Good morning! I am posting two today since I could not finish yesterday's post with lil Cupcake in the house. Yes, it's true that Tink was watching her, but she is a tremendous distraction and I loved watching her as she toddled throughout the family room and kitchen asking for "Os" (Cheerios) and playing with Diva.
She has an affinity for our telephones and tablets, so I had to place them higher than her reach and out of sight. If she saw them, she would scream and point. Diva and I decided it was best to hide our electronics to placate the child and our ears. Nevertheless, I loved having my Fairy Goddaughter in the house.
How is the big kid two days after the big blow out with the coach....well....fade to Friday night....
There was a big blow out party in the house of mold. A freshmen had too much to drink and the guys put him in Buddy's old room. Upon checking on him, there was the kid and vomit all over the room, hall, and bathroom...can anyone say: "Yuk"?
Big Red decided to drink way too much and punched out a window. No one saw him afterwards to assess the damage to his hand because he disappeared. At this point, Buddy does not know how his favorite catcher is doing.
As the party began to wind down, Dog asked the big kid to help him to clean up since Buddy had been the bouncer and housekeeper when he lived there. Also, they had been served with a number of violations by the borough and were facing eviction. In true form, the big leftie said: "Nope...see ya...." and walked out of the house leaving Dog to clean the vomit and red solo cups strewn on the lawn and throughout the house.
Yesterday, as the big kid went to the stadium to work out, he had the music on high since the rest of the team were nursing hangovers after the big football game. One of the assistant coaches barged into the room and asked him why he was there and if he was drunk. "Uh, no, I am working out." The assistant told him that the coaches knew of his work ethic and appreciated it. Now here is the big story....
The assistant coaches are currently living in the stadium offices. It seems that the university gave them stipends for hotel rooms that have run out. And so, to stay in town, they are sleeping on the floor and futons while waiting for their apartments to be ready. Now, this is either crazy or dedication. Obviously they wanted these jobs so they had to relocate but having to live in the stadium is just.....sad.
On another note, the head coach read his rules to the players....one rule is: "If you enter a bar and see me there, you must leave. If I enter a bar and see you there, I will leave." This is something to ponder at some point. Is the head coach saying that he frequents the bars and does not want to party with the peanut gallery? Or is he saying, he sees them enough during the year and wants time off? Either way, it seems to me like a good rule. Albeit, he must have been using this rule in his years coaching at other colleges and found that it works.
And so, it's time for me to move on with my day. Have a good one!
Good Monday morning! I hope that this week is a good one for all. The BPM family is mourning the possible loss of a dear family member....been in the family for 13 years and has been a reliable source of transportation for 176,000 miles. In human years, the car is 100 years old.
That's right....my pretty blue SUV that has been with me in joys and sorrows...ups and downs....mile after mile AND has never failed to start or get me to my destination. We have driven together up and down the east coast, to Ohi-ooo, West Virginia, through the mountains, and to the shore. On vacation, the comfort of the drive is similar to my own bed. My bottom had carved an indentation in the cushion and left a lasting imprint. Seriously, I love the car.
When it was time to pass it down to Buddy, I had a tear in my eye, but I knew that he loved it like I do...or did....It was in good hands. Although something happens when a car hits a certain age....the tires are worn, the tread is not as flexible, the paint begins to dull...sound familiar? Anyway, on Friday, Buddy was on his way to work and the care refused to continue....or actually, it could not. Finally, yes, finally, the car could no longer move. Only able to drive in low gear or go in reverse, dad took it on a journey to the car hospital. The car doc took one look at it and shook his head. He knew the gravity of the situation as we stared helplessly at our dear family member. Then he said it....those words that we all dread....'life support'....yes, my pretty blue SUV is now on life support with the hopes of a donor transmission as its only way to extend it life.
Now we look at the quality of future life should we decide to go with the transmission transplant. How long will it be before something else breaks down? What if the transmission repair costs more than the car is worth? Then what? DO we pay for it OR dare I write it.....pull the plug?
