The Letter

I wish I could write a flagrant letter
put my feelings of this caper on paper
I think it could help me feel better
better than your paper mache bouquet
arms stretched out giving and blushing
blushing generosity weakens me wispy
I play an inspiring letter-writing lullaby
lullaby plays above sheets of papers bare
bare save sprays of perfume streaks misty
misty mood music moves my pen in the air
Air perfumed by Autumns open-window breeze
Breeze blows easing sweaty palms tight squeeze
squeeze slightly moves lightly and starts to compose
compose a letter to procure my need to feel better
better than this tear-stained paper mache rose
rose this morning needing to write this letter
to let her know that her barren attempts have failed
failed to lift my hearts disappointments and valid pain
painful beyond our past still so far I've no disdain
disdain wastes energy better well spent
spent on writing this letter never to be sent
instead A conceivable note of thanks alone is sullenly mailed
mailed as autumns intoxicating air is slowly deeply inhaled


for more "letters" visit writers island

frugal youth

please hit play and listen to 10,000 maniacs- these are days

"Misspent Youth" is the Sunday Scribblings topic.
Hmmmmm... I am wondering .... DID I Miss Spend my youth? S.S. asks ... What kind of kid were you? Well, I was a VERY cautious kid. Looking back I can definitely say I spent too much time being cautious and worrying. I remember when we moved across town and I had to attend a new middle school. After about a week a girl I had just met asked me to come to her sleep over party. I said I have to ask my mom. My mom said "sure" but the next day I went to school and told her I wasn't allowed because My mom didn't know her family. How weird was I ?? I wanted my mom to say yes but I also wanted her to ask all the right 'mom' questions and statements of concern... ( which I of course am very good at now that I am a Mom... ) WHAT IS HER NAME/ WHERE DOES SHE LIVE/WILL HER PARENTS BE HOME/ I NEED TO MEET THEM /WHAT IS THEIR PHONE NUMBER/WHO WILL BE THERE/CALL ME IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE/ .... Who knows I could have had a great time and met more new friends. This is only one example of my weird cautiously spent youth.
My One huge regret or should I say THE main wasteful Squandering of my youth, was that I didn't attend college. At home It wasn't even discussed, EVER. I think now of how terrible it was that even at school a guidance counselor or a teacher never encouraged me. I wasn't a great student but only because I attended high school to basically socialize and ogle boys. I had a great method of cutting which never led to detention. ( which I will not reveal while I still have a kid in H.S.!) I know I had potential, Every report card, Every teacher... the same words "not working up to her potential". Geeez, What a stupid, cautious, weird kid. If I could go back I would have absorbed every lesson, every bit of information. I would have pursued college. I can't go back and do it again and who knows, if I would have taken a different path and gone off to college, I maybe wouldn't have met my husband and had all those great teenage years of his passionate kisses. hmmmm....... Educated? Loved? Educated? Loved? Come to think of it... I spent my youth well- I'm a well loved Dumb-Dumb!! :~))

loupee is on a loop

Before we went to our relatives house today to celebrate Thanksgiving and eat a nice dinner, I did something many would consider a bit looney.
I made a thanksgiving dinner. I prepared the stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes & stuffed mushrooms last night after a 7 hour work day. This morning I had that sucker stuffed cooked and cooling before we left. The reason? Favorite traditional holiday foods, The smell of turkey filling our home and of course... Leftovers.... For many years this was my designated holiday. I loved making the special foods my kids enjoy. Every year after the GiANT clean up was done and everyone went home, I would make a plate of all my favorite Turkey day treats, sit down in front of a favorite t.v. show and really, really enjoy every last bite of my delicious hard work.
A few years ago, I broke tradition, I needed a change. I decided to take on Christmas eve as 'my' holiday. Well, the last few Thanksgivings just haven't been the same.~ No turkey and stuffing at 11 p.m.. ~ No holiday 'smell' ~ Fridge bare on Friday ~ Complaints like... I missed your stuffing Mom and they didn't have stuffed mushrooms.
This all sounds quite reasonable doesn't it?? Well, my eldest son would disagree. His theory ( and I must say.. he has many and I totally enjoy hearing his take on EveryThing) His Theory is I am stuck in a loop. In this case... I am stuck in the Thanksgiving loop because that is all I know HOW to do on this holiday. COOK. (It was hard not to smile while he was explaining this to me) He thought it was lunacy that I would create all this work on my day off from work and from entertaining. I explained that I know the favorite foods we all have would have been missed and maybe I'm creating nice memories. He feels I've already created nice Thanksgiving memories and It's time to move on... and get off (or is it out of )THE Loop. Maybe he is right. After all, it is of course not only about the food. It is about family. It is about giving thanks. AND... As my Weight watcher leader would say when she is emphasizing getting a grip.... it isn't a holiWEEK... it is..... only a holiDAY.
oooh It's already 11:30?..... time to make up my plate of leftovers :~))

The Dream

For writers Islands 'dream' prompt I decided to post 2 older posts from February & March of this year. I was having such Weird reoccurring dreams then. I am so grateful that they have stopped and I'm back to sleeping like a baby not even remembering any of my dreams. Like the 2nd to last paragraph describes... this is my built in dvd mechanism.... playing an older adventure... A repeat for my long time buddies but a 'new release' to my new friends.

Feb. 18, 2007-
On many nights I have been dreaming about babies. The bizarre thing is, I am always being neglectful of the baby. I am going about my different activities, and all of a sudden, it's like the light bulb goes off and I remember I have a baby who has not been changed or fed or held! I'm not sure if it is one of my own babies or if I am watching someone's baby. It's very disturbing and I always wake feeling very upset. One night I had a similar one about puppies.
( baby dogs). This one was more horrific because unlike the babies who are soiled, hungry and upset- These puppies were totally forgotten about in my basement. After the whole summer went by I finally remembered them and when I ran downstairs to rescue them they had disintegrated and only Huge golden powder puffs of fur were blowing around like tumble weeds! It was like a horror movie! I woke up from this one terrified! My husband thought I was influenced by that horrible scene in the movie Superman Returns, where one dog eats another. I had watched that movie a few nights before the dream. That doesn't explain the numerous forgotten baby dreams. My girlfriend thinks it means that I have way too much on my mind and I have been very forgetful, so I am worried I may forget something important. I'm not sure she is right. I am wondering If I am the baby? Am I feeling I don't take good care of myself? I do feel dreams are important puzzle pieces, illustrating what we are feeling subconsciously. What do you think? What crazy dreams do you repeatedly have? I would really love to understand these dreams. But, for tonight, I am hoping to forget them and just sleep like a baby.

March 11, 2007
I recently wrote about dreams, because mine have been disturbing lately. So the prompt this week, Dream Journey- made me question what path I took to get here. What dreams have led me to these troubled ones? Is there a connection? The fact that my new dreams are reoccurring is reminding me of reoccurring dreams I had during my dreadful high school years. My high school dreams were about escaping. I was running through a fun house type of house. Opening doors only to realize it was a dead end. Panicky and frightened, I kept trying to get out. The weird thing is even back then I was holding a child's hand, Not as young as the recent nightmares, but still representing a dependent, innocent. I had this dream sometimes 3 times a week. Always waking disturbed and puzzled. I remember questioning my psychology teacher and his interpretation was, I was trying to escape a troubling situation and the child I was dragging was My inner child, the Naive, gullible part of me. ( he elected me "most gullible", because one day the bell didn't sound the same, when I questioned it, he told me the man that usually made that noise was out sick so it was a substitute making the new sound! I can't even believe I was ever THAT gullible!) A few months after I moved out of my moms home, I realized those dreams had stopped. Giving me a great understanding of what was troubling me. When I was feeling happy and less stressed so were my dreams. Through the years I have had a few memorable nightmares, In vivid color, as exciting and suspenseful as a hitchcock flick. But it's those reoccurring dreams that stick with me. It's so curious, that we can repeat the same theme and images. It's like we have a built in dvd player and are too lazy to think up a new adventure some nights. Just hit play and watch it again.
I don't think these "neglected baby" dreams have anything to do with escaping. The fact that they are reoccurring may be the only thing they have in common with those old dreams. As far as stress goes, I have been feeling less stressed than I have in years. I feel like a totally different woman than who I was in December. I made a few life changes and I make a conscious effort each day to stop and smell the roses, and stop and realize how lucky I am. So maybe the journey has become me forgetting about the inner me, because she doesn't need my help anymore. She is independent a little less innocent and happy, real happy and grateful for being so.

