I am writing under the influence so be more gracious then usual for my mistakes. (2 glasses of wine in...)
So Dancing with the Stars. Shannen "chicken legs" Daugherty was kicked off and Kate Gosselin was saved. You have got to be kidding me. There is a part of me who is glad that Kate is staying. This part of me thinks that dance can save her a bit from herself. I would love to see her learn how to submit a bit to her teacher and partner and to let loose and have fun a bit. Mostly, I wanted to see her go. I'm sick of looking at her bitter-sour face. I can't take much more of it. You are DANCING woman! You have been given the opportunity to learn from the best and to do nothing but dance and you have to grimace through the whole thing?! What the hey?!!! She has THE nicest dance instructor of them all. The most tender, patient, happy of them all. He is so chipper in fact that he annoys me but I thought he was a good match for her because I thought she could use chipper, patient, tenderness. She is impossible! She has serious control issues.
The interesting thing about dance is that it is such a tasty combination of losing control and having control. The dancer lets the music move her and lets the body move loose and just the freedom in the movement. At the same time they have incredible control of their bodies. It's a fabulous combination of contradiction!
I think that something that people with control issues don't realize is that with submission there is still an element of having control of one-self. For instance with us and God. God lets us have free will. We can love Him and live for Him if we so choose. Not that He does not have the power to make us worship Him. He does. But then it's not genuine worship. So to submit to God or whatever authority figure is in your life is to make a concious decision (controlled decision) to do so. Anything else is force/rape.
I like to have control. I like to know what's coming when and how. But I also like when someone who knows the road better, drives. Kate...Tony knows dance better! Let him drive! She looks like she is fighting over the steering wheel with him. It's just tragic.
In the mean time I am boo hooing through the Macy's dancers for Haitti. Not because of the tragedy that hit there but because I just want to dance! I just want to learn to do this so bad!! This year...I'm going to have to tackle this bad boy. Maybe...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Mexican-ish
This months Texas Monthly features a story on Selena, the Tejano singing sensation that crossed over into English only after her murder sometime in the 90's. I remember seeing news reports about her rodeo performance at the Astrodome. It was the largest crowd they had ever had up until that time.
I also remember when she died. I happened to be getting my hair cut at a Hispanic owned salon. The ladies there were very upset. I could not understand a lick of Spanish they spoke. Well...maybe a "lick." I do remember that the lady that cut my hair that day had a familiar accent. She sounded just like my aunt Annabelle. I asked her if she was from New Mexico and she was. There is something about the cadence and song of New Mexican's English. I guess it's like how the Scottish and Irish both speak English but there is a different lilt to it. Yes...that's very much what it's like. Texicans have a different accent then New Mexicans.
In Selena's story it mentioned how her father would get spankings at school for speaking Spanish. It was strongly discouraged. Selena grew up as the only Mexican in her white suburb. But then her dad lost his job and they lost their house and they formed a band to make money.
They did not speak Spanish in the home and so she never learned it. But when they started their family band they found that the Tejano scene was more accepting of the raven haired, brown skinned band then the English speaking audience. So Selena was taught how to speak Spanish phonetically and then her dad would tell her what each line meant so that she could sing it with the right emotion. It was interesting how the very thing he was punished for as a child was the very thing he needed his own child to know in order for them to survive.
I sort of remember hearing of my grandma saying that she had been punished for speaking Spanish. Mostly I remember Grandma saying that it was not beneficial to speak Spanish in those times and so they did not teach it to their children. It would be better for them to not speak it and to not have an accent.
My maternal Grandmother said that it was her parents that did not teach them Spanish and for the same reason. My Mat. Grandma can speak some but it's only a little more than I can.
My ethnicity is an odd thing. By looking at me, most people have no idea that I'm of Mexican descent. (I just stopped myself from saying that I'm Mexican and instead say that I'm of Mexican "descent" because I hear white people say that it's un-American to say that. But you know what? I think I've heard those same people claim their Irish or German heritage with just as much pride as there American birth right.) Anywhoo, most assume I'm white or mix or they flat out ask me "what exactly are you?"
I can't blame them for not being able to tell but it does bug me. Not that they are asking but that I don't look more obviously Hispanic. If you ever met my brother or my sister you would with out a doubt see that they are Mexicans. They both have rich brown skin and dark black hair and eyes. We all have full lips and long eyelashes but my skin is a creamier color and my hair is brown.
I took a sociology class in college and we were talking about the difference between ethnicity and race. Your ethnicity is based on your culture; the foods you eat, the language you speak, your traditions, etc. Your race is based on your physical features.