And so, this is a conundrum. What to do? Do we say our final good bys or do we go for it? Rebuild the transmission, extend its life for a few thousand miles. It all depends. The way dad put it is: "My thresh hold of pain is $1000." Ok, a thousand bucks for something that has been loyal throughout the years...car pooling....to work...to games...practices....shopping....sleeping...family visits...your pain is only $1000? Where's the loyalty? Oye!
The first week that I had the car, a woman rear ended me and totaled her car. My SUV has a few scratches on the bumper. What does that tell you? Yep....the accident could have been worse, but I was protected by its fine construction.
Today, the transmission specialist is asking for a second opinion. Keep the fingers crossed....Yes, it is only an object but it has been in my life for so long and been not only comfortable but reliable and safe. I owe it more than a thousand dollars.....perhaps it needs a miracle. We'll know more later. Until then...have a good one!
That's right...for the first time in my life, I was able to touch my toes. Could it be the yoga? Or is it a figment of my imagination? Not sure....but this is indeed a milestone in BP mom's life. Oh yeah, and once I touched the toes, I could get up again without assistance. SO maybe something good can be said for the process of contorting the body into a pretzel. if anything, I have a new look at my feet going for me and they definitely could use a pedi.
The summer is going so quickly, I cannot believe that I will be back in the classroom in two weeks. That's nuts! I am just starting to relax. So it goes....I have to work on my syllabi and gather some useful information. Classes begin 8/27 as I teach a 6 week class to English as a second language students. I have done this a number of times and find that the process can be exasperating and fulfilling. For example, I would try to start a dialog and the students look at me as if I have ridiculed their children. Often, they have no idea of what I am saying. When I ask if they have any questions, they look at each other, whisper in their own language, then shake their heads 'no'. If I ask them if they understand what I am saying, they nod their heads 'yes.' This continues for 4 hours on Tuesdays for 6 weeks until I am screaming 'uncle.'
Not all is lost. There are times when the group actually understands what I am teaching and the class is enjoyable. Yet, I have learned a great deal along the way. For example, the first time that I taught the course, they stared at me while I was making a few points. I had no idea if they understood, so I said: "Do you understand?....okey dokey?...let's move on." Their expressions seemed startled each time I said "okey dokey." Later, I mentioned this phenomenon to another instructor who is bilingual. She laughed and said: "Do you know what 'okey dokey' means in their language?" Uh duh....isn't this a universal word like 'yes', 'no' and 'jingle bells'? OK, sister, what does okey dokey mean? She put it bluntly..."it means that you are striking something very hard with a hammer....over and over again....with anger....meaning to hurt it." Oh......I left the phrase okey dokey that day for another rookie to take over. I now stick to 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down.'
And so, as college looms, the big kid continues in his quest to prepare for his new digs and the baseball season. He is excited about both. Loving living alone, he wants to decorate his apartment in a very tasteful way. What is tasteful to a ball player and college student, may be considered distasteful to any Bravo interior decorator. Naturally, there will be the perfunctory beer signs that light up, the chili light strands on the deck, and perhaps a poster or two of some girl singing in a bikini. I have seen the baseball posters already and he plans to pick up a poster in every city that he visits over the next few years. This sounds like a decent plan.
Tink and I have hit every bargain store in the northeast and I think that he is ready except for furniture and lamps. Since the sofa is not coming, he does not have anywhere to sit besides his bed. He also does not have a table except for his laptop. I am going to let him figure out this part. Momma has done enough. It is now his responsibility.
Time to say 'sayonara' and run to Zumba class. The extra pounds are now laughing at me as I try to lose them. It did not take long for them to attach themselves to me, but it is a bugger trying to lose them. Even using my weight watchers points, I am failing in a big way. Yet, I am not despondent, I can still touch my toes as my stomach balances itself on my thighs. Not a pretty picture? Yeah, tell me about it.
