Forever is a mighty long time

My Sweetie has a souvenir of his years in the Navy in the form of a “Mexican Cutie” tattoo. I really don’t mind tattoos as long as they aren’t of snakes or naked women. In fact, I find many tattoos (particularly Japanese-styled tattoos) beautiful pieces of art and can appreciate the talent that goes into creating them. Plus the colors of the inks these days are fantastic!

I’ve joked about getting a zipper tattooed over the scar on my spine or something similar. But I’ve never seriously considered getting a tattoo because it’s just too… well, permanent. What could I possibly want etched onto my body for the rest of my life?

One day my Sweetie half jokingly suggested that I get an inspirational Chinese character tattoo. I told him that knowing my luck the artist would make a mistake and I’d end up with the Chinese character for soup. The worst part would be that I’d never know it but always wondered why the girl behind the counter giggled at me whenever I picked up take-out.

Then I came across these photos of tattoos on ugliesttattoos.failblog.org that totally backs up my theory of the Chinese character for soup tattoo. I’ve got to wonder if both the artist and the customer are native speakers of English. Doesn’t more than one person look at the transfer before the artist starts inking?

****
Your Turn
Do you have any tattoos? If so, do you love them? Any regrets? Any spelling mistakes?

Check 'em, check 'em often

An unfortunate incident always makes me pause and reflect on two things. First, I think about how my family is so blessed with health, love, and stability. Second, I think about what I can do to prevent a similar unfortunate incident happening to anyone in my family.

Friday, I heard my friend’s sad news. One of her younger brothers (an identical twin) has testicular cancer. He’s 23-years-old and one maybe both his testicles will be removed tomorrow. He had a lump for six months before he ever thought to see a doctor. Now his twin is being screened also.

Testicular cancer occurs most often in men between the ages of 20 and 39, and is the most common form of cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 34.

Our family practice physician is very proactive and has taught the boys how to do a self-exam. I came home Friday night and questioned the boys to make sure they are doing it on a regular basis. I don’t care if they are embarrassed by their mother talking about testicles and scrotums. I will continue to discuss the topic until they are no longer embarrassed and can look me in the eye. That’s when I know they will come to my Sweetie or I if they have questions or find something unusual.

To the men reading this, do you do self-exams? To the women, do your husbands do self-exams? Parents, do your teenage sons know how to perform a self-exam? If not, please have your doctor instruct them.

The Brits seem to be doing a better job with their testicular cancer public service announcements (PSAs) than we do over here. I’ve heard of a billboard campaign that encouraged men to “Check your balls and check them often.” They’ve also done a print campaign with male celebrities posing nude with something strategically placed in front of the important bits. Most recently Adam Levine from Maroon 5 posed for Comso UK.

NOTE: I had to remove the photo of Adam Levine due to all the pervs landing on my blog. If you're looking for eye-candy, go someplace else!

Originally, I planned to only provide the link to Adam’s photo. Mostly because I try to keep my blog PG-13. Also because my husband walked in the den, looked at the computer screen, and exclaimed,

“What the HELL are you looking at!”

Once I explained it was a testicular cancer PSA, he understood what I was doing. But the point of the PSA is to get your attention. Not showing the photo would have defeated that purpose. When talking about your health and the health of your loved ones, the human body shouldn’t be a source of embarrassment.

So whether you have balls or boobs, check 'em and check 'em often. Nudge your spouses and teach your children to do the same.

****

You Turn
Do you do your regular health screenings? Do you make sure your family members do their screenings? What do you think of the bold public service announcement? Does the PSA get your attention?

The Oscar Pool

Many, many years ago I worked in commercial real estate – a field that is dominated by middle-age, white males. Now I work for a university art museum. My career environment changed 180 degrees. At first, the biggest change from corporate world to non-profit world was how funds were requisitioned. As soon as I adapted to that facet of my new workplace, I settled in.

There are other differences between the two worlds but all of those I take in stride and don’t even give a second thought. Doesn’t every workplace have a foreign film club that meets at lunch time? (February is Italy, March is Poland)

But when January rolls around each year I remember just how different the art world is from the rest of my life. I can sum it up by pointing out two things that my office doesn’t have:

• Super Bowl Pool
  
• March Madness Brackets
  

Don’t worry. There’s still some good-natured wagering going on because we have an Oscar Pool! And an Oscar Luncheon on Monday!