I Carry

Forever I carry you everywhere
I carry your joys worries and fears
I carry your opinions beliefs ideas
Dreams wished for or wishes broken
Sometimes shared sometimes unspoken
I carry your heart aches and pain
disappointments that remain
I carry your achievements and wins
hearty laughs devilish grins
I carry your humorous punk pranks
your thoughtfulness sweet-thanks
I carry your love and kisses on cheek
your quirky ways & moody streaks
I carry memories of your childhood lives
along with visions of your prospective wives
I carry muted prayers for your future years
lavish with health happiness short on tears
I carry the memory of each precious birth
willing you strength pride self-worth
I carry my eternal thanks to heaven above
For granting me the weight of unconditional love
Three sons I shall love from their infancy till I depart
Three sons I treasure carrying forever in my heart





This was the prompt for Sunday Scribblings

'weird' tag

Tag Name
Seven Random and / or Weird Things about Me.


I've been tagged! UL tagged me, and what a fun tag! Thanks Ul... I have many weird/random quirks... but here are the seven I came up with

Weird fact #7- I need distance glasses to see distance. I don't wear them often. They make me dizzy, so I don't see too well.
Weird fact #6- My memory is getting worse, I am convinced I have early onset of Alzheimer's although I can't remember what I keep forgetting.
Weird fact #5- As bad as my memory is... I can quote movie & tv lines from 20 or more years ago.
Weird fact #4- I startle way too easily. My eldest moved back home 3 mts. ago... yet every time he walks into a room, I Jump a foot hold my heart and say " I thought a strange Man was in the house!" .... ( I'm hoping this will motivate him to find his own apt.)
Weird fact #3- Stumped (or just too forgetful to remember how weird I am )... I asked my kids their opinion.... Unanimously they said "NEUROTIC AND OVER PROTECTIVE" ... there maybe some truth there.
Weird fact #2- Is ironic- I never took drugs during my youth because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to have kids( these kids who now call me neurotic and over protective)... Hind sight ( sigh)
Weird fact #1- For someone who doesn't do drugs I am pretty paranoid about..... just about everything. I am also Overly sensitive & Self conscious to a fault. How weird am I ?



Rules
Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

because I am weird... I don't want to follow the rules.... Instead Please tag yourself if you would like to do this

friendship

Thanks Writers Island. Your prompt this week was timely considering an hour before I looked to you for the prompt, I ran into my childhood friend at the Italian market. My friend only lives about 10 minutes from me. We still email occasionally.
We have only met a couple of times for lunch in the past 20 years. I sent her a birthday card just last month.
Yet, We were not only inseparable as children we were also blood sisters. Remember that Pre-HIV ritual that kids would partake in to confirm their bond of sisterhood? Linda and I met when we were in Kindergarden. Mrs. Woods' class. We didn't get friendly outside of school till the 2nd grade, when Our moms began working together and discovered their girls were in the same grade. We quickly became best friends as did our Moms. Each weekend I would sleep over at her house. She had the 'fun' neighborhood, full of kids around our age. Looking forward to each weekend helped me get through some difficult times in my own family life. In high school, I began living with her and her parents. My own Mom was going through some tough times and this arrangement made everyone happy. I don't know how it happened, but when I decided two years later that I wanted to move back home to my Moms home, everything fell apart. Linda's mom freaked out... calling me ( at only 16 years old) ' A fair weather friend'. ( They had had two deaths in their extended family). I was heart broken to lose my '2nd family' and more heartbroken to know that Linda was not suppose to talk to me. Even though she tried to respect her Moms wishes... In school during lunch period, we would try to chat and would think of ways to make things right again. When I looked back on this years later... I realized her Mom was going through her own traumatic difficulties which I know affected how she looked at the simple, harmless request of a child.
( I have a vivid painful memory of recieving the card I sent her for mothers day ripped into many pieces and mailed back to me) The trauma of her rejection added so much to what I was already going through at that time. And being an only child, I know this seperation was devestating to Linda. It is so unfortunate that we couldn't find a way to remain close friends. We went separate ways only a few minutes down the same avenue. Each time I see her my heart fills with warmth and it fills with a mournfulness over the wonderful times we missed out on in each other's lives.
I don't think we could ever be as close as we were as kids (for too many reasons too complicated to discuss) but like she said today to my 23 year old son whom she had never met before....." It doesn't matter how many years pass, each time we see each other I still feel like we're best friends". I love you Linda and I feel the same way about you. xo


Often when you've read about my childhood, you may remember...... Linda in the stories

left brain right brain no brain

I found the following cool link at looseleafnotes blog.
I would never have imagined that I would fall into the category of a 'left sided' thinker (math and science are on this side of our brains!).... but according to the following link- I am a lefty.
left brain right brain
Since I have an absolutely blank brain on this weeks scribblings prompt (but I hate skipping a week and I love hearing from you)..... I will just ask you to visit this link and see which side dominates you. This is kind of like stealing some ones else's homework.. but remember... I am in vacation mode i.e.- lazy, relaxed, brain dead.
oooh- just found this... Once you know if you're right or left go Here and see more characteristics AND what occupation you would be good at! Geeez I could have been a Bacteriologist! If only.
oooh again... I found another test below..... Again my score is left-brained, maybe I SHOULD enroll is bacteriologist school?

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (30%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (64%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

updated at 4 pm My brain is now awake. I thought of another good L/R tip.
For any one out there trying to teach their young ones their left from right.. Here's a tip that worked for my kids
Put your hands straight out in front of you... The thumb and index finger that makes an L shape- That's your Left hand!
Maybe everyone already knows this tip ,but If not... Hope it helps a child. :))

