I've been hearing a song on the radio called "The House that Built Me" by Miranda Lambert. Every time I hear it, I think of the house that built me, the first house where I grew up.
I don't remember the house where I lived after I was born. When I was two years old, we moved to Buffalo Grove, Illinois. We lived in a single-family home in a subdivision called The Crossings. Our house had four (or possibly 5) bedrooms, three bathrooms, and the usual standards. We had the basement done when I was around nine years old. They put up walls and carpeted the floor. It was even split into two rooms, a social/play area and an office (where the Nintendo was also housed later on). That was where my sister and I spent a lot of time.
I liked the setup of this house. The kitchen had a wall knocked out and we could see into the dining room. There was a set of counters separating the two rooms. I think we were the only house with this style to have such a layout. The kitchen was very spacious and we'd have our family meals together in there every night. The family room was carpeted in the beginning, but later my parents had the carpet taken out and hardwood floors put in. It gave the room an airy feel. I also loved the brick area in front of the fireplace. There was space to sit right next to the fireplace and it also stretched along the wall so the TV could be placed on the other end. When I was a bit older, we had a sunroom built on to the back of the house. It was a great room for studying or reading a book. I loved being in there during the day, when it was bright and no additional light was necessary.
As far as bedrooms go, the one I had in this house was one of my favorites. It had white wallpaper with tiny blue flowers. As I got older, my parents got me a nice furniture set which included a bookshelf and desk. They had mirrored closets and a ceiling fan put in to enhance the look and feel of the room. I also got a waterbed, which I thought was a luxury when I was younger. My sister and I shared a bathroom, which was closer to my room. It had a frog theme, as my dad was obsessed with frogs. The other room next to mine was first a playroom and later a laundry room. (I liked the functionality of having a laundry room upstairs, but that probably won't happen where I live now, and that's okay.) My sister's room had a similar set-up, but the big draw for me (in my youth) were the shelves in her closet that we used to make a whole Barbie house. Later, she got to have our newest computer in her room and I'd end up in there playing games all night. There were many nights when my sister and I would sleep in each others' rooms or even switch rooms. We also spent a lot of time watching TV in our parents' bedroom until we got TVs in our rooms too. Oddly enough, that's the one thing I've been keeping out of all the bedrooms in recent years.
Going back to the basement. My dad used to participate in a barter system. He'd get points for his recruiting sales and those would be put towards the jukebox and pinball machine that were in the basement. My sister and I used to have Barbie dance clubs on top of the jukebox. Later I'd have my friends over and we'd dance around to all the songs. The pinball machine was a bit older and had some issues, but it worked and I became really good at pinball, as a result.
Overall, the house I grew up in had a very cozy, comfortable, welcoming and lived-in feel. It wasn't set up like a museum. And thanks to my mom, it was never a mess. We hosted a lot of parties, meetings, playdates, holiday meals, etc. It was always filled with noise and laughter, in that respect. And even having five pets at one point didn't make it feel crowded. (One of the cats never came out of my room anyway.) As an adult, my goal for my home is to replicate the feel of the house that built me. I think I'm doing a good job of it, despite the mess that keeps accumulating, thanks to two young boys and my own disorganized nature. I hope that my kids will want to replicate this feeling in their homes when they grow up and then pass it along to future generations.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
"Full House" isn't just a lucky hand in poker
This little nostalgic gem is from my MySpace blog.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Everywhere you look...
Current mood: nostalgic
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Anyone who knows me knows that Full House is one of my favorite "classic" TV shows. It got me through part of elementary school, all of junior high and high school, and my freshman year of college. Yes, it's been around that long. I know it got cheesy sometimes, but some episodes would still leave me in tears. An episode wasn't complete without the "moral music" and someone learning a valuable lesson. I was mostly able to relate to DJ because we were around the same age. As I got older and started watching reruns, I began to understand what Danny, Jesse and Joey were going through as parents. I know it was more of a male perspective, but I liked knowing that perspective was there. And even though Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are just scary now, I like knowing that they were once Eitan's age and said or did cute things as Michelle. I could say that Stephanie was just there, but she also was easy to relate to sometimes and she still had a lot to offer. I'm sure middle children were able to relate to her the way they could relate to Jan Brady. She did get more interesting as a teenager, like when she was dealing with guy problems or peer pressure from friends. Full House will always be "down home" and genuine. Something I can watch for "comfort food".
I recently saw a DVD box set of all the seasons of Full House. I totally want that! I'm sure it's super expensive, but maybe it will go on sale at some point. One can always hope. Till then, I'll have to look for reruns on TV somewhere, if a channel would ever show them.
Final thought...Bob Saget is now starring in "The Drowsy Chaperone" on Broadway. I'm taking my husband to see it next week (as a surprise), but am hoping that Bob Saget will be performing at that time (no understudies, please!). It would almost bring things full circle (instead of house) for me, like how it was when I saw Joey McIntyre (from NKOTB) in "Wicked". I know it's not the same as seeing John Stamos, but he got scary looking on ER. Bob Saget is known to have an "interesting" sense of humor outside the "Full House" set, so it would be cool to see him in a different role altogether.
That's all I have to say about this topic. :)
Follow up: We were supposed to see "The Drowsy Chaperone" shortly after I wrote this post. However, Broadway went on strike. When they ended the strike a month later, we finally got to see the show and see Bob Saget's hilarious performance as The Man in the Chair. I wanted to get a picture with him afterward, but my husband didn't want to deal with the crowds. (He made it up to me when we saw "In the Heights" though.)
I thought of this post recently because another show I really like has a box set of their first and only season on DVD. It's called "Freaks and Geeks." I was justifying why I'd want it for my birthday and another friend (also a fan) told me to say that it's a timeless show and that our kids will appreciate it in the future. It's just something good to have around. I feel that way about "Full House" too, obviously. I'd love for my kids to appreciate it as much as I still do. I don't know if they'll be able to relate as much since all the kids are girls, but that doesn't stop them from liking Dora the Explorer. I think they'll enjoy "Freaks and Geeks" someday though. It was such a good show and it didn't get enough of a chance to flourish.
Anyway, this got me thinking of other shows that I consider to be "comfort food." They're shows I can watch whenever and enjoy no matter what. They're timeless to me, even though they take me back to the time when I first got into them.
* "Saved by the Bell": This show is a classic. It's super cheesy, but it teaches some good lessons and I've gotten some fun inside jokes out of them. My husband and I even challenged each other with SBTB trivia (something we made up for each other) when we first started dating. My favorite episode will always be the one where Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills. It just shows a lot about how friends look out for each other. I cry during that episode every time!
* "Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High": I wrote a blog about this show a while ago. Check it out.
* "Friends": I can never go wrong with this show. I laugh every time I catch an old episode. I love the warm fuzzies I always get too. It's just such a classic 90's sitcom and I haven't seen anything like it since. I even bought a "Friends" trivia game recently. It will be fun to go through all the questions and get all nostalgic again.
* "Ugly Betty": I previously wrote two blog posts about this fabulous show which I miss like crazy already! The first is a tribute and the second is about how I can relate to Betty.
* "Modern Family": This is a new show, but I'm already addicted. Now that the first season is over, I'm going through withdrawal until it comes back in the fall. My husband enjoys watching it too and we get some good inside jokes out of each episode. And I found another "soul sister," Claire Dunphy. We are so alike that it's scary!
These are just a handful of shows that I can watch anytime and enjoy. I know I left "Glee" off the list, but I think it still needs time to get to that level. There were episodes that just made me anxious this past season, which is not all that comforting.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Everywhere you look...
Current mood: nostalgic
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Anyone who knows me knows that Full House is one of my favorite "classic" TV shows. It got me through part of elementary school, all of junior high and high school, and my freshman year of college. Yes, it's been around that long. I know it got cheesy sometimes, but some episodes would still leave me in tears. An episode wasn't complete without the "moral music" and someone learning a valuable lesson. I was mostly able to relate to DJ because we were around the same age. As I got older and started watching reruns, I began to understand what Danny, Jesse and Joey were going through as parents. I know it was more of a male perspective, but I liked knowing that perspective was there. And even though Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are just scary now, I like knowing that they were once Eitan's age and said or did cute things as Michelle. I could say that Stephanie was just there, but she also was easy to relate to sometimes and she still had a lot to offer. I'm sure middle children were able to relate to her the way they could relate to Jan Brady. She did get more interesting as a teenager, like when she was dealing with guy problems or peer pressure from friends. Full House will always be "down home" and genuine. Something I can watch for "comfort food".
I recently saw a DVD box set of all the seasons of Full House. I totally want that! I'm sure it's super expensive, but maybe it will go on sale at some point. One can always hope. Till then, I'll have to look for reruns on TV somewhere, if a channel would ever show them.
Final thought...Bob Saget is now starring in "The Drowsy Chaperone" on Broadway. I'm taking my husband to see it next week (as a surprise), but am hoping that Bob Saget will be performing at that time (no understudies, please!). It would almost bring things full circle (instead of house) for me, like how it was when I saw Joey McIntyre (from NKOTB) in "Wicked". I know it's not the same as seeing John Stamos, but he got scary looking on ER. Bob Saget is known to have an "interesting" sense of humor outside the "Full House" set, so it would be cool to see him in a different role altogether.
That's all I have to say about this topic. :)
Follow up: We were supposed to see "The Drowsy Chaperone" shortly after I wrote this post. However, Broadway went on strike. When they ended the strike a month later, we finally got to see the show and see Bob Saget's hilarious performance as The Man in the Chair. I wanted to get a picture with him afterward, but my husband didn't want to deal with the crowds. (He made it up to me when we saw "In the Heights" though.)
I thought of this post recently because another show I really like has a box set of their first and only season on DVD. It's called "Freaks and Geeks." I was justifying why I'd want it for my birthday and another friend (also a fan) told me to say that it's a timeless show and that our kids will appreciate it in the future. It's just something good to have around. I feel that way about "Full House" too, obviously. I'd love for my kids to appreciate it as much as I still do. I don't know if they'll be able to relate as much since all the kids are girls, but that doesn't stop them from liking Dora the Explorer. I think they'll enjoy "Freaks and Geeks" someday though. It was such a good show and it didn't get enough of a chance to flourish.
Anyway, this got me thinking of other shows that I consider to be "comfort food." They're shows I can watch whenever and enjoy no matter what. They're timeless to me, even though they take me back to the time when I first got into them.
* "Saved by the Bell": This show is a classic. It's super cheesy, but it teaches some good lessons and I've gotten some fun inside jokes out of them. My husband and I even challenged each other with SBTB trivia (something we made up for each other) when we first started dating. My favorite episode will always be the one where Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills. It just shows a lot about how friends look out for each other. I cry during that episode every time!
* "Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High": I wrote a blog about this show a while ago. Check it out.
* "Friends": I can never go wrong with this show. I laugh every time I catch an old episode. I love the warm fuzzies I always get too. It's just such a classic 90's sitcom and I haven't seen anything like it since. I even bought a "Friends" trivia game recently. It will be fun to go through all the questions and get all nostalgic again.
* "Ugly Betty": I previously wrote two blog posts about this fabulous show which I miss like crazy already! The first is a tribute and the second is about how I can relate to Betty.
* "Modern Family": This is a new show, but I'm already addicted. Now that the first season is over, I'm going through withdrawal until it comes back in the fall. My husband enjoys watching it too and we get some good inside jokes out of each episode. And I found another "soul sister," Claire Dunphy. We are so alike that it's scary!
These are just a handful of shows that I can watch anytime and enjoy. I know I left "Glee" off the list, but I think it still needs time to get to that level. There were episodes that just made me anxious this past season, which is not all that comforting.
Friday, June 25, 2010
We'll always have "Sesame's Bad Seeds."
This week's Friendship Friday post is about L.B.
I met L.B. during freshman year of high school. We were in gym class and I remember her being the first person in class to reach out and be friendly to me. I appreciated her gesture of friendship and reciprocated. We'd run and talk at the same time. Then I started hanging out with her and her friends in the mornings and at lunch. We didn't get together outside of school, but I was thankful for her friendship.
We didn't see each other as often during sophomore and junior year. We just weren't in the same classes and fell into different circles of friends. Then we ended up in creative writing class senior year. We worked on a parody of "Sesame Street" together (along with another girl) and called it "Sesame's Bad Seeds." It was goofy but we had some great laughs over it. Years later, she found a copy of it to give to me.
During my college years, we didn't see each other much. I occasionally would run into her when I was home for a break. She worked at a shoe store, so we'd chat while my mom was looking for shoes. I think I gave her my contact info, but nothing ever came of it.
About 9 years ago, I got a group of friends together to see a community theater production of "Little Shop of Horrors." One of my friends invited her along. Afterward, we all went to dinner and talked for a long time. We really connected when I found out that she liked "Sex and the City." That fall, she and I joined a bowling league along with two other friends (J.J. was one of them). We started hanging out more often, as a result and continued to become close.
In the fall of 2004, she had a falling out with another friend (which has since been patched up) and it brought us closer together. We'd get together all the time, whether it was for Chinese food, watching movies, playing board games, etc. We always had each other's back, no matter what. She liked to throw parties at her apartment and I always enjoyed them, even when the A/C wasn't working. I also helped her reconnect with some other friends from our high school days, as well as connect her with my college friends.
When I started keeping Kosher in the home (but still eating vegetarian outside the home), she would make Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for me at her place because she knew I couldn't have it at mine. We had a thing about watching "The Swan" together (an extreme makeover show for women...done on their faces and bodies). We also had our crushes on Mark Ruffalo and John Stamos in common. When I was getting married, she threw me a wedding shower. She also helped my husband plan my 30th birthday party (and I threw one for her later that year). When we were moving out of state, she threw us a going away party. She even hosted a party or two when we came back for visits.