I love movies. I watch more hours of movies a year than I do TV. (Now that I type it out, it doesn’t really seem like that much.) But I have never participated in an Oscar Pool until I worked here.

As much as I like movies, I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve only seen three of the contenders for Best Picture: The King’s Speech, Black Swan, and Inception. My pick is The King’s Speech for Best Picture and Colin Firth for Best Actor. I haven’t a clue about any of the other categories. I had to go online to read the experts’ picks so I could finish filling out my ballot.

Of course, since I sorta cheated, IF I do win the big prize at the luncheon on Monday, then I’ll gracefully decline. ‘Cause that really wouldn’t be fair.

Sunday night I will be certain to watch all the outfits on the red carpet. OK, I’ll be sure to look at the photos online Monday morning. I want to have something to talk about at the Oscar Luncheon!

****

Your Turn
Does your office have a Super Bowl Pool? An Oscar Pool? Do you watch the Oscars? Have you seen any of the movies up for Best Picture? Would you be able to complete an Oscar ballot?

The Beige Diet

My tummy hurts.

My stomach has hurt for the past couple of weeks. It hasn’t felt particularly acidy. It just hurt. I noticed that spicy and acidic foods did make it hurt worse so I avoided those things. Over this past weekend, I only nibbled on the BBQ ribs and cassoulet and I totally avoided the chicken wings.

As part of getting healthy, I cut sodas and chocolate out of my diet three weeks ago so I wasn’t aware those items bothered my stomach until I ate a Newman’s O the other night. Then I noticed that raw foods were making my stomach hurt as well. What the heck? Does my body not like fresh fruits and vegetables? When I couldn’t finish my salad at lunch on Tuesday, I knew it was time to do something.

I had an appointment with my GP yesterday. I was nervous because my Sweetie filled my mind with thoughts of ulcers, infections, and scopes. To my relief, I have gastritis. My stomach is irritated because my allergies are irritated. My GP informed me that when the body dumps histamines into the system then the acid pumps in the stomach go crazy. Oak pollen is currently extremely high. My allergies combined with some emotional stress the past few weeks made for one very unhappy tummy.

The fix is simple. A prescription for Prilosec (the OTC formula isn’t strong enough) and a bland diet for a few days until the inflammation goes down.

At Publix, I picked up my prescription and a few items that looked appetizing to me. As I put everything out on the conveyor belt at the check-out I did a quick inventory: rice pudding, oatmeal, bread, Brie, mini-pretzels, and bananas. Basically, it was all beige food. Rather than a bland diet my doctor could have easily said a beige diet.

I’ll be happy when tummy feels better and I can bet back to a more colorful (naturally) diet.


****

Your Turn
Have you ever had gastritis? Does worrying cause your stomach to be upset? Have you ever worried too much before a doctor’s appointment only to be relieved afterwards?

Happy 80th!

Today is my father's 80th birthday. Wow! Isn't that impressive? I can hardly believe it and I'm not the one having the birthday.

Both of my parents have lived past the life span of their parents. I find this particular fact very impressive because I remember my grandparents as being so very old. Now I look at my parents and the last word that comes to mind is "old".

My parents are so active, full of life, and willing to try new adventures. Heck! Next month they are taking G-Man to the Grand Canyon for spring break! They're talking about burrow rides, helicopter rides, train rides, and hot air balloon rides! Who are these people?

Sorry, I got sidetracked.

Anyway, we celebrated my father's birthday this past weekend the old fashioned way... with lots of food. We had a small family dinner with BBQ ribs, salad, potatoes, and corn fritters. Dessert was my dad's favorite birthday cake, German Chocolate Cake. Yep, a birthday meal doesn't get much better than that.

The trickiest part of this milestone birthday was picking out a gift. What do you get the man who has everything? And if he does need something, then he just goes out and gets it. After much brainstorming my Sweetie asked, "What's your dad's drink?" Well, it turns out that the answer to both of those questions is a really, really nice bottle of Bourbon.

Happy Birthday Pops! I love you bunches!

Sandhill Crane Nest

Sandhill Cranes are year-round residents in this part of Florida. A few weeks ago, a mating pair starting hanging around a pond near our house. Early one morning, I saw them dancing their beautiful mating dance and I hoped that they would soon build a nest.