Lulus week off

We have been on vacation all week. It has been a lot of fun and it has really flown. On monday we went to the Borgata in Atlantic City. This was a late celebration of our 27th anniversary. My husband sweet talked the desk clerk and had us upgraded to a suite for the regular room price! It was one of the nicest hotel rooms I had ever stayed in. It definitely made the stay even more special. It made up for the fact that we lost every penny we brought to gamble. Why is it everybody thinks THEY will be the lucky one to hit it big? My husband was up for a while on the craps table.... but then I walked over and it wasn't long till he was Way down. I really think I am a bad luck charm. The last time we went gambling the same thing happened.
Another fun night was seeing "The Little Mermaid" on broadway. It is in previews and it was adorable. The actress playing Ariel really brought the cartoon character to life. Her name is Sierra Boggess. This was her broadway debut and she stole the show. I didn't feel this way about the actress playing Ursula. I was disappointed the she played her with too much humor, Instead, I would have preferred her intimidating and beastly. I was a bit disappointed in the show because I expected something along the lines of the incredibly amazing beauty and the beast. No comparison but I think little kids may disagree. Better than the show was the dinner before hand! If you ever visit NYC you HAVE to eat at my favorite Italian restaurant Patsy's The food is amazing. Their eggplant parm is better than mine and I think mine is pretty damn delicious! The wine was perfect the service perfect the shrimp scampi the best I've ever tasted. Even the fresh strawberries and whipped creme for dessert were the sweetest I've ever had.
Contrary to this fabulous meal was the dinner I didn't eat last night. We wanted to support a local town who has opened a theater with broadway actors. They actually commute here to Long Island from Manhattan. We know this is true, because there was a terrible accident on the railroad and the actors were delayed an hour. It was a long wait for the show to begin, but I felt it was worth the wait. We saw Jekyll and Hyde and the lead actor was fantastic. (Richard Todd Adams)
( I will get to the horrible restaurant in a second)
Maybe it was because the show started an hour late that we had a woman Snoring behind us the whole show! It was so annoying, yet No one poked her or said anything to her during intermission. Even her husband was napping, although he was at least a quiet napper. My husband looked at me when she started and I just started laughing. It seems these kind of people just find him. One time at a broadway show, he was seated next to a man who was eating noisy sunflower seeds. Another time a man was CLIPPING HIS FINGERNAILS! Who pays $100. a seat then grooms themselves?? My favorite time is when a lady sat behind him and then threw her large fur coat ON HIS HEAD! I am serious. People are so damn rude and inconsiderate, it amazes us. He took it off his head and turned and asked her "Can you please move your coat?" She said "where would you like me to put it?" I had to squeeze his knee to stop the response I KNEW he was going to reply! It now strikes me so funny, because it happens to him every where we go! One time when he was sitting in an aisle seat a whole bunch of little kids left their cheap seats and sat on the stairs next to him and Sang out loud with the broadway show! haha I'm surprised he still likes going to the theater.
Back to last night. To help support the town of Northport we thought we would also eat at one of their restaurants. We were recommended to Bistro 44. It was a small pub like restaurant. The menu was described as asian fusion. I didn't see much on the menu I liked. Shortly after I ordered my salad I noticed how many flies were buzzing about. Remember it is NoVember. I questioned the waitress and she said "yeah we have a real problem with them". Okay... We should have left then, but we ordered dinner. I've been loving the t.v. show Kitchen Nightmares. On one hysterical episode Chef Ramsey notices a zillion flies in the place. Of course he says
" What the fuck? Where are all these flies coming from?" WEll..... They were coming from THE filthiest kitchen I had ever seen. SOOOOO of course Little Paranoid, germaphobe LuLu began freaking out! When my dinner came it was disgusting and flies seemed to be the side dish. I sent it back and we left and got a slice of pizza. If you are ever in Northport, DON'T go near this flytrap. We were so sorry we didn't leave sooner. It cost us $90. for the salads and wine and the few bites my husband ate of his crappie dinner. An expensive lesson - If you have a bad feeling... Leave.
We only have a few more days off. I plan on relaxing, reading and eating at home!

Unforgettable bird

My son used to have a bird. He named him Bird. Some mornings I would open his cage and let him fly ... For some strange reason, he would fly to one spot..
My Head. ( maybe because my morning hair resembles a nest?)
Time passed and we got our second dog Molly. My son started paying less and less attention to bird. Bird was cool but a new puppy is much more fun. Bird started molting and never seemed to stop....I was constantly vacuuming feathers, Cleaning Birds poop and changing newspapers daily. One day Bird flew to my wall-papered ceiling and started pecking off the wallpaper. This became another favorite sport. One day while cleaning Birds cage bird bit me. Another time when my son went to take him out he bit him. Bird was beginning to piss me off. It became so that we were afraid to open the little door. He would aggressively peck at us. Of course, guilt set in. Maybe if we would have paid more attention to him, maybe we should have had his wings clipped. One day the cage cleaning resulted in him drawing my blood. That was it. Bird had to go. We packed up his toys and cage and food and yes... Bird himself. We brought him back to the pet store he came from, where they promised me they would keep him and take good care of him. That was about 2 years ago.
Somedays, as I sit with my morning coffee, morning paper morning hair & face....I think of Bird... think how I miss him on my head, his favorite morning place.

working girls fantasy

we all need money but isn't it funny
that it doesn't just fall from our skies
for hydration there's rain and for heat- Mr. sunny
but damn...Money just doesn't materialize

Wouldn't it be nice if for every good deed
A pay check would float down from above??
It could wipe away crime and limit our greed
encouraging human decency and love
My thoughts are quite dreamy and this poem really cheesy
but imagine the world if all the dregs and the sleazy
could have cash in their fist with my utopian twist?

Help the elderly cross the street
Dollars appear at your feet
Rescue a dog give a child praise
More money falls.. You get a raise
Pick up litter Plant a tree
here comes hundreds 1 2 3
No need to rob a bank for the rent
Do a good deed! It is heaven sent!

Forgive my silly ranting, delusions of grandeur and delirious dribble
I've just worked all day for my money, I'm too pooped to write a decent scribble

"50's waitress serves up BLUGCK"

I set out to be a 50's waitress, but all my clients thought I was a little girl

Thanks to my Friend Jen.... I dressed up for Halloween again. For many years I was hating Halloween. Like I wrote in a post last year, I think it was from those years of worrying about my kids out trick or treating.
Just the act of putting on my costume made me feel a little more in the mood to have my door banged on every 10 minutes. It helped me tolerate a bit more -my two dogs going ballistic with each knock. It helped me not give a shit that I ate about 10 pounds of snickers and rolos and milkyways. Not to mention... putting me in such a festive mood... I made brownies with orange icing... (they were delicious too!). So do I thank you Miss Jenny? Or should I get on my broom stick and fly over to Vt. and bop you one?
As for serving BLUGCK..... I decided to make chicken pot pies for dinner. Easy as.. well.... Pie
These usually come out yummy and the family makes soft emmm noises while blowing on their bowls.( Even after cooling for a while, they are as hot as molten lava. Yesterday for some reason ( GEE JEN- MAYBE IT WAS MY FESTIVE SUGAR HIGH!!)
These usually tasty pies weren't as tasty. My husband ate some of his with not one complaint. Then he gently pushed his bowl away from him and said a word that I am having difficulty spelling.. BLUGCK. ( He even gave a little shudder, kind of like Lucy did after the vitametavegamin)
The best part of my Halloween.... Seeing my youngest dressed up as Frodo (from Lord of the Rings)
Everyone tells him he looks exactly like Elijah wood... So no one mistook him for anything else and he ate his dried out chicken pot pie without one negative expletive.

Happy Halloween!

Gill the lovely blogger from Gills Jottings has awarded me this sweet treat!
The point of this treat is to pass them out to new, random visitors on your blog to make new friends. So in following these guidelines, I would love to pass the 'sweet treat' on to sweet Kimberly at Red Moon, Sweet Jen at Jens Humble Opinion and Sweet Deb at Jane Poe-Nevermore.
I've enjoyed sharing comments and emails with these new 'sweet' women and hope the friendships continue. Hope you will Check out their blogs because they are all intelligent and interesting. Thanks so much Gill! I enjoy your emails and comments and I love reading your witty, humorous blog. ( Anyone else... Please feel free to pass on the treat to your new visitors.)
Hope everyone has a sweet Halloween! I'm dressing up as a 50's waitress ( only 'cause I already have the dress) I guess I need to go buy some blue eyeshadow and lots of hairspray! If you're wearing a costume this year... Let me know who you will be!

haunted eve

Tip toe barefoot undaunted by the night
darkened house lit only by Angel-light
Dry needles tinsel on faux pads of white snow
Cling to tip toes tip toes as she creeps down real low

Haunted by whispered naughtiness, she should be asleep in bed
Shhhh! Haunted by inquisitiveness, she must first peep instead

Quiet as can be, embellished surprises get a gentle shake
rustling sounds of papers echo however others do not wake
Not quite believing nonetheless conceiving this evenings magical delight
Tip toes, toes cold, tips back under warm covers finally asleep till first light


*When I was a little girl I could never sleep on Christmas Eve.
I remember being haunted by guilt for my secretive spying.
That is what sprung to mind with writers islands appropriate halloween prompt...
My holiday is off, but hope you liked the poem anyway.
for more haunted thoughts visit
writers island

What dog are you?

What Breed of Dog Are You?

My Result: Chihuahua

No bones about it, you're an energetic, devoted Chihuahua. For your breed, size definitely doesn't matter. After all, sometimes the best things (diamonds, car keys, Godiva truffles) come in small packages. Honest and straightforward, you're never afraid to speak up for what you believe in, especially if it's a cause near and dear to your heart. Having such a passionate personality can come with a few drawbacks, though. You can be moody at times, and people often find it hard to live up to your high standards. But once you make a friend, it's for life. Saucy and intense, your energy and unfailing loyalty make you a great companion. Woof!