The class said that my race was white. I argued that it wasn't and they insisted that it was and that my ethnicity was not Hispanic either. I know it sounds silly but it really hurt my feelings. I argued that if you met my siblings you would say they are Hispanic because they have the physical features of Hispanics. How could they be Hispanic and I be white?! And the main reason they said my ethnicity was white was because I don't speak Spanish. But we make and eat Mexican food. When we visit my Grandmother she would almost always have a big party, like a Bar-B-Q but with out grilling chicken and burgers. (Dare I call it a Fiesta? Ha!) Her friends and other family members would get together. Grandma served up Mexican food and her friends would play mariachi style music for her to sing along to (in Spanish.) I'm pretty sure white folks don't do that at their Grandma's house.
In high school the Hispanic students would refer to me as something less then Hispanic. (Again, the not speaking Spanish thing was an issue.) Then I would hear white students say belittling things of Mexican's not realizing or forgetting that I was one. Like they would whisper Mexican when telling a story about something. Oh! And it's always awesome when someone tells a story and there was this Mexican...and when the story is over the persons race had no relevance to the story. People, if you have to whisper it then it's probably because you are being rude. If you have to whisper something don't say it. But a persons race is not a cuss word. It is what it is. (Sometimes I feel like political correctness is racist.) If I call them out on it I think they thought I was silly to care because it's not like I am a real Mexican.
Of my siblings I am the one who learns the recipes of the Mexican food my Grandma makes. I guess it's the only thing that I have to really claim my ethnicity by. I will never look it. I've tried to learn Spanish but nearly failed. The food is all I've got.
My Maternal Grandmother speaks very little Spanish. She does cook the food the best! When I visit her if I don't feel well or if we've made ourselves blue with talk of sad things she will whip up a pot of natillas. She says it's comfort food. Her neighbors wife is sick and he's been taking care of her so yesterday she made and sent over some red chili. Around the holidays she shows me how to make empanadas. She refused to teach me tamales because she said it was too hard for me to do alone. So every Christmas I round up my white girlfriends and we make the tamales from my Grandma's cook book
I also remember when she died. I happened to be getting my hair cut at a Hispanic owned salon. The ladies there were very upset. I could not understand a lick of Spanish they spoke. Well...maybe a "lick." I do remember that the lady that cut my hair that day had a familiar accent. She sounded just like my aunt Annabelle. I asked her if she was from New Mexico and she was. There is something about the cadence and song of New Mexican's English. I guess it's like how the Scottish and Irish both speak English but there is a different lilt to it. Yes...that's very much what it's like. Texicans have a different accent then New Mexicans.
In Selena's story it mentioned how her father would get spankings at school for speaking Spanish. It was strongly discouraged. Selena grew up as the only Mexican in her white suburb. But then her dad lost his job and they lost their house and they formed a band to make money.
They did not speak Spanish in the home and so she never learned it. But when they started their family band they found that the Tejano scene was more accepting of the raven haired, brown skinned band then the English speaking audience. So Selena was taught how to speak Spanish phonetically and then her dad would tell her what each line meant so that she could sing it with the right emotion. It was interesting how the very thing he was punished for as a child was the very thing he needed his own child to know in order for them to survive.
I sort of remember hearing of my grandma saying that she had been punished for speaking Spanish. Mostly I remember Grandma saying that it was not beneficial to speak Spanish in those times and so they did not teach it to their children. It would be better for them to not speak it and to not have an accent.
My maternal Grandmother said that it was her parents that did not teach them Spanish and for the same reason. My Mat. Grandma can speak some but it's only a little more than I can.
My ethnicity is an odd thing. By looking at me, most people have no idea that I'm of Mexican descent. (I just stopped myself from saying that I'm Mexican and instead say that I'm of Mexican "descent" because I hear white people say that it's un-American to say that. But you know what? I think I've heard those same people claim their Irish or German heritage with just as much pride as there American birth right.) Anywhoo, most assume I'm white or mix or they flat out ask me "what exactly are you?"
I can't blame them for not being able to tell but it does bug me. Not that they are asking but that I don't look more obviously Hispanic. If you ever met my brother or my sister you would with out a doubt see that they are Mexicans. They both have rich brown skin and dark black hair and eyes. We all have full lips and long eyelashes but my skin is a creamier color and my hair is brown.
I took a sociology class in college and we were talking about the difference between ethnicity and race. Your ethnicity is based on your culture; the foods you eat, the language you speak, your traditions, etc. Your race is based on your physical features.
The class said that my race was white. I argued that it wasn't and they insisted that it was and that my ethnicity was not Hispanic either. I know it sounds silly but it really hurt my feelings. I argued that if you met my siblings you would say they are Hispanic because they have the physical features of Hispanics. How could they be Hispanic and I be white?! And the main reason they said my ethnicity was white was because I don't speak Spanish. But we make and eat Mexican food. When we visit my Grandmother she would almost always have a big party, like a Bar-B-Q but with out grilling chicken and burgers. (Dare I call it a Fiesta? Ha!) Her friends and other family members would get together. Grandma served up Mexican food and her friends would play mariachi style music for her to sing along to (in Spanish.) I'm pretty sure white folks don't do that at their Grandma's house.