Sure enough, last week a mound appeared on the littoral shelf in the pond. Thursday evening a pair of Mallard ducks stood on the mound surverying the area while the cranes fished. Then Friday evening I saw one of the cranes tending to eggs on the nest. Yeah!!!

My Sweetie and I walked down to the pond this evening to take some photos. Sandhill Cranes mate for life and take turns tending the nest during the day. The female solely sits the nest durning the night. I don't know if it was the male or female that was on duty when we visited. The crane was very attentive to every sound and I wondered if he/she was waiting for his/her mate to return.

Making some small adjustments to the nest.

Hopefully, when the chicks are hatched we'll be able to get this close for some more photos.

Brain Termites Revisited

Two and a half years have passed since my spinal fusion surgery. About five weeks after my surgery I detoxed from the opiate painkillers I had been taking for the year before my surgery. I had taken a moderate dosage of a synthetic opium called Opana.

Opana helped me manage the constant pain and make it through the day. After I was completely off the Opana, my pain management doctor told me that any other person with my injury would have been on a higher dose and on disability leave from work. I asked him if he ever heard of the study that accidentally discovered that redheaded women have a higher tolerance to pain and he hadn’t.

Anyway, I barely remember anything about the year I was medicated. My eldest son has nicknamed my affliction Brain Termites. I have mentioned my concern about my memory loss to a few different doctors and I have been assured that everything would eventually return to normal.

Well, it’s been over two years and I still don’t feel like I have the mental acuity that I used to. Perhaps it’s because I’m now over 40. But I think that’s a lame excuse. I really think the Brain Termites are lingering and I can’t help but wonder what kind of damage they have done.

If illegal drugs like pot and cocaine cause brain damage, why wouldn’t long-term use of certain legal drugs to the same? The PSA from the 80’s with egg in the frying pan keeps going through my mind.




****

Your Turn
Do you have a theory about the Brain Termites? Do you think that long-term use of legally prescribed drugs cause brain damage? Do you have a high tolerance for pain?

Scents

Every time Molly greets me she sniffs, snuffles, and snorts about my person. Smell is her greatest sense and she’s gathering information about me, where I’ve been, who I’ve met, and what I’ve done. I enjoy watching her go through the process and I wonder what all she detects.

The human sense of smell is nowhere near as sophisticated as a dog’s but it fascinates me all the same. In my opinion, our sense of smell is fairly basic. We either like a smell or we don’t. For example, I really like the smell of coffee brewing, swimming pool chlorine, and movie theater popcorn. Not all together. I really don’t like the smell of cooked cauliflower, burnt orange peels from the Tropicana factory, and freshly cut grass. Definitely not all together!

But the one thing I find truly amazing about our sense of smell is its ability to trigger a very specific memory. How can one whiff of something – possibly something ordinary – take you back dozens of years to a single point in time?

I’ve experienced this sensation twice in the past week with two different smells/memories and it made me pause to wonder just how many smells trigger unique memories for me. I tried to come up with a list. Please no judging.

Pine Straw – I think of the year I lived in Pensacola rather than the unhappy three years I lived in North Carolina.

Dial Antibacterial Soap - I think of the three years I lived in North Carolina.

Polo Cologne - I think of high school... particularly the boys on my swim team. But Polo makes me sneeze.

Grey Flannel Cologne – I think of a date I went on with my college boyfriend 22 years ago! He borrowed his roommate’s Grey Flannel because I said I liked it and it didn’t make me sneeze.
Fresh Water Lake – I think of all of my fun summers at Pines Lake.

Liquid Lysol - I think of my father wallpapering the living room. The Lysol had something to do with the wallpaper paste.

Pampers & Johnson Baby Lotion – I think of my boys as babies. I like the smell of a fresh package of Pampers and no I don’t think of poopy diapers.

Tea Roses – I think of when my grandparents visited from Virginia and they always brought roses from their garden.

Carnations – I think of my mom and when she used to take me out to lunch at the Greenhouse Restaurant on Ratzer Road in the years before I started kindergarten.

Bayberry – I think of my mom making candles for Christmas.

A Rich Merlot – I think of my Sweetie and I on our honeymoon in Sonoma.