Take this test >

Hospital Clean

The Sunday Scribblings prompt this week is Hospital.
Many things come to mind...The stories of my children being born, our many emergency visits, going to visit my step-dad in the hospital and being told he had passed... yet I choose- how germaphobic I get when visiting a hospital. I don't know why this topic hits me, but it does. I am conscious of germs in most places. The sneezers & coughers who don't cover their mouths. Telephone receivers. The bottom of every purse. Hotel bedspreads and remotes. Those shopping cart handles! I am tempted to wear my disposable hair coloring gloves while food shopping. After I've visited any store, before I reach for my seatbelt, I pump my anti-bacterial gel which I keep in a giant bottle in my car-doors cup holder. ( small one in my purse)
When my kids were little, I would pack up their little healthy lunches and ALWAYS include an individually wrapped handi-nap. (Remember those?) My husband thought they would get beat up at recess for washing up before lunch!
But... Hospitals... oh my! I don't touch Anything in there. I open doors with my shirt sleeve, and push it further with my foot. I use my elbow in ways god never intended us to. ( It's amazing how flexible our elbows are, mine can turn the paper towel dispensers handle! )
It's true what they say... muscle has memory, from my past years of doing kickboxing... I can balance on one foot while I either open or close a toilet seat lid and flush with my foot while in a round house position. (Sometimes quite a challenge in a teeny tiny stall). Those same muscles allow me to squat hovering over the germs for as long as eh eh hem it takes. Of course this beneficial technique is not limited to hospitals, but in hospitals... I stand on my toes first to get even further away from the porcelain de germs.
Okay... So now you aren't guessing anymore.. You are convinced I'm a wacko. It's okay. I'm aware that this all may be viewed as a little bit over the top. It is a fact however, that hospitals have more staff and bacterial infections than anywhere else! Too many times my boys have been in the ER. Broken bones and stitches seem to go hand and hand with boys. Too many times, I've been freaked out by how filthy this place is. Dried blood on my sons hospital bed and on the floor. People vomiting with only a curtain separating us from their airborne viruses. Splatters of Everything imaginable in the bathroom. It is a germaphobes nightmare! I truly think if you aren't sick when you go there, you will be when you leave. I think they should hand out plastic gloves and particle masks at the door.( If everyone wore those I wouldn't look like a nut wearing mine!)
Years ago, weren't hospitals known for cleanliness? Wasn't there even an expression "hospital clean"? I am happy to report my house is not hospital clean. When did this lack of cleanliness in hospitals happen? Probably the same time as HMOs.
There isn't enough time and money to hire enough people to keep hospitals "hospital clean". The last baby I had, it was my husband who had to empty my overflowing garbage bag everyday. Once I did see the janitor he and his big dirty gray mop. I think he was adding More germs to the filthy place. In my opinion, they should have Vats of bleach and have bus loads of janitors in those cdc space suits. Wouldn't you pay a little more for a clean hospital stay? I feel sorry for hospital workers who are exposed to these "super" germs daily. In general, I think our world is dirtier than it was when I was younger. This recent news of the deadly MRSA infectionis proof. ( notice steps 1& 2? How wacko am I? )
When I heard of an outbreak in a long Island school, I immediately told my son to bring home his gym clothes so I could wash them again. ( I know my family thought I was being a nut). The next day I received an email and a call from our district saying ALL kids should bring home their gym clothes and empty lockers. They are disinfecting the schools. ( How wacko am I? ) Many years ago I did substitute duty in the lunch room of an elementary school. After each lunch period I was handed a spray bottle and a few of those brown bathroom paper towels and told to wash down my 2 tables. I asked what was in the spray bottle. Do you know what they were cleaning those filthy germy tables with? WATER. NO Bleach. NO disinfectant. When I questioned this.. The head lunch lady said "The kids don't like the smell of the bleach" How wacko am I? after that I told my boys... If your food falls on the table... pretend it fell on the floor... Throw it away! There too... the same janitor the same dirty pail of water and gray mop. What can we do to make sure these essential institutions clean up their acts? What if we speak up when we think standards are substandard? Let's hear your views scribblers.... Hope a lot of you are wacko too.

* <3 Happy 27th Anniversary Honey <3

The stranger

We visit and chat and email this and that
Connections that bond us- we develop a fondness.
Share and confess as friendships progress
Comfort sets in, so we confide within... the web of others.
Ignoring indigenous warnings of our cautious mothers
Lions & Tigers & Bears- OH MY!
Virex & Norton & Spyware-WE BUY!
Implanted alarm -- peril, risk and monstrous dangers
by placing trust in the clutches of strangers.
Strangers! Don't talk to them. Don't give out information.
Yet in cyber space we invest in intimate conversation.
Exposed, genuine, authentic emotion with no regret
To invisible faces & places we've met on the internet
So why do we reach out, support and confide
To the strangers we've met in this web world wide?
Against raw instincts and knowledgeable advisers statistics
Because People believe in good people and are hopeful & optimistic.


read more about strangers at writers island

Lulu's Young Frankenstein Review

33 years ago, My then best friend Linda and I went to see the movie Young Frankenstein. We were 15 years old. We instantly fell in love with this film and HAD to see it again. The next day we asked our parents if we could pleeeaassseeee have money to go again. They thought that was wasteful and silly since we had just seen it. So, we rolled our eyes( as teenagers are known to do) and Instead we asked if we could go bowling. This began our winter of love for eh-eh-hem "bowling". Each weekend we asked for bowling money. Each weekend we were dropped off and picked up at the bowling alley, which was conveniently located next door to the movie theater! As soon as they would drive away, we would walk next door, buy our movie tickets and laugh for 106 minutes! We knew all the lines and spoke them constantly disregarding the chance that our parents may wonder... "How would you remember all that from seeing a movie One time?" Seems a bit naughty and disrespectful, but considering what other 15 year olds were lying about... This was innocent misbehaving. After many lying weekends... We were caught! when my friends father arrived early to bowl a few games with us.
With that history in mind, can you imagine my excitement and delight when I heard Mel was bringing my beloved childhood movie to life on the broadway stage?! We paid the exorbitant ticket price and went to see the play in previews last week for ironically my sons 15th birthday. 15 Seems to be the definitive age to be introduced to this story. When he wasn't laughing out loud, He was smiling real big!
We ALL were NOT disappointed! The show was hysterically funny. The sets were magically elaborate. The cast was exceptionally talented. The musical numbers were creative and brought another dimension to the kooky characters.
Megan Mullally( from Will and Grace) was perfectly cast as "Elizabeth". In the movie The role was played brilliantly by the talented Madeline Kahn. It's so sad that she passed away so young. In fact, Peter Boyle & Marty Feldman also passed away too young. This show is such a tribute to their memorable, acclaimed roles. Hearing the buzz of talking before and after the show, it was apparent that I wasn't the only one that had seen the film over and over. Everyone waited on their favorite lines...
Like ...walk this way, NO this way.. and Pardon me boy, Is this the transylvania station? WHAT HUMP?! One of my favorite parts was the spectacular performance of the monster doing- "Puttin on the Ritz"... That alone was worth the ticket price!
I was so happy to see my sons big smile the whole time we watched the play! It was a perfect outing for his birthday. If you have young kids just know that There were a lot of sexual innuendoes and I don't think it's appropriate for kids under 12. But for the young teen and the young at heart.... It was amazingly entertaining and nostalgically magical!
Puttin' on the Ritz (Peter Boyle and Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein) on Transbuddha

need a laugh?

I want to direct Everyone to one of the funniest posts I've ever read.... Please visit Mr. Myrtle Beached Whale... It's like visiting a top notch comedy club.....
Let me know what you think!