Sometime around when my older son was born, L.B. introduced me to her grandma. She was really sweet and we'd all go out for Chinese (a.k.a. chop suey) together. She reminded me of my (late) maternal grandma. I would write letters to her after I moved out of state. I was really sad to hear of her passing and hope her memory will always be a blessing to L.B. and her family.
I think she probably knew this, but I didn't like most of the guys she dated. There was one in early 2005 but they ended up as just friends. He was cool and even connected us both with another friend. Otherwise, the guys she liked just didn't deserve someone as kind hearted and loveable as L.B. When she met her (now) husband in late 2006, I was thrilled for her. He was totally sweet and they had a lot in common. Before we moved to NJ, her husband told me not to worry, that he'd take good care of her. He still is doing that, so I'm very happy for them to be married. (He's quiet, but he has a great sense of humor and is very creative. I know he truly loves her too.)
I haven't seen L.B. since November 2008. I hope I'll get to see her when I'm in town next month. I feel bad that I haven't been in touch as much as I had in the past. We used to "save each other's sanity" at work with long and funny e-mails. Sometimes I'd even send her "Friends" trivia. I miss those e-mails. I see her on Facebook a lot, but I'd love to get back into the e-mailing mode again. L.B. is a loyal friend and a great woman to have in your corner. I'm glad good things have come her way, as she totally deserves them. No matter how often we see each other or communicate, I know we'll always have "Sesame's Bad Seeds" to look back upon and laugh.
I met L.B. during freshman year of high school. We were in gym class and I remember her being the first person in class to reach out and be friendly to me. I appreciated her gesture of friendship and reciprocated. We'd run and talk at the same time. Then I started hanging out with her and her friends in the mornings and at lunch. We didn't get together outside of school, but I was thankful for her friendship.
We didn't see each other as often during sophomore and junior year. We just weren't in the same classes and fell into different circles of friends. Then we ended up in creative writing class senior year. We worked on a parody of "Sesame Street" together (along with another girl) and called it "Sesame's Bad Seeds." It was goofy but we had some great laughs over it. Years later, she found a copy of it to give to me.
During my college years, we didn't see each other much. I occasionally would run into her when I was home for a break. She worked at a shoe store, so we'd chat while my mom was looking for shoes. I think I gave her my contact info, but nothing ever came of it.
About 9 years ago, I got a group of friends together to see a community theater production of "Little Shop of Horrors." One of my friends invited her along. Afterward, we all went to dinner and talked for a long time. We really connected when I found out that she liked "Sex and the City." That fall, she and I joined a bowling league along with two other friends (J.J. was one of them). We started hanging out more often, as a result and continued to become close.
In the fall of 2004, she had a falling out with another friend (which has since been patched up) and it brought us closer together. We'd get together all the time, whether it was for Chinese food, watching movies, playing board games, etc. We always had each other's back, no matter what. She liked to throw parties at her apartment and I always enjoyed them, even when the A/C wasn't working. I also helped her reconnect with some other friends from our high school days, as well as connect her with my college friends.
When I started keeping Kosher in the home (but still eating vegetarian outside the home), she would make Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for me at her place because she knew I couldn't have it at mine. We had a thing about watching "The Swan" together (an extreme makeover show for women...done on their faces and bodies). We also had our crushes on Mark Ruffalo and John Stamos in common. When I was getting married, she threw me a wedding shower. She also helped my husband plan my 30th birthday party (and I threw one for her later that year). When we were moving out of state, she threw us a going away party. She even hosted a party or two when we came back for visits.
Sometime around when my older son was born, L.B. introduced me to her grandma. She was really sweet and we'd all go out for Chinese (a.k.a. chop suey) together. She reminded me of my (late) maternal grandma. I would write letters to her after I moved out of state. I was really sad to hear of her passing and hope her memory will always be a blessing to L.B. and her family.
I think she probably knew this, but I didn't like most of the guys she dated. There was one in early 2005 but they ended up as just friends. He was cool and even connected us both with another friend. Otherwise, the guys she liked just didn't deserve someone as kind hearted and loveable as L.B. When she met her (now) husband in late 2006, I was thrilled for her. He was totally sweet and they had a lot in common. Before we moved to NJ, her husband told me not to worry, that he'd take good care of her. He still is doing that, so I'm very happy for them to be married. (He's quiet, but he has a great sense of humor and is very creative. I know he truly loves her too.)
I haven't seen L.B. since November 2008. I hope I'll get to see her when I'm in town next month. I feel bad that I haven't been in touch as much as I had in the past. We used to "save each other's sanity" at work with long and funny e-mails. Sometimes I'd even send her "Friends" trivia. I miss those e-mails. I see her on Facebook a lot, but I'd love to get back into the e-mailing mode again. L.B. is a loyal friend and a great woman to have in your corner. I'm glad good things have come her way, as she totally deserves them. No matter how often we see each other or communicate, I know we'll always have "Sesame's Bad Seeds" to look back upon and laugh.
Giving this a try
A friend recently told me about [Fiction] Friday. The instructions are to read the topic for the week, post an unedited story in your blog and then share the link on their blog. Then you can read other posts and comment on them. I've been in a writing rut lately, so my friend suggested I try it as an exercise. So here goes...
This week's topic is: Include a telepathic parrot in your story.
Lou Ames did a quick once over of his veterinary clinic, making sure nothing was out of place before locking up for the night. After saving a cat's life, patching up a dog that got his paw caught in a fence, giving shots to another dog that had been bitten by a raccoon and performing heart surgery on a parrot, he was exhausted. A bottle of Coors and an episode of "Lost" from the DVR were all he could handle tonight, if that.
As he went to turn off the lights, he heard a voice behind him. "When was the last time you were on a date?" Startled, Lou spun around abruptly, knocking a pile of brochures off a table in the waiting room. "Who was that? Mom?" The voice didn't answer back and he went about cleaning up the brochures for Iams and Purina.
"Five years. No date in five years." Now he was really getting nervous. How did anyone even know that? He kept to himself and didn't share his love life with his clients. His mom didn't even know how easily he had given up on women after Elaine decided that vets didn't interest her anymore and had moved on to her dentist. It just wasn't worth the heartache. "Show yourself already, whoever you are." He walked around the office, trying to track the sound. "Five years. Five years. Lady with the sick cat thought you were handsome."
He didn't even remember the lady because he was so focused on saving her cat. The poor little beast had a chicken bone lodged in her throat and he managed to get it out. He remembered someone crying but his assistant had taken over so he could scrub for the surgery. The surgery. That was it. He may have blanked out a lot of the day's events, but he did know that the parrot was nearby during most of the procedures. "Mr. Feathers, is that you?"
"Lady with the cat is going to come back. She left the cat's blanket here." Sure enough, a ratty, yellow blanket covered with gray fur was sitting on the couch in the waiting room. Just then, he heard a frantic tapping on the door. A petite woman in her mid-30's was standing outside, illuminated by the moonlight shining from behind. Still bewildered by the parrot's prediction, he opened the door.
"I can't thank you enough for saving Felice's life today! I'm not here for that now though. I seemed to have forgotten Felice's favorite bla---there it is! I'll be out of your way now."
"Five years."
"What was that?" the woman inquired.
"Oh, um, just checking the last time Felice had her shots."
"You're way off then. She just had them last year."
"Oh okay, never mind. Hey, um, listen, would you, um, be interested in going out for dinner?"
"Tonight? I think Felice needs me."
"Not tonight. I have the series finale of "Lost" waiting for me on the DVR."
"Really? That's my favorite show! I just watched the finale. I'm so sad that it's over for good."
"Me too. Or at least I will be in another hour or so. Anyway, how does Saturday at 7:00 sound?"
"How do you know I'm single?" the woman smirked.
"Um, you're not wearing a ring?"
"I could still have a boyfriend."
"Do you?"
"No. It's just Felice and me most of the time. She has to approve of the men I date and so far it's been zero out of the last five. I think she'll approve of you since you saved her life and all."
"Good to know. Should I pick you up or do you want to meet here?"
"Here is fine, since you passed the Felice test already."
"Okay then. I didn't catch your name though."
"Ironically, my name is Cat. It's short for Catherine."
"Nice to meet you, Cat."
"Likewise. Have fun watching "Lost" tonight. We can discuss on our date." With that, she breezed out the door with the ratty blanket thrown casually over her shoulder.
"Angelo's is your favorite restaurant. Take her there."
"Shouldn't you be sleeping? You had a big surgery. You need your rest."
"At the end of "Lost," everyone--"
"Good night." Lou quickly slammed the door behind him, covering his ears and humming. He drove home with a grin plastered to his face. "Silly parrot," he thought, nodding in amusement, thankful for the reminder to finally move on with his life.
This week's topic is: Include a telepathic parrot in your story.
Lou Ames did a quick once over of his veterinary clinic, making sure nothing was out of place before locking up for the night. After saving a cat's life, patching up a dog that got his paw caught in a fence, giving shots to another dog that had been bitten by a raccoon and performing heart surgery on a parrot, he was exhausted. A bottle of Coors and an episode of "Lost" from the DVR were all he could handle tonight, if that.
As he went to turn off the lights, he heard a voice behind him. "When was the last time you were on a date?" Startled, Lou spun around abruptly, knocking a pile of brochures off a table in the waiting room. "Who was that? Mom?" The voice didn't answer back and he went about cleaning up the brochures for Iams and Purina.
"Five years. No date in five years." Now he was really getting nervous. How did anyone even know that? He kept to himself and didn't share his love life with his clients. His mom didn't even know how easily he had given up on women after Elaine decided that vets didn't interest her anymore and had moved on to her dentist. It just wasn't worth the heartache. "Show yourself already, whoever you are." He walked around the office, trying to track the sound. "Five years. Five years. Lady with the sick cat thought you were handsome."
He didn't even remember the lady because he was so focused on saving her cat. The poor little beast had a chicken bone lodged in her throat and he managed to get it out. He remembered someone crying but his assistant had taken over so he could scrub for the surgery. The surgery. That was it. He may have blanked out a lot of the day's events, but he did know that the parrot was nearby during most of the procedures. "Mr. Feathers, is that you?"
"Lady with the cat is going to come back. She left the cat's blanket here." Sure enough, a ratty, yellow blanket covered with gray fur was sitting on the couch in the waiting room. Just then, he heard a frantic tapping on the door. A petite woman in her mid-30's was standing outside, illuminated by the moonlight shining from behind. Still bewildered by the parrot's prediction, he opened the door.
"I can't thank you enough for saving Felice's life today! I'm not here for that now though. I seemed to have forgotten Felice's favorite bla---there it is! I'll be out of your way now."
"Five years."
"What was that?" the woman inquired.
"Oh, um, just checking the last time Felice had her shots."
"You're way off then. She just had them last year."
"Oh okay, never mind. Hey, um, listen, would you, um, be interested in going out for dinner?"
"Tonight? I think Felice needs me."
"Not tonight. I have the series finale of "Lost" waiting for me on the DVR."
"Really? That's my favorite show! I just watched the finale. I'm so sad that it's over for good."
"Me too. Or at least I will be in another hour or so. Anyway, how does Saturday at 7:00 sound?"
"How do you know I'm single?" the woman smirked.
"Um, you're not wearing a ring?"
"I could still have a boyfriend."
"Do you?"
"No. It's just Felice and me most of the time. She has to approve of the men I date and so far it's been zero out of the last five. I think she'll approve of you since you saved her life and all."
"Good to know. Should I pick you up or do you want to meet here?"
"Here is fine, since you passed the Felice test already."
"Okay then. I didn't catch your name though."
"Ironically, my name is Cat. It's short for Catherine."
"Nice to meet you, Cat."
"Likewise. Have fun watching "Lost" tonight. We can discuss on our date." With that, she breezed out the door with the ratty blanket thrown casually over her shoulder.
"Angelo's is your favorite restaurant. Take her there."
"Shouldn't you be sleeping? You had a big surgery. You need your rest."
"At the end of "Lost," everyone--"
"Good night." Lou quickly slammed the door behind him, covering his ears and humming. He drove home with a grin plastered to his face. "Silly parrot," he thought, nodding in amusement, thankful for the reminder to finally move on with his life.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
"Luck be a Lady"
I got an e-mail this evening, a bit after the fact. Someone was giving away tickets to see a show called "Luck be a Lady." I thought it was amusing because I had that song in my head this evening after my husband received a fortune (from a cookie) that said "Luck is the by-product of busting your fanny." I don't think those were the exact words of Confucious, but it's a belief that I hold to be true.
I have had numerous discussions with someone on the topic of luck. They believe that people are born lucky or that good things just fall into peoples' laps. I come from a different school of thought. I believe that when good things happen to someone, they can consider themselves fortunate or blessed. Luck is based on chance and coincidence. Sometimes good timing plays into it. Like someone who misses their plane and avoids being in a crash. That's pure luck on their side.
However, I feel that for something good to happen, there has to be a catalyst. How does one expect to win the lottery if they don't purchase a ticket? How does one expect to get a promotion at work if they don't "bust their fanny" at their job? How does one expect to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right if they don't put themselves into the dating market? I'm not saying that those situations are even guaranteed to happen even if someone tries for the end result. There's just a better chance of such things happening than someone just "magically" winning a million dollars, becoming president of their company or finding Mr. or Mrs. Right on their doorstep.