****

Your Turn
What scent triggers a strong memory for you?

Solitude

The other night I sat on the edge of Mr. A’s bed and looked at the map of the United States that he tacked on the wall. It’s a National Geographic map pulled from a magazine years ago. I studied the Northeast where I grew up was startled by the congestion of cities, towns, and highways. Had it always been like that?

My eyes wandered across the map to places I have lived and visited. Then my eyes naturally gravitated to the wide open spaces on the map. The areas without so many little black letters and red & blue lines. Sure enough, I found myself looking at Montana.

I let out a little sigh and said, “You know, I’d still like to see Montana.”

With panic rising in his voice, my eldest son remarked. “But I thought things had been better lately!”

I assured him that things are much better than where we were six months ago, eight months ago, a year ago. I also told him that I would just like to see Montana because the land looks so beautiful. I’d like to go to Glacier National Park and see Iceberg Lake. I’d like to see buffalo on the grasslands. I’d like to experience the “Big Sky.”

And yes, I would like some solitude.

As a child, I was very shy and quiet. I enjoyed playing by myself as much as I enjoyed playing with other children. All my life I’ve been the one to hang on the periphery of a party taking in as much or as little as I want.

I prefer quiet art museums to noisy interactive, science museums. I help plan big events and festivals at work and then never attend them. At the office, I sit in an open floor plan with constant noise and action so at lunch I take a walk or find a quiet spot to read my book.

I need solitude to recharge my batteries. That’s why I relish my Me Time and try to allow for it every week.

Growing up in Pines Lake I often found solitude walking in the nature park adjacent to our house. Actually, it was still private property back then and the owners allowed us access. Many times I felt as if I was the only person there. On rainy days when there was little else to do, I walked along the trails and listened to the rain on the leaves and the gurgling of the streams.

The past few weeks have been bumpy for me. Just a typical hiccup in the treatment of long-term depression. I know this too shall pass. But I’d really wish there was something I could do to help things along. My mind keeps going back to my childhood walks in the nature park. There was something very restorative and healing about my solitary walks. I wish I could capture that feeling.

Oh, how I long for that park now.


****

Your Turn
Do you prefer solitude or do you draw your energy from the fast-paced world around you?
Do you have special memories of a place from your childhood?
Have you ever visited that place as an adult?
Have you ever been to Montana?

Molly Update

I’ve received several text messages inquiring about Molly and her paw. Everyone’s concern is most appreciated. So I figured that since I blogged about Molly’s boo-boo, then I should report on the outcome.

The Princess is fine.

Molly wore a bandage on her foot for three days. The bandage couldn’t get wet. So naturally, it rained those three days. We had to put a plastic sandwich bag over her foot and secure it with a rubber band around her ankle whenever she went outside. Ever see that really, really old cartoon where a little boy put paper bags on cat’s paws? Imagine that.

The bandage came off Saturday and the vet said that everything looked good. He did say that the toenail may never grow back all the way or may be crooked if it does. The vet called it a freak accident and we’re all still surprised that Molly never yelped.

Most likely, Molly’s favorite part of this whole ordeal is getting her medicine. No, Molly doesn’t readily take pills so we need to use Pill Pockets. These things are great and Molly thinks she’s getting extra special treats twice a day. She’ll be in for a rude surprise when the antibiotics are gone and she doesn’t get any more tasty, liver-flavored Pill Pockets.

Finally, Molly has to take it easy for the rest of the week. Definitely, no running while the toe continues to heal. Luckily, she doesn’t have an issue with that because at this stage of her life she’s pretty much a speed bump. In other words, life is pretty much back to normal.

Embracing the Now

Last week I read a post by Jen over at Momalom in which she wondered if she would ever find the balance between embracing the now and looking to the future.

Reading her post made me realize that I’m doing a good job on my New Year’s Goal (I really prefer goal to resolution).

For the past year I’ve had a lot of anxiety over the possibility of Mr. A leaving for college. More specifically, the US Naval Academy. Possibility became reality in December when A received his appointment and I had a Mom Moment.

Like most mothers out there I wanted to put on the brakes. I wanted to stop time. I wondered where the years and my baby boy had gone. I longed for the past and was nervous about the future.

