not my computer, I put myself to work - by watching two of the movies Mike has been begging me to watch for the last week (Becoming Jane and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) so we can send them back and get new ones and working on a little side project I have going. Before I knew it, it was 2 am and I needed to head to bed.
So Internet, you will be getting two blog entries and two self portraits today. Don't you feel special??
Once I determined that it was just the internet and not my computer, I put myself to work - by watching two of the movies Mike has been begging me to watch for the last week (Becoming Jane and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) so we can send them back and get new ones and working on a little side project I have going. Before I knew it, it was 2 am and I needed to head to bed.
So Internet, you will be getting two blog entries and two self portraits today. Don't you feel special??
Friday, May 16, 2008
I kinda always knew I'd end up your ex-girlfriend
When I finally ended the relationship that which was possibly nine of the longest months of my life back in 2004, I had told the guy that while he was wonderfully sweet and caring and appreciative and adoring of me, he was not in the place in his life I needed him to be in for me to foresee a relationship with him. It was a pretty big move, on my part, because up until then, I'd never really and truly been the one to stop a relationship dead in its tracks like that. It took a month or so of repeating this thought process to him, each conversation growing a little less sugar-coated and a little more blunt until I pretty much was saying "Get your shit together. Call me when you do."
When he admitted to me that in the last few months of 'us' that he'd cheated on me, I really didn't even care. I was so far past that and I suspected it was nothing more than a tactic on his part to make me jealous and want to come back to him. It didn't work.
We stayed in contact off and on for the next year and a half. When he did another stint in a halfway house for reduced jailtime, I drove out there and visited him, but I was mere days away from meeting Mike.
He called tonight. He's apparently gotten his shit together. And though I don't think it was a plow to try to rekindle anything with me, I get the sense that he is trying to reclaim parts of his pre-current ex-girlfriend life. Despite I being another ex-girlfriend, he sees those random encounters of ours leading up to his meeting her as a good friendship and he was just wanting to say hi.
He sounded happy. He sounded good. A proud father to a 19 month old little girl and someone who's life is definitely in a better place than it was the last time I saw him. I am glad that he called, but I do wonder where (if anywhere) this will go. He has a tendancy to pick pyschos (your's truly being excluded, naturally) and I was very quick and clear to indicate that I was married and happily at that.
I hate to admit that I have been in relationships in the past where I knew even at the very beginning that it wasn't going to go anywhere near marriage, but I have and more than one. Even more, I hate to admit that he would probably be the first or second name on the list of those relationships, just because he was such a great guy. He was about 110 times more attentive and affectionate than the two previous boyfriends before him and the only man I have found to rival him is Mike.
Guess it's a good thing I married Mike, right?
When he admitted to me that in the last few months of 'us' that he'd cheated on me, I really didn't even care. I was so far past that and I suspected it was nothing more than a tactic on his part to make me jealous and want to come back to him. It didn't work.
We stayed in contact off and on for the next year and a half. When he did another stint in a halfway house for reduced jailtime, I drove out there and visited him, but I was mere days away from meeting Mike.
He called tonight. He's apparently gotten his shit together. And though I don't think it was a plow to try to rekindle anything with me, I get the sense that he is trying to reclaim parts of his pre-current ex-girlfriend life. Despite I being another ex-girlfriend, he sees those random encounters of ours leading up to his meeting her as a good friendship and he was just wanting to say hi.
He sounded happy. He sounded good. A proud father to a 19 month old little girl and someone who's life is definitely in a better place than it was the last time I saw him. I am glad that he called, but I do wonder where (if anywhere) this will go. He has a tendancy to pick pyschos (your's truly being excluded, naturally) and I was very quick and clear to indicate that I was married and happily at that.
I hate to admit that I have been in relationships in the past where I knew even at the very beginning that it wasn't going to go anywhere near marriage, but I have and more than one. Even more, I hate to admit that he would probably be the first or second name on the list of those relationships, just because he was such a great guy. He was about 110 times more attentive and affectionate than the two previous boyfriends before him and the only man I have found to rival him is Mike.
Guess it's a good thing I married Mike, right?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Story of Dolly Dooz
Dolly Dooz is nothing more than the childhood nickname my parents gave me as a small girl that despite my shedding my little girl looks, simplicity and innocence has stuck with me. As recent as earlier this week, my mother responded to a blog entry on Myspace, in which she referred to me as "DD". That was not because of my ample chest, folks. It was Dolly Dooz. But my husband likes to think it is all about the "Double D's".
You would think that a couple who names their daughter Elizabeth but calls her Betsy would have no need for other nicknames, but I come from a family who name their cars, so naturally Betsy would never be enough. And even building on it, my nickname was often shortened to "Dolly" "Dooz" or my favorite "Doozer".
You would be right to wonder where such a nickname like this even came from. Years ago, my great-aunt Girlie (yup, that's what we called her) had a lullaby she'd sing to her grandkids and such. "Lolly Lu" was what it was called, but I couldn't tell you what the world the lyrics were now. I'm sure my cousin Jennifer was serenaded to it a million times. After she'd sang it to me one day, my parents started calling me Dolly and the "Dooz" wasn't far behind.