On the subject of being born lucky, I don't think anyone has come out of their mother's womb holding a four leaf clover. There's the matter of being born into good or poor circumstances. Once you know your circumstances and have control over what could happen next, you have the ability to do or be whatever you want. Take the movie "Precious" for example. Precious was born into a terrible family situation. However, she got an education and found a way to escape from her abusive mother. She could have sat there and taken her mother's abuse and just blamed it on bad luck. I know it's a fictional story, but it does have a basis of truth and it's very empowering. There's also "The Pursuit of Happyness," which is based on a true story. Chris was having a difficult time finding a job and being able to provide for his child. Doors closed in his face and he kept getting kicked when he was down. Still, he "busted his fanny" to get a job so that he could get himself and his son off the streets. It wasn't a matter of luck. It was a matter of blood, sweat and tears, so to speak.
Tonight, I could have been the "lucky" recipient of free tickets to a show, but I got home late because of dinner plans with my family. I missed the opportunity, but it wasn't meant to be. There are other times when my timing has been perfect, such as knowing when to speak aloud about a bowling commitment I had, just as my husband's best friend happened to be standing nearby. I wouldn't call that luck, just good timing. My husband may not have been interested in meeting me or we might not have been each others' type. I could have chosen not to give out my number in the first place (a catalyst). I'm glad none of those situations were the case. I just feel fortunate and very blessed as a result of such savvy timing.
I'd be interested in hearing your opinions about the concept of luck. Are people naturally lucky or do you think they have to do something to make something good happen for them? Discuss....
I have had numerous discussions with someone on the topic of luck. They believe that people are born lucky or that good things just fall into peoples' laps. I come from a different school of thought. I believe that when good things happen to someone, they can consider themselves fortunate or blessed. Luck is based on chance and coincidence. Sometimes good timing plays into it. Like someone who misses their plane and avoids being in a crash. That's pure luck on their side.
However, I feel that for something good to happen, there has to be a catalyst. How does one expect to win the lottery if they don't purchase a ticket? How does one expect to get a promotion at work if they don't "bust their fanny" at their job? How does one expect to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right if they don't put themselves into the dating market? I'm not saying that those situations are even guaranteed to happen even if someone tries for the end result. There's just a better chance of such things happening than someone just "magically" winning a million dollars, becoming president of their company or finding Mr. or Mrs. Right on their doorstep.
On the subject of being born lucky, I don't think anyone has come out of their mother's womb holding a four leaf clover. There's the matter of being born into good or poor circumstances. Once you know your circumstances and have control over what could happen next, you have the ability to do or be whatever you want. Take the movie "Precious" for example. Precious was born into a terrible family situation. However, she got an education and found a way to escape from her abusive mother. She could have sat there and taken her mother's abuse and just blamed it on bad luck. I know it's a fictional story, but it does have a basis of truth and it's very empowering. There's also "The Pursuit of Happyness," which is based on a true story. Chris was having a difficult time finding a job and being able to provide for his child. Doors closed in his face and he kept getting kicked when he was down. Still, he "busted his fanny" to get a job so that he could get himself and his son off the streets. It wasn't a matter of luck. It was a matter of blood, sweat and tears, so to speak.
Tonight, I could have been the "lucky" recipient of free tickets to a show, but I got home late because of dinner plans with my family. I missed the opportunity, but it wasn't meant to be. There are other times when my timing has been perfect, such as knowing when to speak aloud about a bowling commitment I had, just as my husband's best friend happened to be standing nearby. I wouldn't call that luck, just good timing. My husband may not have been interested in meeting me or we might not have been each others' type. I could have chosen not to give out my number in the first place (a catalyst). I'm glad none of those situations were the case. I just feel fortunate and very blessed as a result of such savvy timing.
I'd be interested in hearing your opinions about the concept of luck. Are people naturally lucky or do you think they have to do something to make something good happen for them? Discuss....
I have my flaws
I have a few friends who knit and blog and we've decided to embark on a blog project that has nothing to do with knitting. We're going to take turns coming up with a topic every Thursday and we each have to blog about it by the end of that day and post links to each others' blogs so that people can see our different perspectives on the same topic.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week Charmingly Random inquired:Tell me about your worst habits
When Froggie and I were at overnight camp together during the summer before 7th grade, we made a deal that whomever bit their nails first had to buy the other a pack of Bubble Tape. I'm pretty sure I was the one who had to pay up, as I can't not bite my nails. I still have this bad habit and therefore have very short nails. My husband once tried getting me to paint Thum (the stuff with the bitter taste) on my nails, but I refused. I need to curb this habit because my kids stick their fingers in their mouths and I'm afraid it's because of my bad influence. When I'm not biting, I'm picking at them. It's something I do to alleviate stress and anxiety. I don't know that I'll ever grow out of it, seeing that I'm close to my mid-30's and still biting away.
I also thought I'd take this opportunity to bring up some other bad habits that I have a hard time breaking:
* Obsessiveness: I have a thing with checking every door in the house to make sure it is locked before going to bed. I can't go to bed until this happens. I also check my alarm clock settings constantly before retiring for the night. And as the other bloggers in this group know, I'm always the first to finish my blog project post for the week!
* Procrastination: This is a huge one for me, but I'll talk more about it later....What?!?
* Yelling: I tend to go that route when I'm frustrated. I feel bad when I yell at the kids though. I have a hard time counting to 10 before blasting off.
* Being disorganized, especially in the house: Someone will clean (maybe me) and then I manage to put down a piece of mail, a toy or something else wherever I am standing at the time. I then collect everything in a box and forget to put all the items away. (Either that, or I procrastinate on doing so.) I also am TERRIBLE about putting away laundry. Currently, there's a huge pile of clothes on my older son's bedroom floor and there will soon be one on mine too.
Once someone told my (late) maternal grandma that she was perfect. Her answer? "Oh, I have my flaws." So now I can say the same. (I think some of our flaws are similar, although she would never yell.)
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week Charmingly Random inquired:Tell me about your worst habits
When Froggie and I were at overnight camp together during the summer before 7th grade, we made a deal that whomever bit their nails first had to buy the other a pack of Bubble Tape. I'm pretty sure I was the one who had to pay up, as I can't not bite my nails. I still have this bad habit and therefore have very short nails. My husband once tried getting me to paint Thum (the stuff with the bitter taste) on my nails, but I refused. I need to curb this habit because my kids stick their fingers in their mouths and I'm afraid it's because of my bad influence. When I'm not biting, I'm picking at them. It's something I do to alleviate stress and anxiety. I don't know that I'll ever grow out of it, seeing that I'm close to my mid-30's and still biting away.
I also thought I'd take this opportunity to bring up some other bad habits that I have a hard time breaking:
* Obsessiveness: I have a thing with checking every door in the house to make sure it is locked before going to bed. I can't go to bed until this happens. I also check my alarm clock settings constantly before retiring for the night. And as the other bloggers in this group know, I'm always the first to finish my blog project post for the week!
* Procrastination: This is a huge one for me, but I'll talk more about it later....What?!?
* Yelling: I tend to go that route when I'm frustrated. I feel bad when I yell at the kids though. I have a hard time counting to 10 before blasting off.
* Being disorganized, especially in the house: Someone will clean (maybe me) and then I manage to put down a piece of mail, a toy or something else wherever I am standing at the time. I then collect everything in a box and forget to put all the items away. (Either that, or I procrastinate on doing so.) I also am TERRIBLE about putting away laundry. Currently, there's a huge pile of clothes on my older son's bedroom floor and there will soon be one on mine too.
Once someone told my (late) maternal grandma that she was perfect. Her answer? "Oh, I have my flaws." So now I can say the same. (I think some of our flaws are similar, although she would never yell.)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
"One...Singular Sensation..."
Last night, a friend came over to watch "A Chorus Line." Watching it took me back a couple of decades. The first time I saw this movie, I was in 4th grade. I was spending the night at a friend's house and we both liked musical theater a lot. I remember that we both thought "Dance Ten, Looks Three" was hilarious because it had swear words in the song. (Pretty tame ones in this day and age!) I fell in love with the movie and watched it again with my family, thus possibly corrupting my sister, who was six years old at the time. Our favorite character was Cassie and we later named our new kitten after her. Later that year, all I wanted for Hanukkah was the soundtrack. My parents got me the one for the stage musical though. Then they bought me the movie version and gave the stage version to my grandparents.
I later revisited the soundtrack when "Jack" and I were hanging out and playing it in my car a lot. We'd both sing along. I still have it on cassette somewhere in my house and I take it out from time to time. It probably gets as much play time as my "Little Shop of Horrors" movie soundtrack (which I also love but tend to ignore because it's on cassette).
Watching the movie last night made me think of things that never entered my mind before. I didn't care about the dialogue as a kid, just the music and dancing. The dialogue makes more sense to me as an adult. I was even crying during Sheila's part of "At the Ballet" because it made sense. (I used to think that her mother dug earrings out of a car to steal them.) Some parts were even funnier because of what I know as an adult. It had an "American Idol"/"So You Think You Can Dance" appeal and also made me think of the "Legally Blonde" auditions on MTV. There's also the fact that "One" was played more in the last half of the movie than "That Thing You Do" was played during the entire movie with the same name. I got sick of it after a while. It's not even that great of a song, compared to some of the others in the movie.
The other thing I noticed was that the singing talent was way off. Average, at best. I think my favorite song was "Nothing" because the actress who performed it was the only one with a really strong voice. Also, the characters would say they were in their 20's and they looked way older. It made the "Beverly Hills 90210" casting seem so much more normal. So, it got me thinking that of all the movies that could possibly be remade, I wouldn't flinch if it were "A Chorus Line." (But if Hollywood even considers "Little Shop of Horrors," I will be furious!) I even came up with my own dream cast, including a few people from "Glee" and a few people from Broadway....
Zach: Matthew Morrison. I think he could play the role really well.
Cassie: Autumn Hurlbert from "Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods." I can't even imagine anyone else in the role!
Val: Kristin Chenoweth. She could pull of "Dance Ten..." with no problem!
Sheila: Idina Menzel. I think her personality and voice would fit the role well.
Mark: (The one who thought he had gonorrhea) Chris Colfer. Right age along with a personality that could make this part of the movie even funnier. Oh, and if I don't cast him, a certain friend of mine will kill me!
Bibi: Miley Cyrus. As much as I don't like her, I think she'd work well in this role.)
Maggie: Lea Michele. She plays someone who didn't know her mom while growing up, so she could easily play someone who didn't know her dad. And I love her singing voice!
Diana Morales: Karen Olivo from "In the Heights" and "West Side Story" on Broadway. Also, Eden Espinosa, who has been in "Wicked" and "Rent" on Broadway. Both have great voices and stage presence.
Paul: Robin de Jesus from "Camp" and "In the Heights." After seeing him in "Camp," I know he could add something similar for this part.
I couldn't think of anyone to play the other roles. (And I call myself the "Pop Culture Queen"...) Please feel free to share any casting ideas you have.
I later revisited the soundtrack when "Jack" and I were hanging out and playing it in my car a lot. We'd both sing along. I still have it on cassette somewhere in my house and I take it out from time to time. It probably gets as much play time as my "Little Shop of Horrors" movie soundtrack (which I also love but tend to ignore because it's on cassette).
Watching the movie last night made me think of things that never entered my mind before. I didn't care about the dialogue as a kid, just the music and dancing. The dialogue makes more sense to me as an adult. I was even crying during Sheila's part of "At the Ballet" because it made sense. (I used to think that her mother dug earrings out of a car to steal them.) Some parts were even funnier because of what I know as an adult. It had an "American Idol"/"So You Think You Can Dance" appeal and also made me think of the "Legally Blonde" auditions on MTV. There's also the fact that "One" was played more in the last half of the movie than "That Thing You Do" was played during the entire movie with the same name. I got sick of it after a while. It's not even that great of a song, compared to some of the others in the movie.
The other thing I noticed was that the singing talent was way off. Average, at best. I think my favorite song was "Nothing" because the actress who performed it was the only one with a really strong voice. Also, the characters would say they were in their 20's and they looked way older. It made the "Beverly Hills 90210" casting seem so much more normal. So, it got me thinking that of all the movies that could possibly be remade, I wouldn't flinch if it were "A Chorus Line." (But if Hollywood even considers "Little Shop of Horrors," I will be furious!) I even came up with my own dream cast, including a few people from "Glee" and a few people from Broadway....
Zach: Matthew Morrison. I think he could play the role really well.
Cassie: Autumn Hurlbert from "Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods." I can't even imagine anyone else in the role!
Val: Kristin Chenoweth. She could pull of "Dance Ten..." with no problem!
Sheila: Idina Menzel. I think her personality and voice would fit the role well.
Mark: (The one who thought he had gonorrhea) Chris Colfer. Right age along with a personality that could make this part of the movie even funnier. Oh, and if I don't cast him, a certain friend of mine will kill me!
Bibi: Miley Cyrus. As much as I don't like her, I think she'd work well in this role.)
Maggie: Lea Michele. She plays someone who didn't know her mom while growing up, so she could easily play someone who didn't know her dad. And I love her singing voice!
Diana Morales: Karen Olivo from "In the Heights" and "West Side Story" on Broadway. Also, Eden Espinosa, who has been in "Wicked" and "Rent" on Broadway. Both have great voices and stage presence.
Paul: Robin de Jesus from "Camp" and "In the Heights." After seeing him in "Camp," I know he could add something similar for this part.
I couldn't think of anyone to play the other roles. (And I call myself the "Pop Culture Queen"...) Please feel free to share any casting ideas you have.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Time for work
This post was from my MySpace blog.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Don’t even ask...