Queen Lucy the first

"My first act as Queen/ King of the World will be..."

Sunday Scribblings claims they are lightening things up this week with this prompt. I disagree! This seems like THE most serious prompt so far... I mean think of the possibilities! If I was given the power of a Queen and could implement an act that could change peoples lives.... Geeez ... It's staggering. Where does a queen begin? Immediately, I though I Must end world hunger... But.... With war raging on and lives being destroyed... I must first bring Peace to the world. Peace... made me think of terrorism and racism..... I must fight hatred in our world.... Then I thought of the world, We must save the planet... But save made me think of Children... We must Save our children and protect their rights. Children made me think of schools... We must bring quality education to everyone! Quality.... brought quality health care to mind.....Everyone should be entitled to being healthy. Everyone... made me think of our pets... We must open more shelters and take care of all animals. Animals... makes me think of criminals... We must have steeper penalties to discourage crime. Penalties.... made me think of taxes....I demand Lower taxes for every worker and home owner! Home owner..... made me think of housing.... we all deserve contentment & affordable housing. .. Contentment... makes me think of cookies... Again we are back to world hunger... So I guess my first royal act would be delivering food (even cookies) to every hungry animal and human-being everywhere.
( I bet you're happy I'm an indecisive hairdresser instead)

What Lifetime movie star would you be?

Today one of my clients jokingly told me she wants to write a lifetime movie about the drama going on in her life.
She asked me..... "So, Who do you want to play YOU in my movie?" Her cute question made me want to share it with my blog world.
I can't think of what lifetime celebrity I can see portraying me.... I guess it may be because I'm not too familiar with who stars on the lifetime channel! It's usually Jaclyn Smith, right? I DEFINITELY don't see that match. ( I Wish I did) If I could pick ANY actress to portray me in this girls Lifetime movie ( or my own!)..... I think I pick Sally Field...( unless you can think of someone else??) I think she would be able to capture me perfectly. She is short, older and seems like someone people like to talk to.
You know how much I love reading what YOU have to say... So put on your thinking caps... WHO do you See playing YOU if they made a movie of your life?

Cryptogram SOLUTION

Back on October 4th I presented a cryptogram puzzle
Congrats to Giggles who was the first one to get it right!
Here is the solution....

A V T U / H / F Z / B Z / B V T / N T R P B J/
W H E N/ I / GO/ T O / T H E / B E A U T Y/

E R Y X Z P Y ,/ H / R X A R J K / P K T / B V T/
P A R L O U R,/ I / A L W A YS / U S E / T H E/

T C T Y F T U I J / T U B Y R U I T . / K Z C T B H C T K /
E M E R G E N CY/ E N T R A N C E./ S O M E T I M E S/

H / S P K B / F Z / W Z Y / R U/ T K B H C R B T ./
I / J U S T/ G O / F O R/ A N/ E S T I M A T E./

(author)- E V J X X H K / M H X X T Y
P H Y L L I S / D I L L E R

Once upon a time...

First Job, Worst Job, Dream Job...... Wow Sunday Scribblings this made me have to stop, think and try to remember!
(my 2nd attempt at poetry blog rhyming)

Back when I was in beauty school, only seventeen and learning my trade
My mom hooked me up in a beauty parlor, working on the gray brigade
Roller sets, blue hair rinse, teasing and lots of cans of hairspray
condescending boss and workers making me feel uncomfortable each day
Large dome dryers a buzz, teasing gray hair into tall balls of fuzz
Sweeping, shampooing, perming and horrendous comb outs
Wishing I was doing cool cuts and the newest blow outs.
First job jitters makes this my worst job as well
Finally get the nerve to quit after a very short spell.

Shortly after this job I actually developed the nerve
to apply to the well renowned salon and school Of Mr.P. J
I was Young, lacking experience but had plenty of verve
He took me under his wing and taught me his way
advanced cutting and perming and client rapport
The atmosphere was happy my coworkers I adored
I learned professionalism, confidence and much, much more.

Dream Job realistically wouldn't be too much of a stray
from what I am doing each hairdressing day....
Instead of me performing miracles on someone's head
I'd be performing them on a Broadway stage instead!
The only way my dream could ever materialize
Is if I win The lottery and talent is the prize.!

The kindness of strangers

Recently while my husband was working, A large produce truck backed into his parked car and then drove off! Luckily two construction workers who were working on a store across the street witnessed the accident. They quickly read the phone number off the side of the truck and called the company. They told whomever answered that they were calling the police and the workers had better come back to the scene.
They then noticed that the truck turned into a gas station a little way up the street. These 2 good Samaritans ran to the gas station and confronted the driver. He claimed they WERE going to go back, but they needed to get gas first. ( HOW LAME of a Lie is that one??) Then the 2 good eggs went into several businesses till they found the owner of the car. By the time the police arrived the truck drivers were back at the scene, so they weren't ticketed for a hit and run. My husbands boss rewarded the 2 noble men with generous gift certificates to the salon. I am so happy they were rewarded. It seems like lately most people don't go out of their way for strangers. Some people may have taken the phone number down and left it on my husbands car, But to actually take off running after the truck, urging him to return to the scene? How great was that? The workers told my husband that they couldn't believe how damaged the car was especially because one produce man was actually standing on the curb, guiding his buddy So he Wouldn't hit the car! Talk about Lame!
One of my own kindness stories- once while driving near my home, I saw an older woman walking in the street but looking confused and turning one way then the other. I pulled over and asked if she was Okay. She said "I walk up to the stores everyday, but today I'm afraid I'm forgetting which way to go". I showed her the direction but asked "would you like a ride?" She was grateful and I gave her my hand and helped pull her up into my passenger seat. It felt so good to help a total stranger. Later on, I was thinking I hope it was a good deed, 'cause what if she wasn't able to find her way back home!?!

Let's hear your kindness stories... Have you stood up and witnessed an accident or crime? Have you helped a stranger in anyway that you care to share? Goodness is contagious, If you've demonstrated acts of kindness, I think you can be sure those people payed it forward. I also think what goes around comes around, So you are sure to have kindness come to you.

fly away home

This weeks prompt for writers island is 'Renewal'. One way to translate renewal is as "A time of change" and "times they are a changin" in our home. I don't remember if I ever wrote about my oldest sons return to the nest. After living on his own during and after college, He decided to return to his home base. Frankly, It was quite a shock to us. He seemed to be enjoying his independence, and his visits home always seemed to end with him looking like he couldn't wait to get away from us! Remember when YOU were 23?
Too much time with your parents was... Torture! After all, What do WE know? We are TOO clean. We work TOO hard. We party TOO infrequently. We have TOO many rules. We spend our down time semi-comatose time.... (Don't get scared) WATCHING THE T.V.!! ( horror music please.) My son hates television. He enjoys music & very LOUD music. He is in a band that plays 'noise music' ( it makes heavy metal sound like easy listening). He enjoys chess, painting, cooking & yoga. He enjoys bicycling and living life to it's fullest. He is a free spirit. He doesn't want the traditional life that we live. He is hoping to go west next year, maybe California, maybe Oregon. He has visited these states and enjoyed them much more than NY. Much, MUCH more than Long Island. " Long Island is a strip Mall". I've heard that one... more than a few times.
So, even though it is mostly great....It has been an adjustment, a change.... having our baby back in the nest, For him as well as us. It is great to be able to hug him everyday. I had really missed him. I love that my 3 boys are hanging out together. I love the long talks we have, I Love that he appreciates my home cooking! I love that He plays scrabble with me without me having to beg! I love spending time with him.
I love when he comes home from work and tells me the cute things that happened during the day. He is working in an elementary school as a One on One Para to a Kindergardener with Autism. This cute story for example....He was helping another child unpack his lunchbox and all that was in it was a block of cheese! No drink, no bread. Cheese. A Big Block of Cheese! He got the child a bagel and he sliced some cheese and made him a sandwich! I'm so happy that he loves doing this job. I'm hoping it will help him make the decision to go on to grad school and pursue a teaching career. I think he would be an amazing teacher. He is the most tolerant, patient person I know. He is caring and kind. He is compassionate. I think he would be the type of teacher that kids would treasure. He is also a passionate artist, so he is debating if an Art teacher would be a better choice. I told him he could teach any subject or grade and still incorporate Art into the curriculum. He could be known as the teacher who lets you Paint your alphabet or draw the history of the world.
Wherever he ends up, geographically or career wise, I hope he will always know our home is his home. Home base. Here for him to fly to, whether his life is full of home runs or strike outs. We are here when he needs to re-group, re-think, renew.