I can be thankful that my brother was not spared to this naming ritual and he has always been "Buddy Bar" (a.k.a. "Buddy", "Bud" and "Bar"). Yup, a happy family with Dolly Dooz and Buddy Bar - we sound like a family of drag queens.
Obviously, we are not the first and only family to have nicknames beyond "Baby", "Sweetie" and "Honey". In fact, Miley Cyrus is actually (for now) Destiny Hope Cyrus, but since she was so happy as a child, her family called her "Smiley" and somewhere along the way, she became Miley.
As I have gotten older, I have come to accept that no matter how much I protest my parents will neer be fully able to stop calling me by my nickname and I suppose I wouldn't want them to.
So after years of testing what felt like a perfect blog title embracing an essence of me, so to speak, I finally realized that I, Dolly Dooz, had to accept it. I am what I am.
Now I just need to design who that is.
What strange/funny nicknames did you have growing up?
You would think that a couple who names their daughter Elizabeth but calls her Betsy would have no need for other nicknames, but I come from a family who name their cars, so naturally Betsy would never be enough. And even building on it, my nickname was often shortened to "Dolly" "Dooz" or my favorite "Doozer".
You would be right to wonder where such a nickname like this even came from. Years ago, my great-aunt Girlie (yup, that's what we called her) had a lullaby she'd sing to her grandkids and such. "Lolly Lu" was what it was called, but I couldn't tell you what the world the lyrics were now. I'm sure my cousin Jennifer was serenaded to it a million times. After she'd sang it to me one day, my parents started calling me Dolly and the "Dooz" wasn't far behind.
I can be thankful that my brother was not spared to this naming ritual and he has always been "Buddy Bar" (a.k.a. "Buddy", "Bud" and "Bar"). Yup, a happy family with Dolly Dooz and Buddy Bar - we sound like a family of drag queens.
Obviously, we are not the first and only family to have nicknames beyond "Baby", "Sweetie" and "Honey". In fact, Miley Cyrus is actually (for now) Destiny Hope Cyrus, but since she was so happy as a child, her family called her "Smiley" and somewhere along the way, she became Miley.
As I have gotten older, I have come to accept that no matter how much I protest my parents will neer be fully able to stop calling me by my nickname and I suppose I wouldn't want them to.
So after years of testing what felt like a perfect blog title embracing an essence of me, so to speak, I finally realized that I, Dolly Dooz, had to accept it. I am what I am.
Now I just need to design who that is.
What strange/funny nicknames did you have growing up?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tipsy on friendship
When we get together, it's a dynamic tidal wave of news and updates and just this rapid firing of all the thoughts that have run through our heads in the past few weeks. Its strange to go from having seen these girls nearly every day for four years to hardly ever seeing them at all in our college days and now . . . here we are, somewhere in the middle of all of that. Ten years may have passed, but when we get together, we might as well still be those girls curled up in our sleeping bags at a rally sleepover. Our lives are going in so many different directions and we are lucky if we get to see each other even for an evening a month, but when we do, I relish in those few hours.
At one point in the past, I didn't speak with either of my closest friends from high school. Our lives were drifting back then as well and it was harder for us to look past our differences and just accept. It was easier to pull away, and so we did that. Those were lonely times. And though we aren't able to see each other all that often, (despite our living only miles away from each other now, though a few years ago, there were thousands of miles between us) there is something comforting about knowing that when things rough, you can call them and they will drop anything and everything to be there for you.
The annual Memorial Day weekend trip is coming up next weekend and it has been scheduled for Arizona this year (previous years have included Miami, Vegas and San Diego). Sadly, it sounds like only three of the seven of us who generally attend will be able to go this year and I am not one of them. So it was nice to be able to spend a little bit of time with the girls tonight, since I will not be there in Sedona on Memorial day, putting back a few with the ladies.
At one point in the past, I didn't speak with either of my closest friends from high school. Our lives were drifting back then as well and it was harder for us to look past our differences and just accept. It was easier to pull away, and so we did that. Those were lonely times. And though we aren't able to see each other all that often, (despite our living only miles away from each other now, though a few years ago, there were thousands of miles between us) there is something comforting about knowing that when things rough, you can call them and they will drop anything and everything to be there for you.
The annual Memorial Day weekend trip is coming up next weekend and it has been scheduled for Arizona this year (previous years have included Miami, Vegas and San Diego). Sadly, it sounds like only three of the seven of us who generally attend will be able to go this year and I am not one of them. So it was nice to be able to spend a little bit of time with the girls tonight, since I will not be there in Sedona on Memorial day, putting back a few with the ladies.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
My best ideas come to me in the bath
Time for a new address. Change of face, change of pace. I'm starting over here. No dragging old entries from the past here. I am hoping that this will be my home online from now on and I hope you stop by on occasion to see how things are going. Feel free to comment!!
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