Current mood: annoyed
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
Please do not ask me about my job search, either in person or by e-mail or phone. I don't really want to talk about it until I have something good to say. Right now, I think I'm re-tailoring my skills for a different type of field, but I don't even know if that's the right way to go anymore. And yes, Eitan is in day care while I look, in order to keep my schedule open for interviews (whenever those tend to occur). While it would be nice to have him home with me, he loves it at day care and stays out of trouble that way. He usually has a way more productive day than I do. :P
Anyway, thanks for respecting my wishes.
Follow up: I sometimes think about what place I was in my life when I wrote this post because of the job search frustrations of others. Those frustrations bring me back to this time when I remember being so completely frustrated with my job search. I remember writing this post shortly after talking to some people from my shul at a Hanukkah event. I felt like they were judging me for not only being unemployed but also for not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I just knew that I wasn't motivated and my husband was trying to help me get into a different field that didn't feel right for me. I felt like I was lying by even saying that was the field I was going into. It was a really uncomfortable position in which to be. I had been searching for 7 months with nothing to show for my efforts (except for the one offer that was rescinded because of my Shabbat and holiday observance). It didn't matter to me that my husband had a job because the cost of living in NJ was high and it was pertinent that we both had jobs in order to stay afloat. I also felt that it was something personal and constantly wondered what I was doing wrong on my resume or during interviews.
I landed the part-time medical billing job less than two months later. I had reached a point by then where I was a month away from giving birth and needed something flexible that didn't require a lot of travel. While I was happy about this job, I still got the impression that people thought I wasn't pulling my weight in the home. I'm sorry, but they weren't the ones taking care of my kids and getting all the household chores and errands done. There wasn't enough time in the day and I appreciated the time flexibility the job afforded me. I ended up enjoying my job, even though the work itself was mundane. I knew that what I was doing was important for the business to run smoothly and my bosses respected me in ways no other boss had respected me before. It motivated me to work harder and know that even if my job was seen as "minor," I was contributing to the greater good. Thankfully, that job was all I needed to launch myself into my current job after we moved. It showed that I had recent work experience and I received a great reference from my boss.
In any case, I just wanted to use my blog from late 2007 to show that I did reach a point in my life where I thought I had hit rock bottom career-wise. I'm thankful that people took a chance on me and that I took a chance on them in turn.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Don’t even ask...
Current mood: annoyed
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
Please do not ask me about my job search, either in person or by e-mail or phone. I don't really want to talk about it until I have something good to say. Right now, I think I'm re-tailoring my skills for a different type of field, but I don't even know if that's the right way to go anymore. And yes, Eitan is in day care while I look, in order to keep my schedule open for interviews (whenever those tend to occur). While it would be nice to have him home with me, he loves it at day care and stays out of trouble that way. He usually has a way more productive day than I do. :P
Anyway, thanks for respecting my wishes.
Follow up: I sometimes think about what place I was in my life when I wrote this post because of the job search frustrations of others. Those frustrations bring me back to this time when I remember being so completely frustrated with my job search. I remember writing this post shortly after talking to some people from my shul at a Hanukkah event. I felt like they were judging me for not only being unemployed but also for not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I just knew that I wasn't motivated and my husband was trying to help me get into a different field that didn't feel right for me. I felt like I was lying by even saying that was the field I was going into. It was a really uncomfortable position in which to be. I had been searching for 7 months with nothing to show for my efforts (except for the one offer that was rescinded because of my Shabbat and holiday observance). It didn't matter to me that my husband had a job because the cost of living in NJ was high and it was pertinent that we both had jobs in order to stay afloat. I also felt that it was something personal and constantly wondered what I was doing wrong on my resume or during interviews.
I landed the part-time medical billing job less than two months later. I had reached a point by then where I was a month away from giving birth and needed something flexible that didn't require a lot of travel. While I was happy about this job, I still got the impression that people thought I wasn't pulling my weight in the home. I'm sorry, but they weren't the ones taking care of my kids and getting all the household chores and errands done. There wasn't enough time in the day and I appreciated the time flexibility the job afforded me. I ended up enjoying my job, even though the work itself was mundane. I knew that what I was doing was important for the business to run smoothly and my bosses respected me in ways no other boss had respected me before. It motivated me to work harder and know that even if my job was seen as "minor," I was contributing to the greater good. Thankfully, that job was all I needed to launch myself into my current job after we moved. It showed that I had recent work experience and I received a great reference from my boss.
In any case, I just wanted to use my blog from late 2007 to show that I did reach a point in my life where I thought I had hit rock bottom career-wise. I'm thankful that people took a chance on me and that I took a chance on them in turn.
Monday, June 21, 2010
The deep side of female friendships
Back in March, I wrote a post about the fun of having girlfriends. I feel a lot more content in the amount of "girlfriend" time I have nowadays, so that's not what I'm here to discuss this time around.
On Shabbat, I went to a women's seudat shlishit (afternoon meal), where the topic was about female friendships. There was a salad and dessert bar and some women presented on different aspects of friendships between women since the beginning of time (or at least since the days of the Old Testament). It was interesting to hear about the depths of female friendships throughout the ages.
Sure, the "girlfriend" aspect is nice, but if there's nothing else to talk about, in which direction does the friendship go? I value loyalty and the ability to have conversations about anything and everything. It's almost like a marriage...if you can't be best friends, how can you grow old together? It's so important to never be able to run out of stuff to talk about. I love that I have these types of friendships, even over e-mail. I mentioned in a Friendship Friday post about a female friend with whom I write "novels." This is what we refer to as our long e-mail conversations. We sometimes take a while to reply back with the novels, but they're so worth the wait. Parts of the novel are about our favorite rock star crush and other parts are about stuff that is happening in our lives, as well as some of our deepest thoughts and feelings. There are other times I send short e-mails back and forth between my friends and myself, but they encompass a whole conversation.
Aside from the conversations, I will do anything to support my friends in their efforts to achieve their dreams and goals. Sometimes I get too overzealous and offer help when it is not requested. Other times, I do what I can in order to show I care, even if I'm not able to go all out. I am able to laugh or cry with them, celebrate their achievements, comiserate during the tough times, etc. I wouldn't be where or who I am without my female friendships and I want my friends to know how much they mean to me. I plan to continue the Friendship Friday posts (and I promise not to leave my male friends out too much) and also find other ways to get to know my female friends better. I apologize to those with whom I am not in contact as often as I could be. I need to work on reaching out and staying in touch better. I hope my friends know that I'm thinking of them and that they are always welcome to contact me as well, to tell me what is new in their lives. I'm very thankful for all my female friends, whether we're just "girlfriends," we can have deep conversations or even a mix of both.
On Shabbat, I went to a women's seudat shlishit (afternoon meal), where the topic was about female friendships. There was a salad and dessert bar and some women presented on different aspects of friendships between women since the beginning of time (or at least since the days of the Old Testament). It was interesting to hear about the depths of female friendships throughout the ages.
Sure, the "girlfriend" aspect is nice, but if there's nothing else to talk about, in which direction does the friendship go? I value loyalty and the ability to have conversations about anything and everything. It's almost like a marriage...if you can't be best friends, how can you grow old together? It's so important to never be able to run out of stuff to talk about. I love that I have these types of friendships, even over e-mail. I mentioned in a Friendship Friday post about a female friend with whom I write "novels." This is what we refer to as our long e-mail conversations. We sometimes take a while to reply back with the novels, but they're so worth the wait. Parts of the novel are about our favorite rock star crush and other parts are about stuff that is happening in our lives, as well as some of our deepest thoughts and feelings. There are other times I send short e-mails back and forth between my friends and myself, but they encompass a whole conversation.
Aside from the conversations, I will do anything to support my friends in their efforts to achieve their dreams and goals. Sometimes I get too overzealous and offer help when it is not requested. Other times, I do what I can in order to show I care, even if I'm not able to go all out. I am able to laugh or cry with them, celebrate their achievements, comiserate during the tough times, etc. I wouldn't be where or who I am without my female friendships and I want my friends to know how much they mean to me. I plan to continue the Friendship Friday posts (and I promise not to leave my male friends out too much) and also find other ways to get to know my female friends better. I apologize to those with whom I am not in contact as often as I could be. I need to work on reaching out and staying in touch better. I hope my friends know that I'm thinking of them and that they are always welcome to contact me as well, to tell me what is new in their lives. I'm very thankful for all my female friends, whether we're just "girlfriends," we can have deep conversations or even a mix of both.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Not that I'm keeping track or anything....
Only one month left until my birthday. Not that I'm really looking forward to it this year, thanks to the Hebrew calendar matching it up with Tisha B'Av. I'll go out the next night, but still. It's rain on my parade, I suppose. Like I almost feel guilty for enjoying my birthday at all this year.
Speaking of birthdays, one of my close friends (L.R. from this post) had a baby girl today. It so happens that her baby was born exactly 6 months before her birthday.
What can I say, people born on the 20th of their months are cool. ;) She also shares a birthday with a family friends' daughter. I thought that if my older son were able to wait another week, he could have been a 20th baby too...born two months between myself and my husband (also born on the 20th of his month). I'm sure I could have also let my younger son wait 2 more days, but I didn't want to cut things so close to Purim that year.
Speaking of birthdays, one of my close friends (L.R. from this post) had a baby girl today. It so happens that her baby was born exactly 6 months before her birthday.
What can I say, people born on the 20th of their months are cool. ;) She also shares a birthday with a family friends' daughter. I thought that if my older son were able to wait another week, he could have been a 20th baby too...born two months between myself and my husband (also born on the 20th of his month). I'm sure I could have also let my younger son wait 2 more days, but I didn't want to cut things so close to Purim that year.
Where I have been
Well, I've been around since I obviously blog each week. However, I haven't posted updates on anything I've done lately. I get so caught up on the theme posts that I forget about everything else.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we drove 7.5 hours to SC to visit my father-in-law and his family. We hadn't seen them in almost 2 years, so it was nice to visit with them again. We also got to see my husband's grandmother a couple of times. She was confused a lot of the time and kept falling asleep. However, she recognized my older son and seemed happy to see both kids. I'm glad we sent her pictures in the past so that she knew what to expect. We had a lot of water time over the weekend between the pool and the water park. My older son loved being in the water, but my younger son refused to go in the pool and took a while to actually like the water park. And since my father-in-law has teenage girls, they were able to watch the boys so the adults could go out for dinner. It was nice catching up without being interrupted every few minutes. My father-in-law has 2 cats and my younger son was obsessed with one of them. He followed him all over the house and kept getting in his face.
Work is still going well. I still like it after 6 months. Things have been busier lately with the fiscal year coming to an end soon. I like being able to contribute to the greater good in any way possible. My organization had its annual meeting in early June at an old style movie theater. It was a neat venue for the meeting and I enjoyed being able to assist at the event. I stuck around for part of the meeting after my duties there were finished. Last week, there was a party for our CEO, who is leaving soon, and a social gathering at Dave and Buster's. It's nice to talk to my coworkers in a different setting. I usually tend to flock to the same people, but it's hard to find time to catch up at work. We're all in different parts of the office. I also saw two coworkers at a women's event at a nearby shul this past weekend. (I'll discuss the event in another blog post soon.)
This past week, my husband and I went to Wolf Trap (the Ravinia of VA) to hear Harry Connick Jr. perform. We didn't actually see him perform, but it was nice to bring a picnic and sit on the lawn and just listen. It was just nice to be on a date again. The only thing that bothered me was that a lot of other people on the lawn were talking loudly while Harry was singing or talking. It's one thing to talk before the show, but another to talk throughout. One woman was even on her cell at one point and then repeated her whole conversation to the person sitting by her. It made me wish that Wolf Trap had the same "quiet" policy as Ravinia.
I've been focusing a lot on Chick Lit Central, the Facebook group I created to discuss all things chick lit related. I also keep a blog for the group and run author interviews and book giveaways through it. I am very passionate about this group and am looking for ways to keep it fun and interesting. I recently had a conversation with someone that helped me think of ways to handle what and how often I post on my wall or other walls. It pushed me to think outside the box in regards to how I run the group and I appreciate the insights from the person with whom I spoke. I want to keep things as positive and upbeat as I possibly can for the group and hope my new "guidelines" will help in that effort.
I had a really nice Shabbat yesterday. It started with lunch at a friends' house, where I enjoyed getting to know them better. Then I went to a women's event that I referenced earlier and will discuss in another blog. Afterward, I stopped by our next door neighbor's house, as my husband and kids were hanging out there. Then another neighbor came over to our house with her kids later and stayed till after Shabbat ended. We had a nice conversation and it helped the last hour before the end of Shabbat feel less like it was dragging. I love being able to visit with friends on Shabbat. It's something I was hoping for when we moved here and I haven't been disappointed yet. :)
Today was nice. I took my older son swimming in the morning. They had a women and children (boys 5 and under) only swim. We stayed for about an hour and my older son had such a nice time. In the afternoon, we went to a minor league baseball game. It was fun. The last time I was at a baseball game was to see the Cubs on my older son's first birthday. I'm glad we went later in the game this time because both kids were getting antsy by the end and it was really hot out. We were with our next door neighbor and his two sons. Then we all had a barbecue at our house. It was a nice way to spend Father's Day.
I'm hoping this week will be low key. Maybe it will allow time for me to start writing the short story for the contest in Family Circle magazine. I have an idea in my head and am still playing around with it. I'm also supposed to meet a local author at the end of the week. I'm really looking forward to that!
Recent movies I've seen:
"An Education": Disappointing, compared to what I was expecting. Good acting though.
"The Princess and the Frog": Liked the old school Disney feel but not my favorite. Songs were not that memorable.
"The Invention of Lying": Very clever and funny. I definitely recommend it.
"Leap Year": Cute, but predictable. I like Amy Adams though.