Mom Overture

A Senior moment

"They don't make them like they used to." That statement is true for many things, but it can also apply to people.
Last week, during my sons homecoming band performance, his trumpet broke. The little piece of metal that holds the Lyre broke off. He temporarily held the Lyre in place with duct tape. When we got home from the high school I called our local music store. They told me if I brought it down, it would take about 5 days to repair. They didn't say how much the repair would be, but I'm sure I was looking at at least 50.00. I didn't take it in to the store. I waited for my husband to come home... he can usually fix anything, but not in this case. Saturday slipped away and so did the trumpet problem from my pre-occupied mind. On Sunday evening, My son reminded me that he needed the trumpet for monday at school. I remembered my friend at homecoming mentioning if I had a problem getting it fixed to call her... she may know someone..... So enters Mannie Gotleeb. ( How great is that name?)
I gave him a call about 5:00 pm sunday, apologizing for bothering him on the weekend... He sounded about 105 years old! He kindly told me to come right on over, but then in a crusty tone said.. " I may not be able to do it today!". I told him I wouldn't expect him to and that I so I appreciated him letting us drop it off on a sunday. He only lives about 5 minutes away from me. He answered the door before we were out of the car and was very friendly. He also MAY have been about 90. He invited my son and I to go downstairs to his "work shop". Mrs. Gotleeb was also very old, but busy chopping vegetables. They were adorable. In the workshop Mannie explained several problems he saw with the trumpet and was coaxing us to let him "fix it all up".. I was ready to say 'do whatever needs to be done' but I thought, maybe I should ask how much that would be. He replies.... "Well, it wouldn't be any more than 10 dollars." I told him how reasonable that was and left him the trumpet. He walked us to the door..... ( do you remember how Tim Conway walked as that old man character in the Carol Burnett show??) YeaH! That is an accurate image... As we walked he again said in a suddenly crotchety tone... "NOW, I'm not sure when I will get to this". (me)- "No problem Mr. Gotleeb, we so appreciate you doing this". Well, at 6:45 p.m. that same night Mr. Gotleeb calls and says " It's all ready... make sure you bring the trumpet player back with you". Again, he wants us to walk ( ever SO slowly) with him downstairs to the workshop. He looked so proud of his handy work. My son played him a quick tune. He did charge only $10. I insisted I had to give him a $10. tip as well for doing it so quickly. At first he said No,No! When I expressed how pleased we were to find him and how happy my son was to have his trumpet ready for Monday, he gave in and shyly smiled looking excited to receive the $20.00. He enthusiastically retrieved his business cards from the workbench shelf, and told me to tell my friends. That is just what I'm doing. Telling my friends, that kindness, honesty & superior work ethics can still be found today, Especially when we look to our sensational seniors.

Lulu's Book Club

I am so excited that a few of my friends and I have started a book club! We had our first meeting at my house. We plan on rotating homes every 6 weeks when we meet. There were only 7 of us, but we hope to add a few more members. The first book we discussed was " A thousand splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. As I mentioned in another post, This book was extremely touching and well written. Our next selection is "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I think I will be very Oprah-esque and Invite my blogging community to join my book club. Every 6 weeks or so when we choose a new book, I will post the title and hope that you read along. Then, I will welcome your book comments and discussions. I don't think I have enough readers out there to get a big turnout, but what the hell... let's see what happens. watch Oprah today to see the author and hear more about her book.

Since Laini and Meg need a well deserved break from Sunday Scribblings this week, I would like to take this opportunity
to share my book club idea with my fellow scribblers.

Puzzle Journey

How many of you will come on my puzzle journey? I love all word puzzles.... Crosswords, word searches, jumbles... my favorite however is by far the Cryptogram. While the whole world is into the Sudoku number craze... I still enjoy letters.
Each morning while I drink my morning coffee... I do the Newsday Cryptoquote. (hint Figuring out the authors name is sometimes helpful in solving the puzzle) Thought it would be fun to give you a puzzle and see how you do.... If you can print it out, it will be easier .... I will reveal the answer in a few days. There are hints on doing a Cryptogram at the end.. Good Luck, Hope you'll enjoy taking this journey into my cryptic world.

A V T U / H / F Z / B Z / B V T / N T R P B J/


E R Y X Z P Y ,/ H / R X A R J K / P K T / B V T/


T C T Y F T U I J / T U B Y R U I T . / K Z C T B H C T K /


H / S P K B / F Z / W Z Y / R U/ T K B H C R B T ./

(author)- E V J X X H K / M H X X T Y

Hints for Solving Cryptograms:
*One letter stands for another-
example A X Y D L A A X R is L O N G F E L L O W
( A is used for the three L's, X for the two O's, etc..)
*Single letter words will be " I " or " A "
*Frequent use of the same 3 letter word may indicate the word " the "
*An apostrophe is usually followed by a " t " as in contractions (don't) or an " S " as in possessives ( dog's tail)
*A question mark at the end of a quotation tells you the first word is likely- Who, what, when, where, how or why
*Certain consonants occur together, such as "th", "wh", "sh", and "ch"
*Also the position of letters at the end of a word may indicate common endings such as "tion","ent",or "ant", "ing" or "ed"
*In a two letter word, one letter must be a vowel.

Middle Name Meme

I was tagged by my buddy Sherrie to do a middle name Meme. The object of the middle name game is to list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name.

My middle name is Anne.
A It was a toss up between the Artist (haircutting ability) or the Arbitrator. In my family I seem to be the middleman in every dispute between each child or my husband. Peacemaker would have been more apropos ( if my name was say... Pam.)
N Nice.
N Nice again. I am too nice. Sometimes it is a fault. Sometimes being So nice means sacrificing my own happiness. Okay that was cheating the truth is I have another N word- NEUROTIC. I can get a little OCD and I do get quite anxious over nothing.
( Actually, Nutcase may have been more appropriate.)
E Expressive. I had a difficult time picking a word for E- I like to talk and am usually pretty animated. I guess expressive is the right word. Although, Eating would probably be more relevant to my life. I really Like eating. So there you have it...
The Meme game also says- At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name and tag them too. Instead I would like to say... If you would Like to do this Meme... Please.... just do it. It was fun.

Women

I've always admired Powerful women. Women who walk into a room and own it. Women who can shake hands firmly yet know they still own their femininity. They're the Women who are the first to speak up at a PTA meeting and touch on the issues most of the shy Moms wouldn't dare broach, but are relieved someone has aired. They run for office, they run marathons, They run successful businesses. They are leaders. This type of assertiveness is just one kind of Powerful woman. ALL women are powerful in emotional strength, in loving and in multi-tasking. Women can take on their own troubles, the troubles of their spouses, their children, their friends, their friends children, their parents and their Grand-parents, while chasing toddlers, paying bills, working full time, food shopping, cooking, cleaning, nurturing their families, entertaining guests, driving to little league and organizing a garage sale. (That is all on the same day!) A woman can and will handle whatever comes her way, usually never skipping a beat or sacrificing her families harmony. Self sacrifice seems to go hand and hand with being a woman. We just naturally put our loved ones ahead of ourselves. We love unconditionally. We want to give everything of ourselves. We bond with other women lending support and comfort. We can endure whatever we're dealt with poise and tactfulness. We laugh wholeheartedly, we cry wholeheartedly. We love wholeheartedly. Women are just naturally built with this passionate, massive, internal power.
I send this out with love & respect to all the women I know and treasure.