Then I reminded myself (with help from my Sweetie) that we’ve done a great job as parents. Mr. A set his goal, worked hard, and was successful. This in turn, makes us successful as parents (I think).

That’s when I decided that one of my goals for the New Year will be to enjoy the next several months with my eldest son.

The result? I’m much more relaxed and enjoying time I spend with Mr. A. I’ve stopped counting down the days until we leave for the Academy. I’ve stopped longing for the past or wishing for time to stop. Best of all, the anxiety about upcoming changes has gone away and I haven’t had a single Mom Moment.

Of course, all of that might change on June 30th when I kiss my son good-bye and hand him over to the US Navy.

But in the meantime and for the first time in 17 years, I’m embracing and enjoying the now.


****

Your Turn

How often do you embrace the now? Do you have anxiety when you look to the future? Do you long for the past? Have you every found that balance?

Makes a Mother Proud

I logged onto Facebook this afternoon and saw this photo of my eldest son sleeping in class...

A classmate of Mr. A's snapped the photo and uploaded it with the caption:

Our number one student

Surprisingly, the kid is first in his class and therefore still alive.

We Met Online

In honor of Valentine’s Day I’d like to share the story of how I met my Sweetie. I’ve posted about our relationship before and I still stand by the opinion that he’s the craziest man on the planet. But I never really mentioned how we met.

Back in March 2002, I was in the middle of a long, drawn out divorce that I thought would never end and I was emotionally living day-to-day. One Sunday, I had a particularly rough day and my mom tried to make me feel better by pointing me to the future. She told me that she and Pops would be around to watch the boys when I met someone new and wanted to date. I replied that I didn’t want anything to do with men.

Unruffled, Mom suggested that we make a list of the qualities I would like to see in a man. Her first question was, “What color hair?” I replied that hair was optional because my brother is bald and I think he’s a pretty great guy. So we focused on the personality characteristics. That was fairly easy because all I had to do was think of the opposite of my ex-husband. This is list we complied:

Sweet, Kind, Loving
Family-oriented
Believe in God
Goofy sense of humor
Intelligent
Like the water
Like dogs
Not in the military

At this point, Mom interrupted and said that it wasn’t fair to make a blanket statement about the military. After all, my father served in the Navy before my parents got married. So I amended my statement and said that prior service in the Navy was okay.

Mom asked, “Anything else?” I added that he should donate to charity regularly. She asked, “What kind of charity?” And I replied, “I don’t know. Something like Habitat for Humanity.”

Then it was my turn to ask a question, “So where do I find this guy?” And Mom confidently answered, “On the internet. You can find anything on the internet!”

That night after the kids went to bed, I jumped online and went to Match.com. For weeks I had seen ads for Match.com on my Yahoo email. I thought, “What the heck?”

I set up an account on Match.com and paused. I decided that if I was going to this, then I was going to do it for real. I answered every single survey question honestly. I answered truthfully about myself and I thought seriously about what I wanted in a friend and potential mate.

After the account set-up and survey, I was able to search for matches. Instantly, my Sweetie came up as a 100% match. I quickly logged off and walked away from the computer. A few minutes later I came back, logged on, and searched again. Once again 100% match. Nervously, I clicked on his profile and read. My heart was pounding the entire time. I literally fell out of my chair when I read the sentence about S and his dad volunteering for Habitat for Humanity each year.

For a day or two I continued to read my Sweetie’s profile. Finally, I got up the nerve to send him a message through the Match.com system. I didn’t hear anything for about three days. I assumed that he wasn’t interested. Then I got a reply. He had been working like crazy for a week and hadn’t checked his personal email the entire time.

The rest, they say, is history.

Oh, and by the way, my Sweetie served in the Navy. He and my father did the same exact job… only there was a 35-year difference in technology.

Molly's Rough Day

Molly (and me) had a rough day.

This morning I took Molly outside as usual. She was frisky because there was a little chill in the air. She bounded back into the house, I locked the sliding glass door, and went into my bedroom to get something.

When I came back to the family room I saw blood all over the floor and a trail that led through the house. I called for Molly and she slowly came out of the den. The center toenail on her front paw was broken and bleeding steadily. She must have caught it on the track of the sliding glass door but she never yelped.

I told Molly to lie down while I called the vet and my office and then used a tub of Clorox wipes to clean up the blood. Once again I was very glad for bamboo and slate floors.