"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus": I didn't like it and found it confusing. It put me to sleep too.
"My Life in Ruins": Really cute and better than I expected. Lots of funny parts.
"Dear John": Decent book adaptation, but slow at times. Good music though.
"When in Rome": Cute, but silly. A light chick flick that men can also enjoy.
I know this post was long. Goes to show how bad I am at keeping people up on my life. Thanks for hanging in there!
Over Memorial Day weekend, we drove 7.5 hours to SC to visit my father-in-law and his family. We hadn't seen them in almost 2 years, so it was nice to visit with them again. We also got to see my husband's grandmother a couple of times. She was confused a lot of the time and kept falling asleep. However, she recognized my older son and seemed happy to see both kids. I'm glad we sent her pictures in the past so that she knew what to expect. We had a lot of water time over the weekend between the pool and the water park. My older son loved being in the water, but my younger son refused to go in the pool and took a while to actually like the water park. And since my father-in-law has teenage girls, they were able to watch the boys so the adults could go out for dinner. It was nice catching up without being interrupted every few minutes. My father-in-law has 2 cats and my younger son was obsessed with one of them. He followed him all over the house and kept getting in his face.
Work is still going well. I still like it after 6 months. Things have been busier lately with the fiscal year coming to an end soon. I like being able to contribute to the greater good in any way possible. My organization had its annual meeting in early June at an old style movie theater. It was a neat venue for the meeting and I enjoyed being able to assist at the event. I stuck around for part of the meeting after my duties there were finished. Last week, there was a party for our CEO, who is leaving soon, and a social gathering at Dave and Buster's. It's nice to talk to my coworkers in a different setting. I usually tend to flock to the same people, but it's hard to find time to catch up at work. We're all in different parts of the office. I also saw two coworkers at a women's event at a nearby shul this past weekend. (I'll discuss the event in another blog post soon.)
This past week, my husband and I went to Wolf Trap (the Ravinia of VA) to hear Harry Connick Jr. perform. We didn't actually see him perform, but it was nice to bring a picnic and sit on the lawn and just listen. It was just nice to be on a date again. The only thing that bothered me was that a lot of other people on the lawn were talking loudly while Harry was singing or talking. It's one thing to talk before the show, but another to talk throughout. One woman was even on her cell at one point and then repeated her whole conversation to the person sitting by her. It made me wish that Wolf Trap had the same "quiet" policy as Ravinia.
I've been focusing a lot on Chick Lit Central, the Facebook group I created to discuss all things chick lit related. I also keep a blog for the group and run author interviews and book giveaways through it. I am very passionate about this group and am looking for ways to keep it fun and interesting. I recently had a conversation with someone that helped me think of ways to handle what and how often I post on my wall or other walls. It pushed me to think outside the box in regards to how I run the group and I appreciate the insights from the person with whom I spoke. I want to keep things as positive and upbeat as I possibly can for the group and hope my new "guidelines" will help in that effort.
I had a really nice Shabbat yesterday. It started with lunch at a friends' house, where I enjoyed getting to know them better. Then I went to a women's event that I referenced earlier and will discuss in another blog. Afterward, I stopped by our next door neighbor's house, as my husband and kids were hanging out there. Then another neighbor came over to our house with her kids later and stayed till after Shabbat ended. We had a nice conversation and it helped the last hour before the end of Shabbat feel less like it was dragging. I love being able to visit with friends on Shabbat. It's something I was hoping for when we moved here and I haven't been disappointed yet. :)
Today was nice. I took my older son swimming in the morning. They had a women and children (boys 5 and under) only swim. We stayed for about an hour and my older son had such a nice time. In the afternoon, we went to a minor league baseball game. It was fun. The last time I was at a baseball game was to see the Cubs on my older son's first birthday. I'm glad we went later in the game this time because both kids were getting antsy by the end and it was really hot out. We were with our next door neighbor and his two sons. Then we all had a barbecue at our house. It was a nice way to spend Father's Day.
I'm hoping this week will be low key. Maybe it will allow time for me to start writing the short story for the contest in Family Circle magazine. I have an idea in my head and am still playing around with it. I'm also supposed to meet a local author at the end of the week. I'm really looking forward to that!
Recent movies I've seen:
"An Education": Disappointing, compared to what I was expecting. Good acting though.
"The Princess and the Frog": Liked the old school Disney feel but not my favorite. Songs were not that memorable.
"The Invention of Lying": Very clever and funny. I definitely recommend it.
"Leap Year": Cute, but predictable. I like Amy Adams though.
"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus": I didn't like it and found it confusing. It put me to sleep too.
"My Life in Ruins": Really cute and better than I expected. Lots of funny parts.
"Dear John": Decent book adaptation, but slow at times. Good music though.
"When in Rome": Cute, but silly. A light chick flick that men can also enjoy.
I know this post was long. Goes to show how bad I am at keeping people up on my life. Thanks for hanging in there!
Friday, June 18, 2010
We'll always have Indian Princesses
In honor of Father's Day, this week's Friendship Friday post is about my first male friend...my dad.
My dad and I go way back...to the day I was born. (I take after his knack for corny jokes.) He's always played a prominent role in my life. Even though he traveled a lot when I was a baby, he made sure to spend quality time with me when he was home.
During my elementary school years, my dad and I did a program called Indian Princesses. We went to meetings every few weeks and on camp-outs in the fall, winter and spring. It was a fun bonding experience for us. My sister joined when she was old enough. One year, he got to be Nation Chief, which is a huge honor. We were both so proud of him, even when the tribal chiefs doused him with flour to celebrate. He always came up with fun things for our tribe to do and made sure to bring PB&J sandwiches to every camp-out in case of picky eaters, like myself. We did fundraisers where we'd sit outside the bank all day and sell candy.
We also had a ritual where the two of us would go out for dinner as special father and daughter bonding time. We usually went to Yen Yen for the occasion. I also went with him to watch him bowl on league nights. He found ways to help me feel involved. I got to see him bowl again when I was older, as he bowled with my husband for a while. We also would bowl together a lot in my youth and adult years. We even entered a tournament together once.
My dad has always been supportive without being overwhelming. He listens and knows whether advice is needed or not. He will get overenthusiastic sometimes, but that's just his way of expressing himself. I find it endearing. When we first told my parents that I was pregnant with my older son, my mom made a huge fuss and my dad just sat there and smiled. I knew he was thrilled but had his own way of showing it.
I am very similar to my dad in terms of personality. We're both very friendly, welcoming, funny (or at least we try to be), and we find ways to make ourselves stand out. He's famous for his latkes and is always in demand around Hanukkah time. He now is on Facebook and has connected with all my friends on there. (How many people actually respond to their friends' parents' friend requests on there? Apparently 72 that I know.)
When we moved to NJ, he was the only person who didn't make me feel bad about our decision. He offered words of support and tried to make the move as easy for us as possible.
My dad is a fantastic grandpa to my sons. They both adore him. When my younger son was turning 1 year old, he only wanted to be with my dad and would not leave his side. He even fell asleep on him a few times. He's always excited and supportive about everything they do, even if it's a minor milestone. He's also really good with animals and treats his pets as if they were human. He had a special bond with Kitty, the cat who passed away recently. I know it was hard for him to let him go. Kitty chose my dad originally, when we got him in 1994. He approached and cuddled with him both times that we went to the shelter.
He has a motto that he taught me when I was a kid and will still tell me to this day: "Dad can fix anything." Not saying that he should come to fix stuff in our house (even though he does anyway when he visits), but he instilled in me the belief that anything is fixable and not to give up when something isn't right.
I am very fortunate to have such a strong connection to my dad. I enjoy talking to him, even though he doesn't tell my mom anything and I have to repeat the same stories to her. He's always been there for me, no matter how far apart we live. I have a lot of fond memories from our past, as well as ones we've created over time and continue to create going forward. However, my favorite memory will always be our time together in Indian Princesses.
My dad and I go way back...to the day I was born. (I take after his knack for corny jokes.) He's always played a prominent role in my life. Even though he traveled a lot when I was a baby, he made sure to spend quality time with me when he was home.
During my elementary school years, my dad and I did a program called Indian Princesses. We went to meetings every few weeks and on camp-outs in the fall, winter and spring. It was a fun bonding experience for us. My sister joined when she was old enough. One year, he got to be Nation Chief, which is a huge honor. We were both so proud of him, even when the tribal chiefs doused him with flour to celebrate. He always came up with fun things for our tribe to do and made sure to bring PB&J sandwiches to every camp-out in case of picky eaters, like myself. We did fundraisers where we'd sit outside the bank all day and sell candy.
We also had a ritual where the two of us would go out for dinner as special father and daughter bonding time. We usually went to Yen Yen for the occasion. I also went with him to watch him bowl on league nights. He found ways to help me feel involved. I got to see him bowl again when I was older, as he bowled with my husband for a while. We also would bowl together a lot in my youth and adult years. We even entered a tournament together once.
My dad has always been supportive without being overwhelming. He listens and knows whether advice is needed or not. He will get overenthusiastic sometimes, but that's just his way of expressing himself. I find it endearing. When we first told my parents that I was pregnant with my older son, my mom made a huge fuss and my dad just sat there and smiled. I knew he was thrilled but had his own way of showing it.
I am very similar to my dad in terms of personality. We're both very friendly, welcoming, funny (or at least we try to be), and we find ways to make ourselves stand out. He's famous for his latkes and is always in demand around Hanukkah time. He now is on Facebook and has connected with all my friends on there. (How many people actually respond to their friends' parents' friend requests on there? Apparently 72 that I know.)
When we moved to NJ, he was the only person who didn't make me feel bad about our decision. He offered words of support and tried to make the move as easy for us as possible.
My dad is a fantastic grandpa to my sons. They both adore him. When my younger son was turning 1 year old, he only wanted to be with my dad and would not leave his side. He even fell asleep on him a few times. He's always excited and supportive about everything they do, even if it's a minor milestone. He's also really good with animals and treats his pets as if they were human. He had a special bond with Kitty, the cat who passed away recently. I know it was hard for him to let him go. Kitty chose my dad originally, when we got him in 1994. He approached and cuddled with him both times that we went to the shelter.
He has a motto that he taught me when I was a kid and will still tell me to this day: "Dad can fix anything." Not saying that he should come to fix stuff in our house (even though he does anyway when he visits), but he instilled in me the belief that anything is fixable and not to give up when something isn't right.
I am very fortunate to have such a strong connection to my dad. I enjoy talking to him, even though he doesn't tell my mom anything and I have to repeat the same stories to her. He's always been there for me, no matter how far apart we live. I have a lot of fond memories from our past, as well as ones we've created over time and continue to create going forward. However, my favorite memory will always be our time together in Indian Princesses.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
"I'm afraid I just 'blue' myself."--Tobias Funke, "Arrested Development"
I have a few friends who knit and blog and we've decided to embark on a blog project that has nothing to do with knitting. We're going to take turns coming up with a topic every Thursday and we each have to blog about it by the end of that day and post links to each others' blogs so that people can see our different perspectives on the same topic.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week Desperate Madness wants to know: If you were a color, what color would you be?
I could sum up this topic in one answer, but I thought I should probably explain it too. If I were a color, I would be blue.
There's something about the color blue that speaks to me. It's beautiful and serene. I can wear anything blue and it will totally enhance my eye color (also blue). It's the color of US Postal Service mailboxes and recycling bins. I love getting mail and recycling, so it's a good representative color. It's also the color people associate with baby boys, so it brings up good memories from both my sons' births. And along with that, my favorite monster from "Sesame Street"....Cookie Monster! I don't have that much to say about this topic, so I decided to do an image search on "blue" and share the pictures I found most striking. Enjoy!
Mmmm...chocolate...
I see you!
Makes me think of "The Glass Menagerie."
Just for fun!
The origin of the title for this post...
Wiggin' out!
My favorite furry blue guy!
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week Desperate Madness wants to know: If you were a color, what color would you be?
I could sum up this topic in one answer, but I thought I should probably explain it too. If I were a color, I would be blue.
There's something about the color blue that speaks to me. It's beautiful and serene. I can wear anything blue and it will totally enhance my eye color (also blue). It's the color of US Postal Service mailboxes and recycling bins. I love getting mail and recycling, so it's a good representative color. It's also the color people associate with baby boys, so it brings up good memories from both my sons' births. And along with that, my favorite monster from "Sesame Street"....Cookie Monster! I don't have that much to say about this topic, so I decided to do an image search on "blue" and share the pictures I found most striking. Enjoy!
Mmmm...chocolate...
I see you!
Makes me think of "The Glass Menagerie."
Just for fun!
The origin of the title for this post...
Wiggin' out!
My favorite furry blue guy!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Keeping it Green
This is not another post about the environment...
I was watching the Tony Awards and they featured "American Idiot," the musical based on Green Day's music. It made me think of some Green Day associated memories.
I first started listening to Green Day during freshman year of college. I mostly knew what I heard on the radio though, so basically just their top hits. My first boyfriend happened to like them and gave me "Dookie" on cassette when we were in the early phases of dating. He had this thing where he liked this one guitar chord in "When I Come Around." He got me to listen for it and now I hear it automatically. The hidden track on "Dookie" is really weird though. The first time I heard it, it freaked me out. They kept saying "I was all by myself."
After the hype of "Dookie" went away and they came out with a second album, I started losing interest. I didn't really give them much thought again until "Good Riddance" came around in the late 90's. I found it odd that they used that song on "ER" when someone's kid died. I know they talk about having the time of your life, but the title just seems odd for that type of situation.