In high school the Hispanic students would refer to me as something less then Hispanic. (Again, the not speaking Spanish thing was an issue.) Then I would hear white students say belittling things of Mexican's not realizing or forgetting that I was one. Like they would whisper Mexican when telling a story about something. Oh! And it's always awesome when someone tells a story and there was this Mexican...and when the story is over the persons race had no relevance to the story. People, if you have to whisper it then it's probably because you are being rude. If you have to whisper something don't say it. But a persons race is not a cuss word. It is what it is. (Sometimes I feel like political correctness is racist.) If I call them out on it I think they thought I was silly to care because it's not like I am a real Mexican.
Of my siblings I am the one who learns the recipes of the Mexican food my Grandma makes. I guess it's the only thing that I have to really claim my ethnicity by. I will never look it. I've tried to learn Spanish but nearly failed. The food is all I've got.
My Maternal Grandmother speaks very little Spanish. She does cook the food the best! When I visit her if I don't feel well or if we've made ourselves blue with talk of sad things she will whip up a pot of natillas. She says it's comfort food. Her neighbors wife is sick and he's been taking care of her so yesterday she made and sent over some red chili. Around the holidays she shows me how to make empanadas. She refused to teach me tamales because she said it was too hard for me to do alone. So every Christmas I round up my white girlfriends and we make the tamales from my Grandma's cook book
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Going once, going twice...Sold!
Today was the annual fundraiser carnival at my sons school. It's a big event every year replete with games, bounce houses and carnival fare, i.e. cotton candy. There are items to bid on in a silent auction as well as a live auction later in the day.
We started at the dunk tank. Always a big hit! The boys enjoyed all of the bounce house mazes and slides. I think, besides the dunk tank, what the kids look forward to each year the most are the confetti eggs. Someone emptied egg shells, filled them with confetti and sealed them off with tissue paper. (Glad I did not volunteer for that!) You can purchase your eggs with a ticket and the rest of the day is spent chasing friends around with your loaded egg in hopes of cracking it over their head.
My friend Tiffany and I were cracking up watching our boys chase after each other. Whenever my Nugget chased a child he always shouted to them "Be still! Be still!!" It was too funny! It looked like so much fun that I bought an egg of my own and littered Tiff's hair with confetti. The boys really got a kick out of that!
It doesn't take long for the fun to sputter out and we went home but Aaron went back to give the live auction a go. He had not had the chance to sit in on one in the past.
Last year I stayed and there were a pair of Astro tickets up for bid. I know how much my husband likes baseball and so I thought it would be a great buy. He could take our oldest and make a big day of it!
The bidding started at $200 but no one went for it so they lowered it to $100. I thought maybe I'd get myself a deal so I started bidding. Another fella and I went back and forth for a little bit until I won them for $250. Stupid,stupid, stupid. I immediately felt buyers remorse. I called a friend to see if I had at least gotten the tickets at a fair price.
"Are they season tickets?" He asked.
"Nooo..."
"Does this include food?"
Poop.
So this year it was decided, no bidding for me!
Every year they auction off painted pottery that has the thumbprints of the children in each class. This year our sons class piece was a beautiful water pitcher. My husband won it in, what he said, was the most intense bidding war there. Most of the pottery went for about $60-$80. We won ours at $250! Yeah. It's a pretty little piece and it is one of a kind. One of a kind alright. I looked for my sons thumbprint and found that they misspelled his name! Gabriel was spelled GRabriel. Frickin' nice.
But wait! There's more! We are not just the proud owners of a pottery piece with our sons name misspelled. We are also the proud owners of a huge bowl with the state of Texas' flag painted on it and little yellow roses! I examined those little yellow roses. They were made from the thumbprints of....who? Who are these children? Who's class was this? Ms. Brown? What grade does she teach?
"Honey, why did you bid on a piece that we don't even know the kids or the teacher?"
"Well, I didn't think I would win it. I was just hoping to help the bidding out."
In other words: he felt sorry for it because it was not going for as good of a price as some of the other pieces were. I wonder why....
Next year I think we will head straight for the dunk tank and skip the auction all together. :P
We started at the dunk tank. Always a big hit! The boys enjoyed all of the bounce house mazes and slides. I think, besides the dunk tank, what the kids look forward to each year the most are the confetti eggs. Someone emptied egg shells, filled them with confetti and sealed them off with tissue paper. (Glad I did not volunteer for that!) You can purchase your eggs with a ticket and the rest of the day is spent chasing friends around with your loaded egg in hopes of cracking it over their head.