Thankfully, our vet is close by and was able to see Molly right away. Molly was excited to be in the vet's office until we headed to the exam room. She was shaking so bad that there was a ring of black hair on the floor around the spot where she sat.

Our vet said that he would have to sedate her to trim the nail (which was cracked to the nail bed) and cauterize it. I thought, OK, I'll just be a little bit later to work. Then the vet told me that I could pick her up in the afternoon. That's when I blurted out,

"You want me to LEAVE her???"

Instantly, I had a knot in my stomach. The last time I left my dog (Lilly) at a vet (different vet) to be sedated, she (the dog) died.

Rationally, I knew Molly would be just fine. So I toughened up and left. I didn't even waiver when Molly tried to leave with me. I let the vet assistant earn her paycheck and drag a 120-pound Great Dane to the kennel. However, I lost it when I got to the car and called my Sweetie.

All day long I worried about Molly. Who was perfectly fine and sleeping. Even after the vet called and said everything went fine I continued to worry. I worried until my Sweetie called and said she was in his possesion.

Now Molly is home, still a little loopy, and milking the bandaged foot for all it's worth. She has to take antibiotics for a week and limit her activity.

Funny thing... The vet gave my Sweetie a prescription for the antibiotics and S got it filled at Publix. I had no idea that we could do that. Molly is now in the computer as one of the family. The best part is that the antibiotics were free.

Well, I hope karma is finished with us for a little while. Last week the dryer broke. This week Molly got a boo-boo. I don't want anything bad or unpleasantly unexpected to happen next week. They say things come in three's. Let's just stop at two, OK?

The Mickey Mouse Blues

Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those blog posts chock full of photos of my multi-generational family wearing mouse ears and hugging characters with Cinderella’s Castle in the background.

But I wish it were.

Hello, my name is Erica (aka PLRH), I’m 41 years old, I live in Florida, and I’ve never been to Disney (World or Land).

When I was a child growing up in Pines Lake, as soon as I became cognizant of the existence of Walt Disney World in Florida, I bugged my parents to take me there. I saw commercials regularly on TV. Most of my friends had been there. We vacationed in Florida. But most importantly, I loved all things Mickey and watched the Wonderful World of Disney every week.

What was the response to my request to go to Disney World?

“Um, no. We took your brother and sister to Disneyland when we lived in California and they HATED it.”

Aaack! Blocked again by that fateful 1966 trip to Disneyland. The trip that sealed my fate long before I was ever born. The trip that is eternally preserved in a photo album that I longingly looked through time and time again as a child. The photo album that captures my siblings’ expressions – my brother bored and my sister thoroughly pissed off. My siblings the non-Mickey-lovers.

I continued to love all things Mickey throughout my teens and 20’s. I watched every Disney movie that came out in the theaters. I rejoiced when the Disney Store opened in Willowbrook Mall. Finally, I could have my own authentic Mickey Mouse sweatshirt… and just about anything else.

When the boys were born, they had all things Mickey too… pj’s, t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, cups, plates, etc… We owned every movie on VHS from Snow White to Mulan. In fact, we went through three copies of The Lion King because Mr. A wore it out from watching it so much. Mr. A also had a crush on Pocahontas for a while. I taught the kids to say “Mickey” instead of “cheese” when I took their photo. Mr. A had a stuffed Mickey that he loved and G-Man's wingman was Pooh Bear.

In 1997 we moved to Florida and I thought that finally we would be able to experience the magic that is Disney. But alas, I was married to the meanest person on the planet at the time and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

During my time as a single mom money was tight and I just couldn’t swing a trip. But I put it top on my list of things to do in Florida.

Then I met my Sweetie… before I got around to sharing my list we had a conversation about relatives always coming to visit when you live in Florida. That’s when my Sweetie said something akin to:

“Every time relatives came down for a visit they’d always want to go to Disney. I must have gone 20 times. Now the last thing I want to do is go to Mouse World.”

Since I knew my Sweetie was a keeper, I scratched Disney off my list.