In 2005, they started putting out more songs. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Holiday" both remind me of the time when my first son was born. "Wake Me..." was playing a lot during that time and since I was due in September, it just fit. It also makes sense because I didn't get much sleep during the first couple of weeks after his birth. It would have been nice to sleep long enough to get into October. Also, I was watching a lot of TBS shows around that time and they used "Holiday" for one of the commercials promoting the channel. So that stuck in my mind and I made the association once again.
That's really all of my history surrounding Green Day. I don't know that I'll want to see "American Idiot." Some parts reminded me of "Rent," but it really just seems like a long music video.
I was watching the Tony Awards and they featured "American Idiot," the musical based on Green Day's music. It made me think of some Green Day associated memories.
I first started listening to Green Day during freshman year of college. I mostly knew what I heard on the radio though, so basically just their top hits. My first boyfriend happened to like them and gave me "Dookie" on cassette when we were in the early phases of dating. He had this thing where he liked this one guitar chord in "When I Come Around." He got me to listen for it and now I hear it automatically. The hidden track on "Dookie" is really weird though. The first time I heard it, it freaked me out. They kept saying "I was all by myself."
After the hype of "Dookie" went away and they came out with a second album, I started losing interest. I didn't really give them much thought again until "Good Riddance" came around in the late 90's. I found it odd that they used that song on "ER" when someone's kid died. I know they talk about having the time of your life, but the title just seems odd for that type of situation.
In 2005, they started putting out more songs. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Holiday" both remind me of the time when my first son was born. "Wake Me..." was playing a lot during that time and since I was due in September, it just fit. It also makes sense because I didn't get much sleep during the first couple of weeks after his birth. It would have been nice to sleep long enough to get into October. Also, I was watching a lot of TBS shows around that time and they used "Holiday" for one of the commercials promoting the channel. So that stuck in my mind and I made the association once again.
That's really all of my history surrounding Green Day. I don't know that I'll want to see "American Idiot." Some parts reminded me of "Rent," but it really just seems like a long music video.
Friday, June 11, 2010
We'll always have La Costa
This week's Friendship Friday post is about two friends.
I wanted to put R.S. and L.R. in the same post because they are sisters and I've known them both in different ways since we were all too young to remember.
Our parents met in Lamaze class while they were expecting the arrivals of R.S. and myself. They became close and got together often so that we could have play dates and they could talk. We managed to get into mischief every so often, such as stuffing an entire roll of toilet paper in the toilet. (I think we're going to get payback from our kids sooner or later.) We grew up as best friends and enjoyed hanging out whenever our families got together. We always had stuff to joke and laugh about. We watched "Punky Brewster" a lot and traded books.
L.R. was born less than a year ahead of my sister so our parents paired them up as friends too. It was nice because we had our own friendships to focus on (instead of having to share one another's attention with a sibling).
Around the time I was in 3rd grade, our families started spending winter vacations in Florida. The first year, we stayed with my grandma while R.S. and L.R. stayed at La Costa, a timeshare in Pompano Beach. We joined them at La Costa the following year and for a few more years after that. We have a lot of funny stories from those family trips, such as Tish (a.k.a. Tush), the "factory," Goo Goo Clusters, pukemobile, Green Rivers, etc. We'd spend most of the day together at the pool or beach and then our families would go out for meals together.
As R.S. and I got older, our lives took us in different directions but we still got together when our families made plans. We'd go to the mall on days off from school or attend important events. We'd also send letters (which is funny because we lived only a few towns over) or call each other. My favorite story is when I was on the phone with her and my dad beeped in to ask my mom to turn on the grill. My mom thought R.S. had asked and we would joke about it each time we called each other.
When we started college, our lives really became separate entities. For a while, it became bothersome to me that we had grown apart so much and I didn't make an effort to stay in touch. After her grandma passed away in 1996, we started talking again like the lapse in communication had ever happened. I don't know if she noticed me distancing myself. That summer, we got together more often during our break from school. When we returned to school in the fall, R.S. got into a terrible car accident over Labor Day weekend. Thankfully someone had rescued her. However, she had to have multiple surgeries to look somewhat like herself again. It didn't stop her from reaching her goals. She took classes through the mail and completed her degree before me, going on to do something she really wanted afterward. I admire her determination and unwillingness to let a traumatic experience get in the way of achieving her dreams.
R.S. and I got engaged and married half a year apart from each other. She and I had our first children 2 weeks apart and our second children 2 months apart. (All boys.) We get together whenever my family and I are in town for a visit and our kids all get along well. I enjoy spending time with her, as well. We don't e-mail as often as we could, but we catch up on Facebook and we know that we can always contact each other whenever we want to catch up.
Moving on to L.R....When we were little, I transferred my sibling rivalry issues onto her and didn't really want much to do with her because she was my friend's baby sister. I'll admit that I was mean to her at times and I totally regret it now. (I treated her like one of my sister's friends and I picked on most of them, as a rite of--big sister--passage.) Aside from that, we were still a part of each others' lives, whether it was through celebrating special occasions or going on vacations together.
When L.R. started college, we started e-mailing a lot and connected as grown-ups. We'd talk about guys, books, TV shows, movies, guys, school, work, and guys. She came to me a lot for dating advice, which I appreciated. Our interest in books became even more similar than the shared interest I had with her sister. Our e-mails were usually pretty short, almost like a chat conversation, but we kept them going and still do.
When L.R. got married in 2008, I took a train to Chicago with my husband and kids so that I could be there for her wedding. It was one of the few I refused to miss. She's now days away from becoming a mom (b'shaah tovah) and I am very excited for her. I know we'll have even more to talk about as a result, if we didn't already. (I felt like I was experiencing her pregnancy vicariously, if that says anything about our connection as friends).
As I said before, my friendships with R.S. and L.R. have taken different paths. I never expected that I'd connect more with the younger sister as we all got older. Oddly enough, I think my sister talks to R.S. more often these days. I'm fond of them both and I appreciate their friendship. I hope our kids will stay friends over time, no matter how many miles there are between them. No matter what path our lives take us in, I know we'll always find a way to stay connected and we'll always have La Costa and the memories of fun (and funny) family trips.
I wanted to put R.S. and L.R. in the same post because they are sisters and I've known them both in different ways since we were all too young to remember.
Our parents met in Lamaze class while they were expecting the arrivals of R.S. and myself. They became close and got together often so that we could have play dates and they could talk. We managed to get into mischief every so often, such as stuffing an entire roll of toilet paper in the toilet. (I think we're going to get payback from our kids sooner or later.) We grew up as best friends and enjoyed hanging out whenever our families got together. We always had stuff to joke and laugh about. We watched "Punky Brewster" a lot and traded books.
L.R. was born less than a year ahead of my sister so our parents paired them up as friends too. It was nice because we had our own friendships to focus on (instead of having to share one another's attention with a sibling).
Around the time I was in 3rd grade, our families started spending winter vacations in Florida. The first year, we stayed with my grandma while R.S. and L.R. stayed at La Costa, a timeshare in Pompano Beach. We joined them at La Costa the following year and for a few more years after that. We have a lot of funny stories from those family trips, such as Tish (a.k.a. Tush), the "factory," Goo Goo Clusters, pukemobile, Green Rivers, etc. We'd spend most of the day together at the pool or beach and then our families would go out for meals together.
As R.S. and I got older, our lives took us in different directions but we still got together when our families made plans. We'd go to the mall on days off from school or attend important events. We'd also send letters (which is funny because we lived only a few towns over) or call each other. My favorite story is when I was on the phone with her and my dad beeped in to ask my mom to turn on the grill. My mom thought R.S. had asked and we would joke about it each time we called each other.
When we started college, our lives really became separate entities. For a while, it became bothersome to me that we had grown apart so much and I didn't make an effort to stay in touch. After her grandma passed away in 1996, we started talking again like the lapse in communication had ever happened. I don't know if she noticed me distancing myself. That summer, we got together more often during our break from school. When we returned to school in the fall, R.S. got into a terrible car accident over Labor Day weekend. Thankfully someone had rescued her. However, she had to have multiple surgeries to look somewhat like herself again. It didn't stop her from reaching her goals. She took classes through the mail and completed her degree before me, going on to do something she really wanted afterward. I admire her determination and unwillingness to let a traumatic experience get in the way of achieving her dreams.
R.S. and I got engaged and married half a year apart from each other. She and I had our first children 2 weeks apart and our second children 2 months apart. (All boys.) We get together whenever my family and I are in town for a visit and our kids all get along well. I enjoy spending time with her, as well. We don't e-mail as often as we could, but we catch up on Facebook and we know that we can always contact each other whenever we want to catch up.
Moving on to L.R....When we were little, I transferred my sibling rivalry issues onto her and didn't really want much to do with her because she was my friend's baby sister. I'll admit that I was mean to her at times and I totally regret it now. (I treated her like one of my sister's friends and I picked on most of them, as a rite of--big sister--passage.) Aside from that, we were still a part of each others' lives, whether it was through celebrating special occasions or going on vacations together.
When L.R. started college, we started e-mailing a lot and connected as grown-ups. We'd talk about guys, books, TV shows, movies, guys, school, work, and guys. She came to me a lot for dating advice, which I appreciated. Our interest in books became even more similar than the shared interest I had with her sister. Our e-mails were usually pretty short, almost like a chat conversation, but we kept them going and still do.
When L.R. got married in 2008, I took a train to Chicago with my husband and kids so that I could be there for her wedding. It was one of the few I refused to miss. She's now days away from becoming a mom (b'shaah tovah) and I am very excited for her. I know we'll have even more to talk about as a result, if we didn't already. (I felt like I was experiencing her pregnancy vicariously, if that says anything about our connection as friends).
As I said before, my friendships with R.S. and L.R. have taken different paths. I never expected that I'd connect more with the younger sister as we all got older. Oddly enough, I think my sister talks to R.S. more often these days. I'm fond of them both and I appreciate their friendship. I hope our kids will stay friends over time, no matter how many miles there are between them. No matter what path our lives take us in, I know we'll always find a way to stay connected and we'll always have La Costa and the memories of fun (and funny) family trips.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
In a state of being merry....
I have a few friends who knit and blog and we've decided to embark on a blog project that has nothing to do with knitting. We're going to take turns coming up with a topic every Thursday and we each have to blog about it by the end of that day and post links to each others' blogs so that people can see our different perspectives on the same topic.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week's topic came from Froggie: One of my favorite parts about my life is . . .
I thought the topic was perfect for what I wanted to talk about this week. It's been a year since we bid on our house and started making plans to move to Maryland. It has led us to one of my favorite parts about my life, which is where I live.
A while back, I put together a "Top 10" list of everything I missed about living in NJ. To explain why I love living in Maryland (at least in the DC area), I'm putting together another "Top 10" list.
Here are my reasons, in no particular order:
1. Living so close to Washington DC. I absolutely love it there and it's nice to be able to hop onto a Metro and be there in 30 minutes or less. I love how historical everything is and how it is not centered around shopping.
2. Our house. I love our house and know we couldn't have found something this great at such a reasonable price in NJ. It fits our personalities and it's so comfortable.
3. The community in which we live. Our community is primarily Modern Orthodox and we know most of our neighbors. It's nice to see people we know outside of shul, such as at the grocery store, at a restaurant, etc. There's even a listserv for the community to keep up on the latest news or get valuable information that we need. My love for the community extends to and from the shul we attend every Shabbos and holiday. It's such a great shul and it meets every need possible.
4. Our friends. I love the friends we have made in Maryland so far. I've blogged about some of them and will blog about more in the future. Everyone is so friendly and social. I even received an indirect compliment from one of them recently. It was so heartwarming! There are also the friends who live outside our community. We may not get to see them as often, but the possibility is always there.
5. Being close to family members. My brother-in-law lives in Baltimore with his family. They live close enough to be able to make impromptu dinner plans on a rainy Sunday (not even a blackout at the restaurant could keep them away). We also have cousins in Virginia, with whom we enjoy getting together. It's nice for the kids to have a lot of cousins their age to play with.
6. My job. I've been at my job for 6 months now and I really love working here. It's a great organization and the work is meaningful. I've assisted at a couple of bigger events and it is such an amazing feeling to be a part of the greater good.
7. The schools. The public school system is very reputable and that makes me feel better about the possibility of putting our kids in public school vs. a yeshiva. I really love how wonderful my older son's school has been in just his first year there. And my younger son's school is fabulous too (right now, he is in a Jewish program).
8. How easy it is to get around. The streets are clearly labeled and there are even shortcuts to avoid traffic on the beltway.
9. Two words: Value Village. It's my favorite new shopping experience. It has turned me into a thrift store junkie!
10. All the nature around us. When we get seasons in Maryland, it is truly obvious. I didn't mind the insane snowfall because the cherry blossoms growing on all the trees in the spring made it worth the wait. And the fall colors are everything I've wanted out of one season. This will be our first full summer living here, so we'll have to see what is in store.
Honorable mentions also go to having a country music station (there wasn't one in NY or NJ), the ongoing used book sale at the library, the cheese fries at our favorite Kosher pizza place, and finally the feeling of contentment and confidence I have from living here. It really should be pronounced as it looks--Merry-land--for I feel truly merry where I live now.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week's topic came from Froggie: One of my favorite parts about my life is . . .
I thought the topic was perfect for what I wanted to talk about this week. It's been a year since we bid on our house and started making plans to move to Maryland. It has led us to one of my favorite parts about my life, which is where I live.
A while back, I put together a "Top 10" list of everything I missed about living in NJ. To explain why I love living in Maryland (at least in the DC area), I'm putting together another "Top 10" list.