My friend Tiffany and I were cracking up watching our boys chase after each other. Whenever my Nugget chased a child he always shouted to them "Be still! Be still!!" It was too funny! It looked like so much fun that I bought an egg of my own and littered Tiff's hair with confetti. The boys really got a kick out of that!
It doesn't take long for the fun to sputter out and we went home but Aaron went back to give the live auction a go. He had not had the chance to sit in on one in the past.
Last year I stayed and there were a pair of Astro tickets up for bid. I know how much my husband likes baseball and so I thought it would be a great buy. He could take our oldest and make a big day of it!
The bidding started at $200 but no one went for it so they lowered it to $100. I thought maybe I'd get myself a deal so I started bidding. Another fella and I went back and forth for a little bit until I won them for $250. Stupid,stupid, stupid. I immediately felt buyers remorse. I called a friend to see if I had at least gotten the tickets at a fair price.
"Are they season tickets?" He asked.
"Nooo..."
"Does this include food?"
Poop.
So this year it was decided, no bidding for me!
Every year they auction off painted pottery that has the thumbprints of the children in each class. This year our sons class piece was a beautiful water pitcher. My husband won it in, what he said, was the most intense bidding war there. Most of the pottery went for about $60-$80. We won ours at $250! Yeah. It's a pretty little piece and it is one of a kind. One of a kind alright. I looked for my sons thumbprint and found that they misspelled his name! Gabriel was spelled GRabriel. Frickin' nice.
But wait! There's more! We are not just the proud owners of a pottery piece with our sons name misspelled. We are also the proud owners of a huge bowl with the state of Texas' flag painted on it and little yellow roses! I examined those little yellow roses. They were made from the thumbprints of....who? Who are these children? Who's class was this? Ms. Brown? What grade does she teach?
"Honey, why did you bid on a piece that we don't even know the kids or the teacher?"
"Well, I didn't think I would win it. I was just hoping to help the bidding out."
In other words: he felt sorry for it because it was not going for as good of a price as some of the other pieces were. I wonder why....
Next year I think we will head straight for the dunk tank and skip the auction all together. :P
Friday, March 26, 2010
Bunco Babes
There are some ladies, in my quiet little neighborhood, who have a Bunco group. Bunco is a dice game, very easy and mindless. It's perfect for something to do while you chit chat. Plus you change partners and tables and so you get to catch up with everyone. In our group the hostess feeds us all a meal with dessert included in the "half-time."
I can't remember how I got wrangled into this little group but the first thing I thought after an evening with everyone is how much I would love to write about these ladies. They are all such characters!
The most outrageous would have to be Dixie (the names have been changed to protect the innocent.) Dixie, is the queen of Bunco and often introduces herself that way. A friend of mine actually cutrsied to her when they first met. Dixie is an older woman, in her 70's. She comes to Bunco dressed to the NINES! Heels, rhinestones, bangles, huge earrings, make up and all. Last night when I arrived she was sporting a blonde wig styled in a sleek bob and a dress that proudly advertised her cleavage. Did I mention she is somewhere in her 70's? One always gives another a heads up before meeting Dixie because she is a tough cookie (to say the least.) She does not mince words. She is harsh and gruff. Her smile is kind of sinister really. Maybe that's because it usually follows a wicked idea or barb at someone's expense. And she's great! She's truly a fun loving gal who is out for fun. You just have to know that coming in so that you don't get your feelings hurt. The best way to handle Dixie is to dish it right back and she loves that. I assure you the old broad can take it.
Brenda was the next character I met. She is an older gal too though I'm not really sure her age. Her husband is gone alot because he's in the military. She also likes to dress up for Bunco. The first time I met her she had bling all over her shirt. Last night it was a lovely steel colored silk blouse and black slacks. Her glasses have little rhinestones on them. She can be kind of quiet but I can see a little "freak" in her eye. I suspect that she's quiet to keep from going off on some of these ladies. Brenda is African American and let me say that most of these ladies are ignorant of other cultures. Partly because of old fashioned ways and I like to think that it's just because they have not experienced other cultures, religions and political beliefs enough to care for people that are different. Their insensitivites are irksome to say the least. Not that I've experienced great adversary due to race but I have been privy to nasty and ridiculous assumptions of hispanics and so I'm sure Brenda has dealt with plenty of that too. I find that more times than not it really is due to ignorance and inexperience than to hatred.
There is Miss Wanda who was the former best friend of Dixie. These two can't seem to stand each other and are always whispering unkind remarks about the other to the rest of the group that we all just ignore. They had some sort of falling about but neither one will leave the group. Wanda is uber sensitive and insecure.