Fast forward to January 2010… Disney ran a promotion “Give a Day, Get a Day.” If you volunteered for a day at a registered non-profit, then you would receive a free pass to Disney. Well, the four of us all earned free passes through Project Linus. When the passes arrived, I asked my husband and teenage boys if they wanted to go and the answer was “No.” So I donated the passes to the Boys & Girls Club. My parents earned a few extra passes and gave them to my sister and her family. Yep, my sister and the Hellcats went to Disney… for free.

No, I’m not bitter. (sarcasm font)

Well, this past summer I decided that I wanted to go to Disney once and for all. When asked what I wanted for my birthday, I replied, “A trip to Disney.”

The universal response I received?

Laughter.

No one took me seriously. Utter rejection. Cue the childhood memory of looking through the 1966 photo album.

Last month my Sweetie attended a conference at Mouse World. No, I didn’t get an invitation to go. It was during the week and I wouldn’t have been able to take off from work anyway. But my Sweetie did bring me back a plush Minnie Mouse and a fun pink visor. So maybe he’s softening up?

The last straw was placed on the camel’s back last night. Mr. A shared the details of the upcoming Disney Grad Nite that’s a tradition for high school seniors in Florida. And he also complained about the dress code (khakis and collared shirt).

That’s when it dawned on me that my eldest son will visit the most magical place on earth with great security and lots of witnesses before I ever get the chance.

I quickly inquired about chaperone opportunities. But then I wondered if chaperoning over 400 high school seniors can be done without xanax or large amounts of alcohol because I’m pretty darn sure that Disney doesn’t sell beer or wine on Grad Nite.

My son, as sweet as he is, offered to take me to Disney the first time he’s home on leave from the Academy. His offer made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside but I want to go before then! Dammit. Janet.

Now my goal is to go to Disney World before Grad Nite 2011.


****

Your Turn

Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland? Did you go as a kid? Have you taken your own kids? Have you gone as an adult without kids? Would you want to go with me?

Natural Redhead, Honest!

I came into the office this morning to find this sitting on my desk...

That's right, conditioner for color treated hair sitting not-so-innocently in front of my monitors.

There was a big fashion show at work over the weekend and this lone bottle of conditioner might have been leftover swag from the goodie bags. But why give it to me? Does one of my co-workers seriously think that I color my hair? At first I chuckled but the more I thought about it I began to feel a little insulted.

I tried asking around but the office is a ghost town today due to the above mentioned fashion show and other festivities during the weekend. One of my other co-workers had "lip plumper" left on her desk which I'm beginning to think might be a bigger insult. Now I'm not so grumpy about the color save conditioner but I still need to give it away to someone else.

Dalí Day Trip

The fabulous Mixy organized another girls' day trip. Today a group of smart, fun, professional women went to St. Petersburg for lunch at Red Mesa and then on to the recently re-opened Dalí Museum. As per tradition, the sky was overcast with a light drizzle in the morning.

I'm not a huge fan of surrealism art. But I've learned over the years that I can enjoy and appreciate surrealism art in person. Salvador Dalí's work is so much more impressive in person rather than just seen in a print.

Even though I have seen some of Dalí's work in a traveling exhibition, I never made my way over the bridge to go the museum dedicated solely to his work. My day-tripper companions told me that the new building is larger has has more exhibition space. I was excited just to see the "surrealistic" architecture.

The glass bubble looks like it's oozing out of the cube. Almost as if the gooey center is melting.

The spiral staircase (inspired by the helix) in the atrium goes from the ground floor to the 3rd floor where the galleries are located.

I apologize for the photos. I didn't bring my camera because I knew it wouldn't be allowed in the galleries. So I borrowed Mr. A's pocket camera. Apparently, my photography skill is proportionate to the cost of the camera.

The museum does have a strict photography policy. When entering the galleries a security guards tells the visitors no photography included using phone cameras. Well, inside the gallery I received a text from my Sweetie and when I attempted to reply a guard told me "no texting." I was a little surprised. I verified what he said and he confirmed no cell phone use at all. I understand that a blanket policy is easier to enforce but I still got a chuckle out of it. Especially since I was the only person in our group to work in a museum and I was the one who got chastised.

Overall, the museum is very good. However, there were two drawbacks. First, the wall text for each object is lacking. The text includes the basics: title, date, materials, donor info. But the text doesn't go into detail about the story, history, meaning, etc... of the object. Second, the museum was so crowded today and the flow through the galleries isn't great. I'd like to go back during a weekday with my guidebook that I bought in the museum store and really absorb all the details in Dalí's paintings.