How old are you REALLY?

Take this
real AGE quiz!

I hope it's pretty accurate, if it is I am NOT 48, I am only 34! I will live to be a nice old wrinkly age of 89!
I think I better work on de-stressing my life, I then may make it till 90.
I would love you to tell me what your real age and life expectancy is....
(thanks for the link Anna xo )

Somedays

Life has been pretty busy in a crazzzy way lately. I feel like I haven't written a Real- Life post in a long time. Real Life? What is real life anyway. Real life consists mostly of worries and work, no? Somedays though- when I am soaking in my "Now foam free" hot tub, being romanced by my husband, feeling totally relaxed and numb, The boys all happy and busy... I tell Peter- " I feel like I'm living Someone else's Life!" We did have many days like that this past summer and that phrase became the catch phrase of the season. Usually followed by me breaking into the song "living la Vita loca". Unfortunately, Many days aren't so peaceful. I'm reminded of the poignant lyrics of Regina Specktor... " Somedays Aren't yours at all. They come and go As if they're someone else's days". Does Anyone else ever feel like that? I was pretty bummed out last week due to an infected finger. Little things can trip you up and take your day away. What really pissed me off was my Doctor. I called on Friday to get an appt. Her receptionist said she was totally booked and couldn't see me. I asked if her associate was there. No. I said " Well, I KNow this is infected, could she call in an anti-biotic?" OH, She would never do that without seeing you!" Yes, but She CAN'T see me... So what am I suppose to do??" Go to the emergency room I said " THE EMERGENCY ROOM? Why would I want to do that and sit for hours?" Well, go to one of the walk in clinics "Why would I go there, when I have Insurance?" some of them take insurance She also informed me that her office was closed on Saturday.
IS IT ME??? OR IS THIS REALLY BAD MEDICAL CARE?? The next day I had to cancel my full day of clients. My finger was not only swollen, red and killing me, but the paranoid side of me was convinced I had cellulitis. I had this once before in my mouth! When I apologized to the Dr. for coming in for a swollen face, He had said to me... Good thing you did, Tomorrow you would have been dead! Apparently, with cellulitis the infection pockets itself and travels through your bloodstream. In the case of me biting the inside of my cheek, it would have traveled quickly to my brain. He had to give me an injection of antibiotics as well as massive doses orally. Something like that stays in the back of your head when faced with another infection.

So Saturday I decide to go to a walk-in clinic. One of my sweet clients works there, and gave me a 20% discount. The Dr. lanced my finger and gave me antibiotics. A few days later it was still painful, I called MY doc. again. AGAIN I got the run around, being told to see a surgeon or go back to the clinic! It is now getting better but seems to have taken a long time.
All I did was trim a hanging cuticle, and nip myself a tiny bit. I must have gotten a cut hair in the cut while working.
I've been soaking it all week and it finally isn't hurting to type! Now another day this week will be taken away from me, while I try to find a new doctor. I am going to ask bizarre questions like- DO you lance infections yourself? Or would you send me to a surgeon? Do you have weekend hours/ an associate/ a moron for a receptionist? Do you only write referrals and take blood pressure? OR- are You a REAL, hands on, caring doctor?

"Hi, My name is..."

This title is the Sunday Scribblings prompt for this week. I have been wanting to re-post my first blog post and another old one because many friends have asked me, Why I chose the name "Lulus Petals". Due to the fact that I am still struggling with an infection in my finger after one week, It would be a way of participating without too much pain! So here is my first post and 1/2 the explanation........Having decided to try my hand at blogging, my first obstacle was a name. My name has never sat well with me. My parents named me after my fathers mother. Lucille. No offense to all the Lucille's out there, but I never cared for that name. I also had never cared for the nickname that came from Lucille. LuLu. Since I was a wee little baby, my family called me LuLu. For many years ( like "baby" in Dirty Dancing) I didn't realize there was anything wrong with the name. Then my first passionate kiss at age 12! This innocent young boy (Eric) whispered " Oh LuLu". Well, the silliness of that name had me laughing instead of kissing. He felt uncomfortable and I felt my name didn't fit me. To the rescue my big sister- who suggests I take the Lu from Lucille and the Anne of my middle name and become Luanne! A New Lu is born. From that day forth I introduced my self to everyone as Luanne. In school I was still Lucille, At home the LuLu would not die. At my wedding I had the priest call me Lucille ( for my moms sake mostly) and several friends afterward said how sorry they were that the priest got my name wrong! I never legally changed my name so the confusion has been troublesome. Well, here I am now many, many years later, My husband and my friends call me Luanne. My mom still throws an occasional LuLu at me, which I now do not mind at all. After all the hoopla and insecurity and awkward circumstances..... I wish I would have just been.... a Lucy.
This second SHORT post explains the other half
I never expected this to happen, But I've introduced myself to all my new friends at Weight Watchers as Lucy. All my new wonderful cyber friends email me as Lucy and even my husband has affectionately thrown a few Lucy's at me.( Usually in his Best Ricky Ricardo voice!) I plan on using it in all my new introductions! It may be wacky to want a new name at 48, but I've never denied being a bit of a Wacko!

Ny State of mind

We had so much fun at the Mike and Juliet show! I had never been in the audience of a live show before. Watching all the 'behind the scenes' chaos and excitement was very cool. The host Mike was real friendly and Juliet was beautiful and skinnier than any human I have ever seen! haha I said to my friend " Have you ever seen anyone this skinny on Long Island? We sat for the live taping of todays show and then they did pre taping of segments for future shows. One segment was with Kelsey Grammer. I have never thought of him as handsome, HOWEVER! Up close he was quite handsome and distinguished. Another segment was with Zack and Cody two cute boys from a show on Disney called the suite life of Zack and Cody. I had never heard of them or seen them before, but they were adorable and VERY entertaining. I don't know when these segments will be aired, but I hope to try and catch them for that exciting chance of seeing us in the audience! What is it about that?? It was so exciting today, when my husband said he saw me in the audience. What a ham! Yet, they asked me if I would like to ask a question in a segment about relationships and I said NO WAY! What a fool! They ended up Not taping the relationship part so I wouldn't have had the chance anyway. Next time, I will be brave!
As we were leaving the stage I shook Mikes hand and got such a thrill, when he looked me up and down and said and I quote " Look at you! How cute are You?" haha
I think I am still gushing and blushing. I don't even remember if I said thank you or just kept smiling my goofy smile! It felt like those long ago teenage days, when the cute boy finally asks for your number. My poor family and friends will hear this story about 99 more times. I promise this is the last time you will hear about it on the ol' blog!

Mike and Juliet Show

Tomorrow ( 9/18), I'm going into the city with a sweet friend to see the Mike and Juliet show. I like these hosts and try to catch them at 9 am on fox. My friend E. gets tickets to the show often and I find it so exciting to just catch a glimpse of her in the audience but better yet watch her ask or answer a question, or state a comment. I am hoping to be 1/2 as brave as she is and actually get a chance to maybe 15 SECONDS of fame. Maybe if she speaks, I can just put my face near hers! Just enough that it is worth programing our DVR box. Kelsey Grammer is going to be a guest. I've always enjoyed his shows from Cheers to Frasier and now he has a new show- "Back to you" starting on the 19th.
So put on your glasses buddies and try to find me in the quick panoramic pass of the camera through the audience! I will be wearing my much needed distance glasses! (Don't let them throw you.) Not sure what color I will be in, depends on the temperature at 6:30 am. If tomorrow is anything like my house right now, I will be the one in a snow suit. :)

Somebody Stop me!