And there is Tammy. Tammy is a "professional garage saler." She holds big garage sales almost every weeknd and when she is not selling she is out at other garage sales buying their stuff to sell at hers. She is about my age and GORGEOUS!
So last night I got to Bunco late because my husband had a meeting. You can't really be that late to Bunco because everyone eats first so you have a good 1/2 hour of wiggle room. I walk in "late" and Wanda greets me with "You're late. I will have to microwave your food because it's cold now."
"Well, hello Wanda! Sorry to be late, I had to wait for my husband to return. The food looks great. Oh, no need to reheat it! It's plenty warm still. Dixie! Wow! Look at you! You're blonde tonight! Your dress is...wow..fancy?"
"It's Vera Wang. Look at the cake I brought for Stephanie's birthday." (You can get Vera Wang at Kohl's now people.)
I fixed a plate with Dixie on my heels making sure that I got some of EVERYTHING, insisting that nobody can diet on Bunco night. I scarfed it all down and we got the dice rolling.
We were short one player which was Dixie's favorite topic last night because clearly this would not have happened if Wanda would have just called her. There is simply no excuse for not having enough players. She has a whole list of ladies just dying to break into our Bunco group. Two months ago when Shelly hosted we were short a player and Dixie did not bat a false eyelash about it. I remided her of this but Dixie can have selctive hearing. Despite the missing player everything went as it should.
Then I end up at a table with Tammy.
"So what do ya'll think of this healthcare reform bill getting passed? I am so upset by this. I don't trust him. He hates America and he hates Christians and my Aunt is really big into end time prophesies and she said if anything happens to Mount Rushmore, ya'll you've gotta get outta here!"
"Seriously, Tammy? Mount Rushmore?" I say
"Oh yeah, she says that prophesies say there will be earthquakes and..."
"Tammy, are you telling me the Bible speaks of Mount Rushmore in Revelations?"
"Well, no but she said..."
"You know, the Bible says not to worry about that stuff. So, I just don't entertain all of that."
So then Tammy moves onto another subject.
"What's with the hillbillies that live next door to ya'll?" (Ok, I can kind of give her that one. They sort of are hillbillies. That's another blog entry.) "What's up with their garage door? It took them forever to get that taken care of..."
"Roll the dice Tammy."
"...and they keep their dog cooped up in there..."
"Roll."
"I'm tellin' you I think that thing is part pitbull. If they keep cooping him up...."
Finally I get to move to a new table and I spent the rest of the night telling my partner that we had to win or lose based on where Tammy was headed because I did not want to sit at her table again. I could hear her talking about politics and the end times at each table she moved to. Going on about how Obama is the anti-christ and his saliva has venom in it. (Ok, so she did not say his saliva had venom. I added that part. But I bet if her Aunt had told that she would believe it.)
The night ended with one of my good friends winning the big pot and with a few of us trying to be able to tell if Brenda had a bra on or not. It was awesome!
In reading over this it may sound like an awful bunch of broads but we really do have fun! The normal stuff is just not nearly as interesting as the wacky things that are innermingling with it. You just gotta keep rolling the dice and moving tables. You get to know so much about people that way.
I can't remember how I got wrangled into this little group but the first thing I thought after an evening with everyone is how much I would love to write about these ladies. They are all such characters!
The most outrageous would have to be Dixie (the names have been changed to protect the innocent.) Dixie, is the queen of Bunco and often introduces herself that way. A friend of mine actually cutrsied to her when they first met. Dixie is an older woman, in her 70's. She comes to Bunco dressed to the NINES! Heels, rhinestones, bangles, huge earrings, make up and all. Last night when I arrived she was sporting a blonde wig styled in a sleek bob and a dress that proudly advertised her cleavage. Did I mention she is somewhere in her 70's? One always gives another a heads up before meeting Dixie because she is a tough cookie (to say the least.) She does not mince words. She is harsh and gruff. Her smile is kind of sinister really. Maybe that's because it usually follows a wicked idea or barb at someone's expense. And she's great! She's truly a fun loving gal who is out for fun. You just have to know that coming in so that you don't get your feelings hurt. The best way to handle Dixie is to dish it right back and she loves that. I assure you the old broad can take it.
Brenda was the next character I met. She is an older gal too though I'm not really sure her age. Her husband is gone alot because he's in the military. She also likes to dress up for Bunco. The first time I met her she had bling all over her shirt. Last night it was a lovely steel colored silk blouse and black slacks. Her glasses have little rhinestones on them. She can be kind of quiet but I can see a little "freak" in her eye. I suspect that she's quiet to keep from going off on some of these ladies. Brenda is African American and let me say that most of these ladies are ignorant of other cultures. Partly because of old fashioned ways and I like to think that it's just because they have not experienced other cultures, religions and political beliefs enough to care for people that are different. Their insensitivites are irksome to say the least. Not that I've experienced great adversary due to race but I have been privy to nasty and ridiculous assumptions of hispanics and so I'm sure Brenda has dealt with plenty of that too. I find that more times than not it really is due to ignorance and inexperience than to hatred.