There are times when I want to give up on it. After all, if I knew that I was going to die tomorrow, I would do several things....go to church one last time, call and see my loved ones to tell them that I love them, and grab a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream, cheesecake, and a banana....maybe some whipped cream, too. I would sit on the sofa with my feet up, dog in the lap, eat, drink a glass of Merlot (natch...), and wait for the end. Oh, yeah, I would NOT do the dishes. Instead, I'll use the dusty Lenox china for the first time since I got it as a wedding gift.
When the end comes, I'll have gained a few pounds but die with a smile on my face and fork in my hand. What a way to go. Bing Crosby died on his beloved golf course. Similarly, I would wobble to the pearly gates and bring St. Peter a bottle of pinot as a host
gift. Goofy? Perhaps.....or maybe....not....
Good morning! It's gonna rain today. I must admit that it has been an odd summer with cool weather and lots of rain. Does this mean more mosquitoes? Keep your fingers, toes, and eyes crossed....Tink has a job interview today that is in alignment with her career goals. It's been a wild ride trying to find the right position. However, this one looks really good. By the way, thanks to BP Grandpop who asked the Pink nuns on Green Street to pray for our girl. That's right. They call themselves the 'pink sisters' whose convent is on Green St in Philly. Nice, eh? Got that going for her...If anyone needs a prayer or 100, call the convent. The sisters will take care of you.
How is the big kid? Well, he seems pretty good as he works out 3-4 hours a day then goes to the bakery to earn money for school. He got me out of bed this morning and told me that I have to get started on my day. It reminded me of the old days when he would slink out of bed in his footie pajamas to grab a handful of Golden Grahams (no milk) and watch Barney singing around the campfire as I dizzily got out of bed. He would find Tink already in front of the television watching Sesame Street before the sun came up.
This worries me about the future. Heck, if he is picking out my nursing home, I am afraid that I am going to be stuck in a military-like setting with revelry being played at 6 am for us senior citizens to hobble to the showers. It's not a pretty picture and nothing like my personal goal of spending my senior years looking at the ocean while my masseuse massages my sore muscles.
By the way, I went to my first Tai Chi class yesterday.
Can you spell boring? I was in the room with a few girls who were younger than me and lots of girls who were older. As we bent to take our first position, I could hear 20 or so knees crack. I almost fell over laughing. If I wasn't trying so hard to keep my balance, I would have hit the floor. I believe that that was my first and last Tai Chi class. On to the next class...balletone. Although, I am not sure what it is, I might as well try it as the last of my days off click off the calendar.
The next few days will be spent maxing out my credit card.
The big kid has to furnish the poop deck and we have to equip the kitchen too. I already hit Walgreen's 75% off sale and picked up plastic instruments for the kitchen as well as cheap forks, knives, and spoons. He bought the uber cheap white plastic chairs for the deck. I actually hate those chairs. They never look clean and grow mold. He needs a shower curtain, floor mat, rug, sofa or futon, lamps, and so on......and so on.....and so on....he will take the 32 year old broken lounge chair from the basement and television. He has checked out of the house of mold and left it in the not-so-capable hands of the crazy room mates.
The cable company has to be called and we have to rent a van to bring the rest of the furnishings to campus. I actually thought that I checked out of the process after I paid the first month's rent. But it seems that my job is not done yet. Finally, he is giving the old sofa away since the guys want to trash it. And so, another call is set to the Salvation Army to pick it up next week.
With that said, it's time for me to work out. The big kid has been a motivating factor getting me to work out every day. No cheesecake for me...lots of fruit and veggies....cardio....sweating.....cussing at my hips.....
One last word....it's on cheesecake. Yes, I know....pure fat....pure yummie-licious....check out Sunny Anderson's recipe on the Food Channel website....I made this cheesecake for the family at the beach.
After the gang fell out of their chairs in ecstasy, Big Sis and I grabbed forks and tackled the last of it....no plates were needed....too much to clean up. We finished it on the cake plate. Why did we do this at the shore when every bulge is revealed at the beach? Uh....would you believe that it was sooo good that we did not care? And so, for those of you who are sick of counting calories, carbs, and sugars, here is a recipe that is calorie-worthy. Enjoy!