Here are my reasons, in no particular order:
1. Living so close to Washington DC. I absolutely love it there and it's nice to be able to hop onto a Metro and be there in 30 minutes or less. I love how historical everything is and how it is not centered around shopping.
2. Our house. I love our house and know we couldn't have found something this great at such a reasonable price in NJ. It fits our personalities and it's so comfortable.
3. The community in which we live. Our community is primarily Modern Orthodox and we know most of our neighbors. It's nice to see people we know outside of shul, such as at the grocery store, at a restaurant, etc. There's even a listserv for the community to keep up on the latest news or get valuable information that we need. My love for the community extends to and from the shul we attend every Shabbos and holiday. It's such a great shul and it meets every need possible.
4. Our friends. I love the friends we have made in Maryland so far. I've blogged about some of them and will blog about more in the future. Everyone is so friendly and social. I even received an indirect compliment from one of them recently. It was so heartwarming! There are also the friends who live outside our community. We may not get to see them as often, but the possibility is always there.
5. Being close to family members. My brother-in-law lives in Baltimore with his family. They live close enough to be able to make impromptu dinner plans on a rainy Sunday (not even a blackout at the restaurant could keep them away). We also have cousins in Virginia, with whom we enjoy getting together. It's nice for the kids to have a lot of cousins their age to play with.
6. My job. I've been at my job for 6 months now and I really love working here. It's a great organization and the work is meaningful. I've assisted at a couple of bigger events and it is such an amazing feeling to be a part of the greater good.
7. The schools. The public school system is very reputable and that makes me feel better about the possibility of putting our kids in public school vs. a yeshiva. I really love how wonderful my older son's school has been in just his first year there. And my younger son's school is fabulous too (right now, he is in a Jewish program).
8. How easy it is to get around. The streets are clearly labeled and there are even shortcuts to avoid traffic on the beltway.
9. Two words: Value Village. It's my favorite new shopping experience. It has turned me into a thrift store junkie!
10. All the nature around us. When we get seasons in Maryland, it is truly obvious. I didn't mind the insane snowfall because the cherry blossoms growing on all the trees in the spring made it worth the wait. And the fall colors are everything I've wanted out of one season. This will be our first full summer living here, so we'll have to see what is in store.
Honorable mentions also go to having a country music station (there wasn't one in NY or NJ), the ongoing used book sale at the library, the cheese fries at our favorite Kosher pizza place, and finally the feeling of contentment and confidence I have from living here. It really should be pronounced as it looks--Merry-land--for I feel truly merry where I live now.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Time + Travel
March 12th, 2007
11:40 am - 3 years and still going strong
We had a nice time celebrating our anniversary this past weekend. My friend came over to watch Eitan on Saturday night, so that we could go dancing. We went to this place we were at 2 years ago (same group, different location) and it was fun to dance completely uninhibited because no one knew us. It was funny because we forgot a lot of what we learned 3 years ago at ballroom dance lessons. This one couple was trying to teach us how to do this cha-cha at one point. The DJ was weird and didn't have any of the songs I requested, but he'd play these crazy songs like a fast dance version of "Memory" from Cats. They had free cake there, which was nice. It had a cream cheese frosting and strawberry filling. There was one couple that danced really well and it was hard not to watch them. It made me think that if we had time to practice and go dancing more, we'd be that good. Oh well!
Sunday, we went to a classical concert at our temple. One of the congregants is a really good pianist and he played some songs on his own and some as duets with another pianist. Then another congregant (also someone I grew up with from my old temple and became friends with again over the last year or so) is a professional violinist. The combination of the piano and violin was beautiful and the acoustics in the sanctuary were perfect for the show. It's funny...the violinist's parents were at our wedding, but he wasn't because we hadn't been in touch with him and I didn't see him until after I had Eitan. However, if we had been close with him before we got married, I would have asked him to play for our ceremony. I know he's played at weddings before.
After the show, we went to Maggiano's for dinner. It only cost us the price of the tip because we had some gift certificates, thanks to "Will" and one of DH's colleagues. The food was great! We tried these zucchini frittes. I used to not like zucchini until later in my pregnancy, but I'm glad I do now (cooked only, not raw). They were really good. The funniest thing was that the really good dancers from Saturday night were at the table next to us. What a small world?!?
After dinner, we went to Barnes and Noble to see what books are new. Not too many really interested me. The ones I want, I already have on reserve at the library. I didn't really see anything else that I wanted to reserve though. Maybe some more of my favorite authors will put out books this summer. A friend of mine told me to read the "Traveling Pants" series and said that they're not just for teens. I loved "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" as a movie, so maybe I'll look into that sometime. I'm still in this Jodi Picoult mood and am not done with "Harvesting the Heart" yet. Eitan's speech therapist loaned me a book about the Holocaust called "The Seamstress". It looks interesting and she said she really liked it. We have similar tastes in books.
On that topic...during the show I was thinking of "Mr. Holland's Opus" because they were playing Beethoven and he was talking about how Beethoven cut off the legs of his piano to hear the vibration of the keys, in order to compose music. I remember that he started talking about it after realizing his son was deaf. It made me think of how I feel a connection to Beethoven now that Eitan is hearing impaired. Oddly enough, "Mr. Holland's Opus" was one of the movies we watched shortly after Eitan was born. How little we knew back then. I am very thankful that he is not completely deaf and can hear music and understand it. He has better rhythm than I do. :) Then I was thinking of how Holland was an appropriate last name for the character. This is because of a passage I read somewhere about how having a child with a disability is like ending up in Holland when you were supposed to go to France and planned everything in regards to France. However, it's not a bad thing, just different. I think about the people I never would have met if Eitan could hear normally. These are very kind-hearted people, such as his speech therapist, that I feel very fortunate to know now. In the grand scheme of things, his hearing impairment is not awful, compared to what some people have to contend with in their lives. Many people have survived with even less hearing than he has and have made good lives for themselves. Marlee Matlin is a good example of this. I'm very thankful that he is learning how to listen and speak now. It will only help him learn more quickly in the future. I'm glad we don't take his hearing for granted and that we have a bond with him from working on speech development. I'm thankful for every utterance he makes, whether it's a giggle or an actual word. I wouldn't have given it as much thought, other than he said a first word, if he heard perfectly. Eitan is a blessing to us and I can't imagine him as anything different than how he is.
Now I'm all verklempt, so I'll be heading off....
Follow up:
I found this post interesting for several reasons:
1. I was recently accepted by Empowering Parents as a parent blogger. I'm not going to be paid for my posts, but it's a great opportunity to expand upon my writing. The post that got me this "position" was about Holland. I actually said Italy was the other country. I'm sure the other country doesn't matter as much as the point being made. When it shows up on the site, I'll be sure to let everyone know!
2. Since I started Chick Lit Central, I've been contacting authors about doing giveaways through the related blog. Some authors have offered me copies of their books for my own reading pleasure, as a thank you for the publicity. I think it's extremely nice and I appreciate each offer. There's a PR agency that will soon be supplying me with some books to review. I've also won books through other Facebook pages and blogs. I haven't had to buy a book in a while, as a result. :) I'm just impressed with how nice and accessible authors are and how excited they are to do giveaways for their books. Running this group is a lot of fun and we're now reaching 500 members. A friend even told me I was the Perez Hilton of chick lit. I've been savoring that comment!
Also, I have the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series now. I haven't read the books yet, but another friend has also recommended them and she and I have similar tastes in books.
3. I haven't heard from my violinist friend since sometime in 2007. It annoys me because he was a good friend to both my husband and myself. We all would spend hours talking (along with another mutual friend). I know he wasn't the greatest about staying in contact to begin with, but we're friends on Facebook so I don't get why he can't send a friendly message to say hi and share what is new with him. I can only do so much from my end to maintain friendships. On the upside, he did introduce us to Bailey's ice cream from Haagen Dazs.
4. We haven't gone out dancing other than at a wedding in 2008. It would be nice to do again sometime.
5. I started liking asparagus toward the end of my second pregnancy, and shortly after that I started liking cauliflower. I still like (cooked) zucchini.
11:40 am - 3 years and still going strong
We had a nice time celebrating our anniversary this past weekend. My friend came over to watch Eitan on Saturday night, so that we could go dancing. We went to this place we were at 2 years ago (same group, different location) and it was fun to dance completely uninhibited because no one knew us. It was funny because we forgot a lot of what we learned 3 years ago at ballroom dance lessons. This one couple was trying to teach us how to do this cha-cha at one point. The DJ was weird and didn't have any of the songs I requested, but he'd play these crazy songs like a fast dance version of "Memory" from Cats. They had free cake there, which was nice. It had a cream cheese frosting and strawberry filling. There was one couple that danced really well and it was hard not to watch them. It made me think that if we had time to practice and go dancing more, we'd be that good. Oh well!
Sunday, we went to a classical concert at our temple. One of the congregants is a really good pianist and he played some songs on his own and some as duets with another pianist. Then another congregant (also someone I grew up with from my old temple and became friends with again over the last year or so) is a professional violinist. The combination of the piano and violin was beautiful and the acoustics in the sanctuary were perfect for the show. It's funny...the violinist's parents were at our wedding, but he wasn't because we hadn't been in touch with him and I didn't see him until after I had Eitan. However, if we had been close with him before we got married, I would have asked him to play for our ceremony. I know he's played at weddings before.
After the show, we went to Maggiano's for dinner. It only cost us the price of the tip because we had some gift certificates, thanks to "Will" and one of DH's colleagues. The food was great! We tried these zucchini frittes. I used to not like zucchini until later in my pregnancy, but I'm glad I do now (cooked only, not raw). They were really good. The funniest thing was that the really good dancers from Saturday night were at the table next to us. What a small world?!?
After dinner, we went to Barnes and Noble to see what books are new. Not too many really interested me. The ones I want, I already have on reserve at the library. I didn't really see anything else that I wanted to reserve though. Maybe some more of my favorite authors will put out books this summer. A friend of mine told me to read the "Traveling Pants" series and said that they're not just for teens. I loved "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" as a movie, so maybe I'll look into that sometime. I'm still in this Jodi Picoult mood and am not done with "Harvesting the Heart" yet. Eitan's speech therapist loaned me a book about the Holocaust called "The Seamstress". It looks interesting and she said she really liked it. We have similar tastes in books.
On that topic...during the show I was thinking of "Mr. Holland's Opus" because they were playing Beethoven and he was talking about how Beethoven cut off the legs of his piano to hear the vibration of the keys, in order to compose music. I remember that he started talking about it after realizing his son was deaf. It made me think of how I feel a connection to Beethoven now that Eitan is hearing impaired. Oddly enough, "Mr. Holland's Opus" was one of the movies we watched shortly after Eitan was born. How little we knew back then. I am very thankful that he is not completely deaf and can hear music and understand it. He has better rhythm than I do. :) Then I was thinking of how Holland was an appropriate last name for the character. This is because of a passage I read somewhere about how having a child with a disability is like ending up in Holland when you were supposed to go to France and planned everything in regards to France. However, it's not a bad thing, just different. I think about the people I never would have met if Eitan could hear normally. These are very kind-hearted people, such as his speech therapist, that I feel very fortunate to know now. In the grand scheme of things, his hearing impairment is not awful, compared to what some people have to contend with in their lives. Many people have survived with even less hearing than he has and have made good lives for themselves. Marlee Matlin is a good example of this. I'm very thankful that he is learning how to listen and speak now. It will only help him learn more quickly in the future. I'm glad we don't take his hearing for granted and that we have a bond with him from working on speech development. I'm thankful for every utterance he makes, whether it's a giggle or an actual word. I wouldn't have given it as much thought, other than he said a first word, if he heard perfectly. Eitan is a blessing to us and I can't imagine him as anything different than how he is.
Now I'm all verklempt, so I'll be heading off....
Follow up:
I found this post interesting for several reasons:
1. I was recently accepted by Empowering Parents as a parent blogger. I'm not going to be paid for my posts, but it's a great opportunity to expand upon my writing. The post that got me this "position" was about Holland. I actually said Italy was the other country. I'm sure the other country doesn't matter as much as the point being made. When it shows up on the site, I'll be sure to let everyone know!
2. Since I started Chick Lit Central, I've been contacting authors about doing giveaways through the related blog. Some authors have offered me copies of their books for my own reading pleasure, as a thank you for the publicity. I think it's extremely nice and I appreciate each offer. There's a PR agency that will soon be supplying me with some books to review. I've also won books through other Facebook pages and blogs. I haven't had to buy a book in a while, as a result. :) I'm just impressed with how nice and accessible authors are and how excited they are to do giveaways for their books. Running this group is a lot of fun and we're now reaching 500 members. A friend even told me I was the Perez Hilton of chick lit. I've been savoring that comment!
Also, I have the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series now. I haven't read the books yet, but another friend has also recommended them and she and I have similar tastes in books.
3. I haven't heard from my violinist friend since sometime in 2007. It annoys me because he was a good friend to both my husband and myself. We all would spend hours talking (along with another mutual friend). I know he wasn't the greatest about staying in contact to begin with, but we're friends on Facebook so I don't get why he can't send a friendly message to say hi and share what is new with him. I can only do so much from my end to maintain friendships. On the upside, he did introduce us to Bailey's ice cream from Haagen Dazs.
4. We haven't gone out dancing other than at a wedding in 2008. It would be nice to do again sometime.
5. I started liking asparagus toward the end of my second pregnancy, and shortly after that I started liking cauliflower. I still like (cooked) zucchini.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
We'll always have "Billy Madison"
This week's Friendship Friday post is about R.T., another guy friend of mine.
I met R.T. during my freshman year of college. (He was a sophomore.) We were at a meeting to learn about Best Buddies, which is a program to pair up with adults who have developmental disabilities. He was genuinely nice and I liked that about him. He later got incorporated into my circle of friends. Then I introduced him to a different circle of friends the following semester.