There is Miss Wanda who was the former best friend of Dixie. These two can't seem to stand each other and are always whispering unkind remarks about the other to the rest of the group that we all just ignore. They had some sort of falling about but neither one will leave the group. Wanda is uber sensitive and insecure.
And there is Tammy. Tammy is a "professional garage saler." She holds big garage sales almost every weeknd and when she is not selling she is out at other garage sales buying their stuff to sell at hers. She is about my age and GORGEOUS!
So last night I got to Bunco late because my husband had a meeting. You can't really be that late to Bunco because everyone eats first so you have a good 1/2 hour of wiggle room. I walk in "late" and Wanda greets me with "You're late. I will have to microwave your food because it's cold now."
"Well, hello Wanda! Sorry to be late, I had to wait for my husband to return. The food looks great. Oh, no need to reheat it! It's plenty warm still. Dixie! Wow! Look at you! You're blonde tonight! Your dress is...wow..fancy?"
"It's Vera Wang. Look at the cake I brought for Stephanie's birthday." (You can get Vera Wang at Kohl's now people.)
I fixed a plate with Dixie on my heels making sure that I got some of EVERYTHING, insisting that nobody can diet on Bunco night. I scarfed it all down and we got the dice rolling.
We were short one player which was Dixie's favorite topic last night because clearly this would not have happened if Wanda would have just called her. There is simply no excuse for not having enough players. She has a whole list of ladies just dying to break into our Bunco group. Two months ago when Shelly hosted we were short a player and Dixie did not bat a false eyelash about it. I remided her of this but Dixie can have selctive hearing. Despite the missing player everything went as it should.
Then I end up at a table with Tammy.
"So what do ya'll think of this healthcare reform bill getting passed? I am so upset by this. I don't trust him. He hates America and he hates Christians and my Aunt is really big into end time prophesies and she said if anything happens to Mount Rushmore, ya'll you've gotta get outta here!"
"Seriously, Tammy? Mount Rushmore?" I say
"Oh yeah, she says that prophesies say there will be earthquakes and..."
"Tammy, are you telling me the Bible speaks of Mount Rushmore in Revelations?"
"Well, no but she said..."
"You know, the Bible says not to worry about that stuff. So, I just don't entertain all of that."
So then Tammy moves onto another subject.
"What's with the hillbillies that live next door to ya'll?" (Ok, I can kind of give her that one. They sort of are hillbillies. That's another blog entry.) "What's up with their garage door? It took them forever to get that taken care of..."
"Roll the dice Tammy."
"...and they keep their dog cooped up in there..."
"Roll."
"I'm tellin' you I think that thing is part pitbull. If they keep cooping him up...."
Finally I get to move to a new table and I spent the rest of the night telling my partner that we had to win or lose based on where Tammy was headed because I did not want to sit at her table again. I could hear her talking about politics and the end times at each table she moved to. Going on about how Obama is the anti-christ and his saliva has venom in it. (Ok, so she did not say his saliva had venom. I added that part. But I bet if her Aunt had told that she would believe it.)
The night ended with one of my good friends winning the big pot and with a few of us trying to be able to tell if Brenda had a bra on or not. It was awesome!
In reading over this it may sound like an awful bunch of broads but we really do have fun! The normal stuff is just not nearly as interesting as the wacky things that are innermingling with it. You just gotta keep rolling the dice and moving tables. You get to know so much about people that way.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Dumb Dog
The year before my parents divorced my mother bought a puppy. This should've been a big clue that they were about to go their separate ways because my mother had never really bought something with out conferring with my father first. Anywhoo..my sister and I went with my mom and together we picked out the cutest little white fluffy fluff we had ever seen! He was part shitzu and part poodle or, as we lovingly call him, a shitz-poo. For some reason we named this tiny little cotton ball Theodore.
Theodore has gone by many names. Theo, Theodorable, Theohorrible, Theefur, Theefurner, Theefee and Fur-fa-ner. He was cute and sweet and cuddly and an all around great dog!
Mom and Dad divorced. My brother had left for the NAVY and I left soon after for college. It was not long until my sister left to spread her wings as well. Then it was just mom and Fi-fi. Mom would rave about how perfect Theodore was and oh, what will she do when he dies? She said she would just HAVE to get another dog but could there possibly be one as great as Theodore?
Enter Franklin. One of mom's friends had found Franklin but could not find his owner. Franklin practically chose my mom when he jumped into her car. He was a very cute black and white shitzu. So mom kept him and named him Franklin to go with what was now a Roosevelt theme.