Special Equipment: 9-inch springform pan Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a food processor blend crumbs and melted butter until moist, but not
wet. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. In a
large bowl, using an electric beater, combine the cream cheese, 1 cup
sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the lemon juice, until light and smooth.
Slowly mix in eggs then pour into the prepared pan. Bake 55 minutes or
until the center sets. Turn off oven and remove cake. In a medium bowl
mix together sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla. Spread this over the
top of the cheesecake and return to the warm oven for 30 minutes.
Remove then let cool to room temperature before removing springform.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl toss together blueberries and sliced strawberries with remaining sugar.
To serve: slice cheesecake into wedges and garnish with fruit.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/lonestar-state-cheesecake-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback
Greetings from the middle of the airplane on the way home
from the south. The weather was rainy, similar to the northeast and our first
flight on Thursday was delayed.
As the flight
attendants desperately tried to seat a family in their assigned seats, Granny
decided that she did not want to sit next to Gramps. Then uncle was perturbed
and moved his seat. Cousin Billy Bob also got into the fray as we sat and
waited for them to just sit down. With
the melee and stormy weather, we left the terminal 90 minutes late and arrived
in Atlanta 10 minutes before our second flight was to leave. As we ran through 4 terminals, we arrived at
our gate 5 minutes before take off with our plane clearly visible through the
window. Yet, the door to the plane had been bolted and we ‘technically’ missed
out flight.
OK, I know that there are
FTA guidelines, but I am standing right there….the plane is there…the
pilot….hey, let us in! Nope….we had to wait a few hours for another flight. I
waved to my plane as it taxied on the runway and took off. All was not lost, the airline gave us
vouchers for a lunch in the airport….ew…
Now that we are home, we get ready for great adventure
number two as we fly to Houston to see the big kid. How is he doing? Well, pretty well. Aside
from wanting a 100 pound tire to place in my yard with a rope tied around it,
he was asked to help the Pitching Doctor with a weekend camp for kids. Since he had nothing to do (uh, note to big
kid….when is the last time you went to mass? read a book? Did your laundry? read your LSAT bok?)….he agreed. The PD was so happy with him, he took him to
dinner. Nice….”Mom, I ordered the
cheapest thing on the menu. Other guys
were ordering steak. My dinner only cost $9.00.” Nice, kid, your momma raised you
well. The only pocketbook that you drain for a meal is mine. I have no doubts that he will order steak when we are visiting him this weekend.
With that, he has been busy as a bee training and teaching
and throwing…..This camp and the Doc seems to be doing wonders for his game as
well as his confidence. Whew! This was definitely needed. In the future, should
he need a tune up or confidence building, he can fly to Houston and meet with the guy. He has now established a rapport and they are
quite friendly. All in all, the trip to
the Pitching Doctor has done exactly what it was supposed to do. Now, we will meet him there and take trips to
various cities in Texas. I’d love to go
back to San Antonio. That was a great
city. Great food, nice people, and
interesting things to do….
~Monday, July 15, 2013
The headlines on the MSN home page: It's Brian Austin Green's birthday....huh? who? I did not click on that link....is he a dictator in the Caribbean?
Diva dog has been
alone for 4 days which means that she was especially needy when we got
home. JA, Diva’s walker, spends extra
time with her, but I know that the dog missed Tink. There are days when Tink is not home and Diva
sits by the door and howls….crazy dog. I look at her and say: “Hey, I’m home!”
But she only wants Tink….and so it goes….
Sadly, as we arrived home from the south, Diva did not fare very well. She missed Tink and barked so much
that dog whisperer JA turned the radio on for her. She could barely bark and interestingly, strained her
doggie vocal cords :-(
Perhaps we need Caesar Milan, the real dog whisperer to stop by the house and offer Diva a little therapy or Prozac....
