Boston Red Sox

 



October 32, 2013



There is only one thing to say today. Well, maybe two. Happy Halloween and CONGRATULATIONS to the Boston Red Sox. Coming from a Yankees fan who is so happy the east coast team won the series. Last time Boston won I was there at the parade because it was also parent's weekend for Josh. The excitement from the fans was contagious. Can't imagine what it was like last night!

Rent A Husband

October 28, 2013



I've come to learn there are many aspects to cobbling together a "husband for rent." All the jobs that were divided up when I was married are still here. Just waiting to be accomplished. The bills, the yard work, the car, the plumbing, the cellar, the kitty litter, the garbage.... all the things HE took care of before. All my responsibility now.



Some tasks are easier than others. I can pay the bills on line (whoever would have thought! ) and the kitty litter is no big deal. I drag the garbage and the recyclables down to the curb every week, and when there is a bug anywhere Hilary calls me and I take care of it. I even disposed of the dead mice, although I used a shovel and tried not to look at them as I brought them outside. They were kind of cute and I considered giving them a proper burial but didn't have the time.


But the big things I've had to hire out. Steve takes care of my car and he never said a word when I brought it in a year after it was purchased and confessed that I had never had the oil changed or a tune up. Not because I didn't want to but because it just never occurred to me. Was I supposed to put snow tires on a four wheel drive? I didn't do that either. I watched the sink in Hilary's bathroom leak for weeks but only when the shower handle broke and she couldn't shut off the water did I call Gino. He came that afternoon and the next day with a new faucet that he picked out after I assured him I would love whatever he bought. And I did. Everything fixed now. And Brian. My outdoor person who is slowly becoming my all around handy man husband. He not only does the landscaping but fixed my door, painted the water stain on the ceiling from the leaky shower, and organized the shed outside. I've even let him down into the basement. It's such an embarrassment that it took me weeks to work up the courage to ask him if he could help me straighten it out.


But there are somethings that you can't purchase. At least I can't. I'm sure if I went I Craigslist I could find just about anything I needed. There is still an opening for a "conversation husband" who wants to talk to me just because I AM me. Someone who really "gets" me. Someone who will listen to me talk about my day and the funny stories I have to share. Someone who will look past the sarcastic, jaded comments to see that I am so much more than that. Maybe that "You complete me person" will remain elusive forever. Maybe there is no such thing.

Frost Advisory

October 25, 2013



Summer is really over. I am still wearing my flip flops but my feet are freezing. I finally turned on the heat and took my plants in from the porch. I'm going to have to bring the shovel into the garage because last year I couldn't get to it in the shed with all the snow. I used the small car shovel to try to make a path outside for days while we were snowed in. I still have lots of ice melt for the driveway but maybe I should check to see if its still useable.


The leaves are falling like crazy. I love walking down the driveway and feeling them crunch beneath my feet. Remembering when I used to rake them into piles for the kids to jump into. Although maybe I'm not remembering that exactly like it happened. I raked them into piles to pick up and they would jump into them and mess them up again. What was I doing raking anyway? Now I have someone pick them up and cart them away. And the acorns are all over the driveway. Does that mean a brutal winter? I thought I heard that once. I can't imagine it being worse than last year.


Yesterday I lit the first fire of the season. We ate in the family room in front of it. Okay so it was the "fake" logs but they are perfect. I can light one when I come home from work and it is out by bedtime. Not mess with he kindling and dragging logs into the house. I can go upstairs to sleep and not worry about embers setting the house on fire. Some concessions have to be made and that is one of them. I'm good with that.


So another summer down. Holidays are right around the corner. I seem to be in a better place. Hope I don't have a crying attack in Target like I did last year when I got to the Christmas display. But if I do I know I have a lot of people to talk me through it.

"I See Dead People"

October 21, 2013



The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I remember seeing it and being really creeped out. I didn't know until the very end that Bruce Willis, the child psychologist, was dead too. Why isn't she yelling at him for all the times he didn't show up, especially the anniversary night? Boy, is she patient, I recall thinking.


Bruce was killed by an intruder who got into the house by the basement windows. I've been worried about those windows ever since. I would occasionally go down there and try to imagine someone actually fitting through those small casement windows. I didn't think they were big enough for anyone. What about the Bilco door. How secure are those really? I know I've been accused of being a security freak but I can't help  it.


And a few weeks ago I was proven correct. People were calling me on the phone to see if I had heard of the robberies on my street. Guess how the burglars were gaining access? Through the basement windows! Now I would really be frightened at night. So what else could I do but call Steve at my security company and ask if those windows could be alarmed. Why yes they could. They came over the next day and did all the windows down there AND the door. I'm pretty sure every inch of my house is monitored now. I actually set off the alarm by accident the other day.


Do I feel safer? I guess so. I still get spooked sometimes but things don't scare me like they did in the past. Still, this week I heard about someone who has a security camera outside. Now that's something I hadn't considered! Yet.

Everything Has Changed

October 16, 2013




Although I don't believe in love at first sight (or maybe I don't believe in true love at all) part of me still holds out some hope. One of my favorite movie lines,"You had me at hello" and this song by Taylor Swift make me think it's still possible.