They got along...mostly. Theodore was getting old and though Franklin was no spring chicken, he was still a bit much for the old man. They could not be on the same couch together without growling and snapping at each other. Also Theodore's hearing was getting bad and so if he walked out of the house he was not good about coming back when you called him. And then came the puddles.
Mom kept finding puddles and smelling pee but was never sure which one was the culprit. (If you ask me it was both!) Theodore's eyesight was getting bad too and several times he would take off and mom would call him and chase him but he kept running off squinting all the way. Mom was really getting fed up.
One night the dogs were out in her backyard and mom fell asleep on her couch. When she woke up Franklin was scratching at the door and Theodore was gone. She says the lawn guy must have left the back gate open. So she says...
Mom and I live in the same neighborhood and I was driving home and saw a sign that read "found white fluffy male." I squealed to my sons that I thought that we had found Theo! (They had been so upset that he had been missing.) For some reason I called mom first to let her know and to let her know that I could pick him up for her.
"Don't call them!" was her response.
"what?"
"You heard me. Please don't call them. We have been so happy with out him! You just don't know. And don't you dare tell your brother and sister!"
I was dumbfounded. I got back in the car to a barrage of "Did you find him? Is it him? Can we go get him?"
"I just left a message." I lied.
I went home and told my husband what happened. He told me to call and get the dog and that we would keep him because it was the right thing to do. The old dog is 16 years old, deaf, blind, incontinent and his breath smells like death. No one but family was going to put up with that.
So I have this dog. I call him Theoturd. My sons call him Fluffadore. He wears diapers and he does not return when we call him. He often gets lost in the wooded acre between my house and my neighbors. I watch him wander about in there, walking right into low branches and shrubs, squinting and shivering when it's drizzling and chilly out like today. I clap to him because he can sometimes hear that. He didn't today and I kept on after him through the woods and shrubs too. Dumb dog. Dumb, dumb dog.
I finally caught up to him and brought him home. "Yea! Oh thank you mom! You are the best mom ever! Oh Theodore! You are so cutie, cutie, shmootie, doobbie!"
Yep. The boys are happy. It will be a sad day when this dog dies but I don't think he ever will. I swear he is getting healthier!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Words, delicious words! I think I will eat them.
Buzzzzzzin' on caffeine! I am really not supposed to have it because I just don't drink it enough. I suppose it says something that I can handle my booze better then my coffee. :)
So my morning started with a very dear friend telling me that she wrote about me in her daily devotional that she sends out to some ladies in her church aerobics class. Basically she heard my son whining to me about things not being fair. She thought that I would respond in some way and then find a way to make the situation fair but instead I said (say it with me) "life's not fair." Then she was surprised with what I followed that up with which is "and God is not fair. It was not fair that God required Jesus to die for our sins but He did and Jesus did not hang there crying and saying NO FAIR!" This is something I've told my boys before. (Harsh? Maybe but true and truth is often harsh. Better my son hear and learn these things now from his loving mamma then by the brutal hand of Life.)
I felt like the wise sage of all mothers!! Then her devotional went on to talk about the sin of comparison. She mentioned something about comparing our financial situations to others, our clothes, our bodies.... And I was knocked off my high horse. Damn. I'm not so hot to trot after all.
I have a really bad, bad problem with my body image. My friends say it's a distorted image and part of me knows that but mostly I just want to be thin!!! I want to be taller and have smaller boobs and be about 15 lbs. lighter. I fight with this ALL the time. Oh, and I want a different nose. :P
I recently spent some time with a friend of mine who is going through a very stressful place in life. Because of the stress she has lost her appetite (God smite me with it!) She has lost so much weight that when I first saw her I thought she looked like she was ill. But the more time I spent with her the more I started thinking...she is still super beautiful and she can wear anything...look how flat her stomach is and her arms don't have that camel hump in them that mine gets. HOW MESSED UP IS THAT?! The woman is so skinny that her thong is baggy and I am wishing to be that thin!! (Sorry sweet dear friend! But you know this!) Bless her heart, she is really trying hard to gain weight. (Again God, can I just get that problem for once in my life?!!)
All that to say: screwed up body image + friend's devotional on comparison = God holding up a mirror to the heart and saying "see? See that? Let's fix that!" When I (unrealistically) compare my body to others it is like I am crying "no fair!" Like a freakin' toddler.
Boo! I hate when God does that. All the freakin' time serving my words up to me on a silver platter. They are like vegetables. So good for you but I would really rather not eat them. Though if you slather your veggies in melted cheese...