Throughout our time in college, we would hang out a lot at school or during the summer. We had a lot of similar interests, such as "Rocky Horror," theater, Adam Sandler movies, our views on certain topics, etc. We always were platonic friends but he was good for a hug or two, as he loves sharing hugs with all his friends. :) After college, I introduced him to yet another circle of friends and he became part of that circle now. A lot of the time, he'd end up being the "token male" when a group of us went out, but he was so easygoing and fun to be around that it didn't matter.
R.T. has a great sense of humor and is very creative. He's able to write song parodies that could rival anything Weird Al does. He comes up with interesting ideas for movies and stories. I just hope he'll channel his creative energy to put his mark on the world someday. I think he'd be a good comedy film writer. He's performed in several plays that I've seen and his personality has always allowed him to shine on stage. He could have one line and still find a way to make himself the one to watch.
Anytime R.T. and I got together, we would watch MST3K or Adam Sandler movies. Our favorite is "Billy Madison" and we have fun quoting the lines together. He does a funny Adam Sandler impression too. He also does some other really good impressions of actors and characters. He told me that his nickname in high school was Kermit because he did a convincing Kermit impression. My favorite is still his impression of when Adam Sandler talked about improvised Halloween costumes (i.e. crazy spoon head).
R.T. and I even worked together one summer, at a home for adults with developmental disabilities, oddly enough. It was nice to see his friendly face when we were on the same shift and we had inside jokes about some of the people who worked with us but drove us crazy. Other times during that summer, as well as other summers, we went to a lot of movies and hung out at Buffalo (a diner known for their delicious ice cream sundaes).
Some things that stick out to me when I think of R.T. are his kindness and his passion. He is always thinking of his friends and putting them first. He has sent me cards for things that I wouldn't expect him to remember, such as Jewish holidays. He also got my children gifts when they were born. When he comes to parties, he can always be counted on to stay after and clean up. I've never even had to ask him for such help. He also loves kids and is really nice to them, whether they're my kids or someone else's. I remember one time when I was stuck at a bad job interview (long story), he came and picked me up to drive me back to my car, even though it was totally out of his way. (I got him lunch at Buffalo to thank him.) That's the kind of friend he is. As for his passion, R.T. is not afraid to speak his mind, especially when it's something really important to him. Even if his opinion isn't popular, he will still voice it loudly. He's currently single, but I know he'll make any girl he falls in love with feel incredibly happy and lucky. He has a lot of love in his heart and I know he'd treat the love of his life even better than he treats his friends, if that's even possible!
I don't get to spend time with R.T. as much as before, since he lives in Illinois. I try to see him when we're in town though, even if it's for a short time. He's very reliable and will always make a point to see me if he knows I'm around. When we're separated by distance, I like sending him articles and videos online because they usually fit his sense of humor or remind me of an inside joke. I look forward to seeing R.T. the next time I'm in town for a visit and hope that he'll come out my way on his yearly east coast trip. In the meantime and for the long run, I know we'll always have "Billy Madison."
I met R.T. during my freshman year of college. (He was a sophomore.) We were at a meeting to learn about Best Buddies, which is a program to pair up with adults who have developmental disabilities. He was genuinely nice and I liked that about him. He later got incorporated into my circle of friends. Then I introduced him to a different circle of friends the following semester.
Throughout our time in college, we would hang out a lot at school or during the summer. We had a lot of similar interests, such as "Rocky Horror," theater, Adam Sandler movies, our views on certain topics, etc. We always were platonic friends but he was good for a hug or two, as he loves sharing hugs with all his friends. :) After college, I introduced him to yet another circle of friends and he became part of that circle now. A lot of the time, he'd end up being the "token male" when a group of us went out, but he was so easygoing and fun to be around that it didn't matter.
R.T. has a great sense of humor and is very creative. He's able to write song parodies that could rival anything Weird Al does. He comes up with interesting ideas for movies and stories. I just hope he'll channel his creative energy to put his mark on the world someday. I think he'd be a good comedy film writer. He's performed in several plays that I've seen and his personality has always allowed him to shine on stage. He could have one line and still find a way to make himself the one to watch.
Anytime R.T. and I got together, we would watch MST3K or Adam Sandler movies. Our favorite is "Billy Madison" and we have fun quoting the lines together. He does a funny Adam Sandler impression too. He also does some other really good impressions of actors and characters. He told me that his nickname in high school was Kermit because he did a convincing Kermit impression. My favorite is still his impression of when Adam Sandler talked about improvised Halloween costumes (i.e. crazy spoon head).
R.T. and I even worked together one summer, at a home for adults with developmental disabilities, oddly enough. It was nice to see his friendly face when we were on the same shift and we had inside jokes about some of the people who worked with us but drove us crazy. Other times during that summer, as well as other summers, we went to a lot of movies and hung out at Buffalo (a diner known for their delicious ice cream sundaes).
Some things that stick out to me when I think of R.T. are his kindness and his passion. He is always thinking of his friends and putting them first. He has sent me cards for things that I wouldn't expect him to remember, such as Jewish holidays. He also got my children gifts when they were born. When he comes to parties, he can always be counted on to stay after and clean up. I've never even had to ask him for such help. He also loves kids and is really nice to them, whether they're my kids or someone else's. I remember one time when I was stuck at a bad job interview (long story), he came and picked me up to drive me back to my car, even though it was totally out of his way. (I got him lunch at Buffalo to thank him.) That's the kind of friend he is. As for his passion, R.T. is not afraid to speak his mind, especially when it's something really important to him. Even if his opinion isn't popular, he will still voice it loudly. He's currently single, but I know he'll make any girl he falls in love with feel incredibly happy and lucky. He has a lot of love in his heart and I know he'd treat the love of his life even better than he treats his friends, if that's even possible!
I don't get to spend time with R.T. as much as before, since he lives in Illinois. I try to see him when we're in town though, even if it's for a short time. He's very reliable and will always make a point to see me if he knows I'm around. When we're separated by distance, I like sending him articles and videos online because they usually fit his sense of humor or remind me of an inside joke. I look forward to seeing R.T. the next time I'm in town for a visit and hope that he'll come out my way on his yearly east coast trip. In the meantime and for the long run, I know we'll always have "Billy Madison."
'Til we meet....
I have a few friends who knit and blog and we've decided to embark on a blog project that has nothing to do with knitting. We're going to take turns coming up with a topic every Thursday and we each have to blog about it by the end of that day and post links to each others' blogs so that people can see our different perspectives on the same topic.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week it was my turn to pick the topic: What is the longest relationship you've had with someone whom you've never met in person? (Talk about how you met, what your friendship has been like, etc.) Do you think you'll ever get to meet them?
The topic was inspired when I realized that the other three bloggers involved with this project have not met in person and they all live in the same state. (I'm the only one of the group who lives in a different state.)
I have a lot of long time Internet friends (with whom I've been in touch on and off over the years), but I think my longest relationship without having met in person is with Katydid. (I'm using the nickname by which I first came to know her.)
I met Katydid on #CentPerk, which was this online chat group back in the mid-90's that was started in order to connect fans of "Friends." I don't even know how she and I started becoming close or what drew us together within the group. We just started e-mailing and became each other's online sister. She lived (and still lives) in Canada, so it wasn't like we could easily meet. I had only been to Canada once and that was freshman year of high school. I don't know if she had traveled to America at all, but if she did, it wasn't to Illinois.
Over time, we broke away from the chat group and were e-mailing on a regular basis, as well as sending each other packages with mix tapes and other fun items. (My favorite package was the Degrassi movie!) I felt I could really bare my soul to her, as I knew her outside my family and usual circle of friends. I would send her long e-mails and she'd send long ones back to me. I'd even write her letters on stationery when I was away from a computer but had a lot to tell her.
Then we lost contact in 2003. I don't know how it happened, but it just did. I don't know why I gave up so easily either. After I got on Facebook in 2007, I'd try to see if she had joined and would occasionally do searches. I didn't come up with much other than a lot of girls with the same name but a different face....until a few months ago. I found someone with her name who looked like her and had similar interests to the Katydid I remembered from years ago. I took a chance and wrote to her to see if she'd want to get back in contact. I received a nice e-mail in return, saying that she was hoping to find me too. It was so nice to reconnect with her. We e-mail shorter messages and it's more sporadic, but it's nice to know that she's around and that we can pick up where we left off. I hope we'll get to meet in person someday but I don't know who will make the trip first. I guess time will tell.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week it was my turn to pick the topic: What is the longest relationship you've had with someone whom you've never met in person? (Talk about how you met, what your friendship has been like, etc.) Do you think you'll ever get to meet them?
The topic was inspired when I realized that the other three bloggers involved with this project have not met in person and they all live in the same state. (I'm the only one of the group who lives in a different state.)
I have a lot of long time Internet friends (with whom I've been in touch on and off over the years), but I think my longest relationship without having met in person is with Katydid. (I'm using the nickname by which I first came to know her.)
I met Katydid on #CentPerk, which was this online chat group back in the mid-90's that was started in order to connect fans of "Friends." I don't even know how she and I started becoming close or what drew us together within the group. We just started e-mailing and became each other's online sister. She lived (and still lives) in Canada, so it wasn't like we could easily meet. I had only been to Canada once and that was freshman year of high school. I don't know if she had traveled to America at all, but if she did, it wasn't to Illinois.
Over time, we broke away from the chat group and were e-mailing on a regular basis, as well as sending each other packages with mix tapes and other fun items. (My favorite package was the Degrassi movie!) I felt I could really bare my soul to her, as I knew her outside my family and usual circle of friends. I would send her long e-mails and she'd send long ones back to me. I'd even write her letters on stationery when I was away from a computer but had a lot to tell her.
Then we lost contact in 2003. I don't know how it happened, but it just did. I don't know why I gave up so easily either. After I got on Facebook in 2007, I'd try to see if she had joined and would occasionally do searches. I didn't come up with much other than a lot of girls with the same name but a different face....until a few months ago. I found someone with her name who looked like her and had similar interests to the Katydid I remembered from years ago. I took a chance and wrote to her to see if she'd want to get back in contact. I received a nice e-mail in return, saying that she was hoping to find me too. It was so nice to reconnect with her. We e-mail shorter messages and it's more sporadic, but it's nice to know that she's around and that we can pick up where we left off. I hope we'll get to meet in person someday but I don't know who will make the trip first. I guess time will tell.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A different kind of time warp
I’m running out of blog entries to share on this weekly time warp theme. So I thought I’d add a new twist to it...
I know I’m always talking about how different songs take me back to certain time periods in my life. I thought I’d do posts about this for Time Warp Tuesday, whenever the mood strikes. It will allow me to reach even further back than the five years my blog and livejournal posts encompass.
Today, I heard “I Get Weak” by Belinda Carlisle and I immediately flashed back to the first time I hung out with my BFF after camp season had ended. I don’t know why we waited until the following January (in 1988) to get together, but I guess that’s what happened. Anyway, I remember that we met up at Deerbrook Mall (which is now a run-down mall with maybe one or two shops still open inside) and walked around for a while to do the usual “girlfriend” type of shopping. In 6th grade, we usually spent most of our time in music and accessory stores. At one point during this shopping trip, we ended up at The Flip Side, which was a record store around at the time. I don’t remember what cassette tape she purchased, but I do remember that I bought the Belinda Carlisle album "Heaven on Earth" (yes, I grew up during a time when records still existed) which had "I Get Weak" as one of the songs.
After that point, we continued to get together and usually met up at a hair salon in Buffalo Grove and got hot dogs at a nearby place called Wiener Take All. We still went to the mall a lot, but we also found other fun things to do and had lots of overnighters (or slumber parties, as one would call them). We even saw NKOTB in concert in 1989.
I could turn this into a huge post about my BFF, but I’ll save that for a Friendship Friday sometime. :) I just know that the first mall meet-up was a turning point in our friendship and I appreciate her being there for me when I was an awkward geek in junior high and had barely any friends to hang out with outside of school. She made those 3 years a lot easier!
I know I’m always talking about how different songs take me back to certain time periods in my life. I thought I’d do posts about this for Time Warp Tuesday, whenever the mood strikes. It will allow me to reach even further back than the five years my blog and livejournal posts encompass.
Today, I heard “I Get Weak” by Belinda Carlisle and I immediately flashed back to the first time I hung out with my BFF after camp season had ended. I don’t know why we waited until the following January (in 1988) to get together, but I guess that’s what happened. Anyway, I remember that we met up at Deerbrook Mall (which is now a run-down mall with maybe one or two shops still open inside) and walked around for a while to do the usual “girlfriend” type of shopping. In 6th grade, we usually spent most of our time in music and accessory stores. At one point during this shopping trip, we ended up at The Flip Side, which was a record store around at the time. I don’t remember what cassette tape she purchased, but I do remember that I bought the Belinda Carlisle album "Heaven on Earth" (yes, I grew up during a time when records still existed) which had "I Get Weak" as one of the songs.
After that point, we continued to get together and usually met up at a hair salon in Buffalo Grove and got hot dogs at a nearby place called Wiener Take All. We still went to the mall a lot, but we also found other fun things to do and had lots of overnighters (or slumber parties, as one would call them). We even saw NKOTB in concert in 1989.
I could turn this into a huge post about my BFF, but I’ll save that for a Friendship Friday sometime. :) I just know that the first mall meet-up was a turning point in our friendship and I appreciate her being there for me when I was an awkward geek in junior high and had barely any friends to hang out with outside of school. She made those 3 years a lot easier!
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