                                                       "Everything Has Changed"
(duet with Ed Sheeran)

[Taylor Swift]
All I knew this morning when I woke
Is I know something now, know something now I didn't before.
And all I've seen since eighteen hours ago
Is green eyes and freckles in your smile
In the back of my mind making me feel right

[Taylor Swift]
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

[Both]
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you

[Both]
'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello."
And your eyes look like coming home
All I know is a simple name
Everything has changed
All I know is you held the door
You'll be mine and I'll be yours
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed

[Ed Sheeran]
And all my walls stood tall painted blue
And I'll take them down, take them down and open up the door for you

[Taylor Swift (Album version) / Ed Sheeran (Remix version):]
And all I feel in my stomach is butterflies
The beautiful kind, making up for lost time,
[Album version:] Taking flight, making me feel right
[Remix version:] Taking flight, making me feel right like

[Both]
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you

[Both]
'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello."
And your eyes look like coming home
All I know is a simple name
Everything has changed
All I know is you held the door
And you'll be mine and I'll be yours
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed

Come back and tell me why
I'm feeling like I've missed you all this time, oh, oh, oh.
And meet me there tonight
And let me know that it's not all in my mind.

[Taylor Swift]
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you

[Both]
All I know is we said, "Hello."
And your eyes look like coming home
All I know is a simple name
Everything has changed
All I know is you held the door
You'll be mine and I'll be yours
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed

eHarmony Dropout

October 14, 2013



Today when I get home from work I am going to cancel my subscription to eHarmony. My three month signup period will be over soon and I don't want to be automatically billed for another three months. I was a total failure at online dating.


I've spent some time thinking about the reasons for this fact. Is it because I said in my profile that I have kids? I noticed most men don't claim adult children in their profile. It's only when you read further that they mention them. Why? Adult or otherwise my kids will always be the best part of me. I can't imagine EVER checking a box that says I don't have them.


Is it because I am not attractive enough? I know I'm not a beauty queen but I don't think I'm that hard to look at. And judging from the pictures I've seen, George Clooney is not trolling eHarmony. I have noticed that most men in my age group are (according to them) 1. "Into exercise and outdoor activities" 2. Ride a motorcycle or have a sports car. 3. Any man who answered the question about their sex drive claimed theirs was "high." Really guys? If only I had invested in Pfizer or Eli Lilly stock. One man came right out and stated he wanted to date as many women as possible but most were looking for their "soul mate." Another one said the first thing people notice about him was that he was tall and good looking! Wow. What a catch.


Okay, so maybe it's because I am slightly cynical. But most of all I'm gun shy. When the person you trusted more than anyone in the whole world can spend years looking right into your eyes while lying it's hard to trust anyone else. I know I just have to start with a cup of coffee! But even that scares me.


So maybe it's not eHarmony's fault but my own. I guess I'm not really ready to market myself on line. I will go back to just hoping that, when I least expect it, I will meet someone who will want to have an adult relationship. In the meantime I will continue to sleep curled around my pillows.

Top Ten Gym Quotes

October 11, 2013


I'm still going to the gym at least three days a week. Haven't lost an ounce but can now lift 50 pound bags of bird seed and cat food without complaint. The best part about my classes is when it is "cool down" time and I know I have survived!



10. Let's do another set.


9. One minute plank.


8. Hips tucked under  and lunge. (Still working on the lunge. It is not easy!)


7. Squeeze those glutes.


6.  Let's do squats. Stick your butt way out (not a problem) and put all your weight on your heels.


5. Low and slow.


4. Lie down on your mat and put your legs in the air. ( My personal favorite)


3. Dead lift.


2. Shoulders back, chest proud. ( I find myself doing that even when I'm NOT at the gym.)


1. And we're DONE!

Pancakes For Dinner

October 9, 2013



One of the things that made me sad last year was my lack of pancake skills. Yes, I know. A petty worry in the grand scheme of things. But it was another reminder of how my life had changed. No more pancakes for Sunday breakfast, etc, etc. Many of you suggested Bisquick or The Pancake House. But I was determined to make them from scratch here in my own kitchen.


So a few weeks ago I looked up pancake recipes on line. I found one that looked like it would work. I got over the fact that the last attempt was a failure even the birds wouldn't eat and set out to make them. They were great! Fluffy and flavorful and light! I wish I had taken a picture. They were almost like a restaurant. Maybe not as good as Lena's Cafe, but good. So good that I sometimes think of making them for dinner. But I get stuck on the drink part. Bourbon or gin does not go with pancakes. Wine? No. Only coffee seems like the appropriate beverage. I know! Irish coffee. Coffee AND liquor all in one drink. That's why I love the Irish! Now on to mastering the waffle iron.

Roar by Katy Perry

October 4, 2013


I think I heard that Gorilla was the number one requested song on KC101. But I thought I'd finish the week with a song I like a whole lot more.








                                                         "Roar"   By Katy Perry

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Get ready cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar...

Ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar, ro-oar

Play Nice

October 2, 2013




"Play nice." Where have I heard that before? Oh, I know. Barbara Marcus, our (his) therapist. Those were her big words of advice. But its hard to place nice when one party is not playing fair. I digress.


Congress, that's what I wanted to talk about.  PLAY NICE. I have elected you to run the government not regress to junior high. Make it work. We all encounter policies in our jobs that we may not be crazy about. Should we shut down our workplaces. Hospitals, schools, businesses? Unheard of. Follow the proper channels. Chain of command, etc.


DON'T SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT! That is ludicrous and juvenile. Irresponsible and unfair to your constituents. People are struggling with unemployment, housing issues and student loans. How dare you act like children. Everyone deserves access to health care. Is Obamacare the right way? I don't know. But I DO know the present situation is not working. At any rate act like adults. Get back to work. Play nice.