Sometimes a collection starts out with the innocent purchase of one adorable bear. When Friends gather, they admire your new bear. You point out the details and the adorable paw print that his hidden somewhere on all of the artists pieces. You show them the poignant saying on the bottom of the bear. They all say" Awww". A birthday comes up, Friends give you another cute bear, another paw print to find and a sweet saying Like this one- "Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also". Aww, Your family is touched, they think "Great! Christmas is coming, Mom seems to like having these bears around the house". They shop for more little brown resin bears with cute paw prints and sayings to melt the mushy mom. Your husband discovers they also have them in plush as well! Mom gushes and finds more spots to display these little guys. How thoughtful her family is to notice her fondness for these bears. Another Anniversary, Another Christmas, Another birthday. Bear, Bear, Bear. OOOH, The wife is having a bad day, why bring flowers?....The bear will brighten her! Then, you realize another shelf is necessary. A special shelf to hold the precious first bear and all her bear friends. Initially, You treasure the bears .Then You try and remember who gave you each one? Why the hell does this one have a broken arm? I've never broken MY arm.??


Some stand out in your memory like this one from my son who loves baking Christmas cookies with me.

You start to skip dusting them as often. You approach the bear shelf with your pledge and cloth..... You think why the fuck would they make these with so many grooves and crevices? You realize that white haze of dust gives them an antiqued quality that they'd lacked.

The plush ones need vacuuming. Your lucky if life hands you the luxury of extra time to run Mr. Orek across the floors never mind attachment time to suck up dusty hairbows and tiny sweater vests. You think of that sweet saying that says where treasures are so is your heart. Your frustration subsides. You swoon again, this time it's for tea pots and Lenox disney.
Your husband falls in love with tin toys. The insanity begins again. Soon we need more shelves, more attachements, more pledge.

stupid is as stupid does

As I waited patiently reading a book in the hospital waiting room this week, I over heard a conversation that had me thinking of Abbott and Costello.
A doctor came over to the woman next to me and told her that her dads surgery went very well. Then they spoke further and I wasn't paying any attention to them until this started...
Doc- "So, All looks well... I won't call you unless things should change."
Woman- "What day would you call me?"
Doc-"No, I'm saying if he stays doing this well, I Won't call."
Woman-"Yeah, But IF you call.. When would that be?"
Doc- "No, No, Don't worry... Everything looks great, I would only call if he wasn't doing well."
woman- "Oh, So You're not calling me?"
Doc-( looking dumbfounded)- "Only IF he ISN'T doing well."
Woman- "Yeah, but I mean Like WHAT DAY would that be? You know?"
Doc- (remains silent and staring at her in disbelief for a few seconds)-"IF after a few days he doesn't show signs of improving.
( reassuringly) I'm sure I won't be calling, He looks great.."
Woman ( interrupting his sentence).. "But HOW many days would that maybe be?"
Doc- ( at this point the doc makes eye contact with me, and I give an expression with my eyes equivalent to saying HOlY Shit!) "Listen.... IF in 2 days or 3 days or 5 days, he is NOT doing well, Then THAT is When I will have to call you. OKAY??"
Woman- "So you don't know when you're going to call me?"
Doc- "No because he is doing well. Your dad is fine, let's not worry about the call, Okay.. Have a nice day. You can call ME if you need anything."
Patience IS a virtue, that guy was a fucking saint
The next day as I was shopping for a bar-b-cue. The MANAGER of PC Richard's said to me... " I've PUTTEN many barbecues together."
I thought ..... I Bet HE is that WOMANS Bastard son.
Gee, it's only wednesday ..... I wonder how stupid the rest of this week will be.

Writing

Dear Sunday Scribblings,
I am writing to let you know how much I enjoy your weekly creative prompts.Writing has always been something I've enjoyed. As a child, I would practice writing cursive in many dramatic styles, trying to find one that would be my signature signature.
As a pre-teen, I poured all my feelings into writing in a daily diary.
I also wrote constantly to my best friend Linda. We were inseparable through childhood, but we loved
to write back and forth to each other something we created called " Future Letters". As strange as it sounds,
we would write letters, as if we were already grown women, creating a fantasy life style and keeping in
touch with each other,( because Of Course, circumstances had led us to different parts of the world!) I wonder if it was our way of hoping for a brighter tomorrow? The letters were very detailed. We had names for all our children and our husbands. We had fantastic jobs with names and stories for all the coworkers. What wacky kids, huh? This is another reason I love your prompts. I haven't thought about those future letters in forever. Your prompt this week, brought back a wonderful memory. I even think somewhere in my unorganized garage, I have a stack of these precious letters saved. I can't wait to try and dig them up.
As a teen and young adult, I always attempted poetry and song lyrics. ( I know I have some of these saved as well) (somewhere?) My poem titled "unconditional Love" was written for my youngest son as he sat in his high chair, spitting food in my face. Like much of what I've written, I never feel like I can share these words with anyone. I don't think they're "good enough". I wrote for the way it made me feel.
About 10 years ago , I actually started writing a book of my life story. ( I exaggerated a bit for excitement.) I have it in a spiral notebook, with lots of cross outs and grammatical errors. I know I don't have the talent to create a novel worth publishing, However, My talented son who has a BA in English does! Last year, I apprehensively showed him this very personal attempt at creative writing. I told him that someday, maybe we could collaborate my ideas and his abilities and seriously attempt a draft. As usual, he was encouraging and supportive. He also reminded me that I should have pursued the children's story that I had written a while back. He feels it would definitely be published and do well. I had googled publishing and read that you need a literary agent, and how difficult it was, blah, blah, blah. So, I put the pages in a draw and there they've been for many years.
When encouraged to try blogging, I was reluctant to say the least. My insecurities and fear of negative criticism were screaming, You can't do this". I'm so happy my friend nudged me along. The positive feedback from the amazing blogging community, my friends and family gave me the " I CAN do this" feeling that was not only encouraging but heartwarming as well. Then, You came along sweet Sunday Scribblings, with these motivating prompts and a way to connect to the nicest people I've ever met! Through your inspiring creation, you've allowed me to be connected to a talented writing community full of beautiful, caring, extremely creative people. You've helped me continue blogging longer than I expected I would. I hope you continue your generous weekly gift. I wish you all the luck and happiness in the world.
Sincerely grateful,
Lucy Lulu

back and forth

I haven't posted in a while. Not much visiting of blogs either. Life is feeling too crazy, too busy, too much. Where are the hours in a day going? This week my youngest went back to school. Last week my oldest moved back home. My middle son is working back to back between college and his job. My husband is back to being frustrated by our bubbly hot tub.
(Look what happens when you listen to the "pros" or should I say scumballs at Leslies pool store)



I wish I was back on my Aug. Vacation, my lazy back against my lounge chair, my nosed pressed into my book.( I am really enjoying Khaled Hosseini's new book, "A thousand splendid suns". Have you read his first novel "The Kite runner"? If not, trust me get over to your library or book store and sit back and get ready for one of the most beautiful stories ever written.)
Anyway, I don't know why I am feeling so overwhelmed and a bit depressed. Considering what life has dished out through the years, things are really going well right now. I keep trying to focus on all the positives, all the happiness. Thank god, there are many to focus on.
When I think back through the years, I realize the beginning of each school year has always made me blue.
Many feelings come into play. School signifies the end of summer and its ease and carelessness, its beautiful sunny days. It signifies that the long winter and its confinement is on its way. It means we go back to the routine of getting up early ( 6 am) and conking out earlier. The weeks fly by even faster. I always miss my son. The holidays which bring more cleaning, shopping and preparing are creeping up. Geeez, If you were feeling good when you started reading this, I apologize, 'cause you must be feeling pretty shitty right about now.
I think I need to get back to my exercise routine. Those endorphins could be really useful right now. I also, need to get back to eating right. I haven't been counting points, calories or how many cookies I consume for lunch. Yesterday, lunch consisted of 5 dunkin munchkins, 2 giant oatmeal cookies, a spoonful of peanut butter and a cup of tea. Dinner was 3 slices of pizza. Gee, if we really ARE what we eat, no wonder I feel like crap. It is so hard to get back into the habit of eating healthy, but NEXT WEEK I plan on giving it my best shot.
(You can't start dieting on a thursday after all, I think that may be an actual deadly sin)