Now I think....should I go on Thursday to Texas or stay home? After all, Diva has already been traumatized....as the Clash sing: "Should I stay or should I go?" Either Diva or I need a shrink......she's a dog...but she's Diva...."
What else is going on? Uh….nothing! Sort of…I still have to
finish my two courses this week. The students are a bit cranky as their big
term papers are due. So, I have to be extra 'present' to alleviate their anxiety...a bit like Diva dog, except they can not only type their angst, their vocal cords are never strained enough that they cannot tell me exactly what they are thinking....
Have a great day!
Here are the lyrics to the Clash song:
Darling you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I'll be here til the end of time
So you got to let know
Should I stay or should I go?
Always tease tease tease
Siempre - coqetiando y enganyando
You're happy when I'm on my knees
Me arrodilla y estas feliz
One day is fine, next is black
Un dias bien el otro negro
So if you want me off your back
Al rededar en tu espalda
Well come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir
Should I stay or should I go?
Me debo ir o que darme
Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know
This indecisions bugging me
Esta undecision me molesta
If you don't want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame
Exactly whom I'm supposed to be
Diga me que tengo ser
Don't you know which clothes even fit me?
Saves que robas me querda?
Come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir
Should I cool it or should I blow?
Me debo ir o quedarme?
Should I stay or should I go now?
Yo me frio o lo sophlo?
If I go there will be trouble
Si me voi - va ver peligro
And if I stay it will be double
Si me quedo es doble
So you gotta let me know
Me tienes que decir
Should I stay or should I go?
Yo me frio o lo sophlo?
Hope that you had a great holiday weekend! I most certainly did. I have sworn off eating forever....beginning tonight....
Yesterday, I saw The Heat with Wildcat at the movies. I liked it, although the language was quite salty. Were we on a baseball field? Just askin'....
What did the big kid do all weekend? Well, the hands on workouts were finished on Thursday afternoon. So, he took the opportunity to work out at the ranch on his own for the past three days. This is an extraordinary venture. I could not get him to read books for 15 years except for Curious George (a manly monkey....) but he will work out with pulleys, weights, and kettle bells for hours upon hours....which once again leads me to the musing of what it takes to make it.....
If you read the book "Outliers", you know how many hours it takes to become proficient at any skill or profession. There are at least 10,000 hours involved. With that said, this guy must be on his second set of 10,000.....It's is a work ethic that I do not have. He wants this so much that he will spend hours upon hours beating up his body until he is drained off all hydration. He gets up and does it again.
If he takes this work this work ethic with him with all endeavors, he will be successful at whatever he attempts. Once again...I don't have it. I would not have gotten out of bed at 5 am on Christmas Eve to throw balls in 30 degree temperature in the dark with the car's headlights illuminating the field. Nope....I stayed in bed and considered calling a shrink on him.
But this is the way he is built when it comes to his passion....everything else....wellllll....
For example, he still has not gotten the new tenant at his old moldy house to sign the lease and send in his deposit. This means that I will have to pay 2 rents for him as of August 1. The countdown has begun. Dad is furious and I have a sick feeling in my stomach. According to the big (now laid back) leftie: "Ma, he's from California. They are really laid back there." Nice, laid back. Cool.....dreamy.....well, this is the northeast and we are not laid back and relaxed. As a matter of fact, at any moment, I will have a heart attack if I pay for two rents and my own mortgage. Just sayin'....get the oxygen, nitroglycerin, and paddles ready for August 1.
All is not completely lost....if this California kid does not come through with the rent and down payment, then Buddy will return to his house of mold and we will take back our deposit on his new apartment. That's it. No ands, ifs, or buts....this plan has been in action since last November. Why do these kids wait until the 25th hour? Oh, I know.....to torture me. That's the plan....torture BP mom until she hits rock bottom and has to remove the sofa cushions to find loose change to buy a coffee.
OK, I gotta run. I took too much time off and have a boatload of papers to grade! Adios!