This blazing giraffe in the museum store was my favorite!

My View at Lunch

The weather was marvelous today so I decided to eat my lunch outside. I plopped myself down at a picnic table underneath this live oak tree and dodged falling leaves as I ate. Some quiet time in the fresh air helped improve my mood.

I was so relaxed and enjoying life and I wanted to share it with someone. I sent my Sweetie the following photo telling him that it was my view at lunch. I love the wispy clouds. They always make me smile.

The photo below is what he texted back as his view at lunch. Poor guy!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and make sure you have a pretty view while you eat lunch!

Last Night I Cried

Last night I came home from work, put down my stuff, and went in my bedroom. I didn’t turn on the lights. I shut the door, crawled into bed, pulled the covers over my head and cried.

My Sweetie was on a business call, the boys were doing homework, and the dog was sound asleep. No one missed me for a few minutes. I wanted to shut out the world, if only for a few minutes. I wanted the pain, the anger, and the sadness to go away.

Depression is a cruel beast. I’ve been doing pretty darn good the past few months. I’ve felt happy, productive, and positive.

Then yesterday I slipped. It felt as if my foot slipped on a slimy, worn step coming out of the sea. The experience was just as jarring and surprising. I didn’t fall completely back into the ocean but I did get wet.

Last night I was angry at depression for not leaving me alone. I was angry at myself for not being invincible. For letting depression get its hooks in me again. It’s been a long fight and I’m tired. I was sad and I momentarily wanted to give up on the fight. But as soon as that thought entered my head, I started to think of the plans that I have today, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, etc…

That proved to me that depression hadn’t won. I dried my tears, got up, and went out to the kitchen to greet my family.

Today is a new day and so are tomorrow and the next day…

Randomness

• Why are cough drops wrapped in the noisiest cellophane possible? Don’t the cough drop makers realize that Murphy’s Law states that you only need a cough drop someplace where you’re supposed to be quiet? In other words, the theater, Church, movies, board meeting, etc…
  
  
• Green fruit like pears, green apples, and avocados confuse me. How do you know when they’re ripe? Oh, and I’m only guessing that avocados are fruit.
  
  
• Last Saturday while sitting at a stoplight I caught movement in my rearview mirror. I glanced up and saw a 40-something mom sitting in the driver’s seat of the SUV behind me. She was be-bopping along to the radio and her teenage daughter looked like she was ready to crawl under the seat. I instantly felt bad for the daughter. Then I chastised myself because I’m a 40-something mom who likes to be-bop along to the radio.
  
  
• Walking into a dressing room with an armful of clothes to try on is an inconvenient time to remember that you’re going “commando” in your yoga pants.
  
  
• I always smile when someone asks me if my hair is its natural color. After all these years, I still feel special to be a redhead.
  
  
• Melanie at Big Mama has decided to start an online book club. Her first selection is Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls. I read Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle and was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed her humorous and honest retelling of her painful childhood. So I decided to order a copy of Half Broke Horses from Amazon. Now that I’m in possession of the book, I’m not entirely sure if I’ll participate in the book club because I don’t know if I’ll be able read the fine print. The text looks like it’s in an 8 pt type. Seriously, I’ve never before seen such small print in a book. My “mature” eyes are protesting. Finally, I’m wishing for a Kindle so I can enlarge the text.
  

• I own a few zippered, sweater hoodies. A while back I noticed that the slider on the zipper of one of my hoodies was broken off. At the time, I was in a hurry and couldn’t decide what do with the sweater so I folded it and put it back on the closet shelf. Later, I remembered it and decided to cut the zipper out since the sweater was still in excellent condition. No point in having the metal teeth hanging around and getting in the way. I took the affected sweater out of the closet and cut one side of the zipper out with my scissors. It was simple to cut along the tape that held the zipper in place. One side was out and I moved onto the other side. That’s when I noticed that the zipper slide was still intact. Whoops. I grabbed the wrong sweater out of the closet. Oh well, now I have two open-fronted sweater hoodies sans zippers.
  
  
• News of all the snowstorms across the country reinforces how glad I am that I never had to stuff a toddler into a snowsuit.
  

****

Your Turn

Can anyone guess what’s in the photo?