So my morning started with a very dear friend telling me that she wrote about me in her daily devotional that she sends out to some ladies in her church aerobics class. Basically she heard my son whining to me about things not being fair. She thought that I would respond in some way and then find a way to make the situation fair but instead I said (say it with me) "life's not fair." Then she was surprised with what I followed that up with which is "and God is not fair. It was not fair that God required Jesus to die for our sins but He did and Jesus did not hang there crying and saying NO FAIR!" This is something I've told my boys before. (Harsh? Maybe but true and truth is often harsh. Better my son hear and learn these things now from his loving mamma then by the brutal hand of Life.)
I felt like the wise sage of all mothers!! Then her devotional went on to talk about the sin of comparison. She mentioned something about comparing our financial situations to others, our clothes, our bodies.... And I was knocked off my high horse. Damn. I'm not so hot to trot after all.
I have a really bad, bad problem with my body image. My friends say it's a distorted image and part of me knows that but mostly I just want to be thin!!! I want to be taller and have smaller boobs and be about 15 lbs. lighter. I fight with this ALL the time. Oh, and I want a different nose. :P
I recently spent some time with a friend of mine who is going through a very stressful place in life. Because of the stress she has lost her appetite (God smite me with it!) She has lost so much weight that when I first saw her I thought she looked like she was ill. But the more time I spent with her the more I started thinking...she is still super beautiful and she can wear anything...look how flat her stomach is and her arms don't have that camel hump in them that mine gets. HOW MESSED UP IS THAT?! The woman is so skinny that her thong is baggy and I am wishing to be that thin!! (Sorry sweet dear friend! But you know this!) Bless her heart, she is really trying hard to gain weight. (Again God, can I just get that problem for once in my life?!!)
All that to say: screwed up body image + friend's devotional on comparison = God holding up a mirror to the heart and saying "see? See that? Let's fix that!" When I (unrealistically) compare my body to others it is like I am crying "no fair!" Like a freakin' toddler.
Boo! I hate when God does that. All the freakin' time serving my words up to me on a silver platter. They are like vegetables. So good for you but I would really rather not eat them. Though if you slather your veggies in melted cheese...
Monday, March 22, 2010
Dancing with the Stars commentary
Yea! I love, love, love Dancing with the Stars! I am personally a terrible dancer but have a great desire to do it. I wish this show was open to anyone but then it would not be Dancing with the Stars but Dancing with the Anybodies.
I was skeptical about this seasons line-up. After watching tonight's premiere I am a little more hopeful. So here it goes:
Chad Ochocinco: This man may be enough of a reason to start watching football. He is beautiful people! I also love his personality...very smooth with out being ostentatious. He has a great work ethic. He does not want to be told he is doing well if he isn't. That's brave! I thought he had one of the best performances tonight though he did not score very high. I think it's the price you pay for going first.
Shannen Doherty: Meh. She did nice. I think she will do alright...she may even surprise it and kick it up a notch but she will have to be less insecure. I loved that she cried because of how proud it made her dad to see her dance. It shows a lot about a gal if she still has a sweet spot for her Daddy!
And now I can't remember the order of things but...
Niecy Nash: I like this lady! I like her alot!! I love that she does not have hang ups about her figure. I need to learn her trick. (that will be a whole other blog.) I thought she danced great and I was crying with her in the end. She was my favorite tonight.
I don't have much to say about Aiden Turner, Erin Andrews was lovely, Evan L. You know...I found him very charming. His dancing...eh.
The Bachelor: Ug. Go home already. Your 15 minutes is up. This is sad because I love Chelsea Hightower and would like to see her stick around. And what the heck was going on in the front row? Vienna and Gia were both sitting there watching him?! Ew! That was just nasty.
Kate Gosselin: This is the first time I've ever seen her on tv or talking or anything. Poor thing. There is nothing pleasant about her. Nothing endearing. I am hoping to see that come out in her and to see her soften up and also loosen up. It was very hard for her to be judged. She probably got involved in this to have fun and sort of get some relief from the judging eye that is always on her but..should have thought that one thru a little more.
Nicole Scherzingergerger whatever her name is: The pussycat girl. Bravo!! I loved her dance! I think these very sexy women who do nothing but promote sex and their bodies all the time really benefit from these more lady like dances and appreciate so much being seen as a lady instead of sex on a stick. Granted, they are the ones who got themselves in that position.
Enter Pamela Anderson: What was she on?! The poor girl was clearly not sober. Her hair was a birds nest. Just a mess! Her dance was ok but it was not the hot show Bruno and Carrie Ann made it out to be. And I felt bad for her that all they could see was sex on the floor. I hope she can class it up for her ball room routines. Her breasts look painful.
And Buzz Aldrin: American Hero. Why are you doing this? I don't think it is nice to have these older men and women do the show. There is no way that he will be any competition. Kudos for being able to move as well as you can and to be able to remember the routine. (that would be the hardest part for me. The memorizing.) But I really wish he had not done the show at all. I can't even talk about his wife because he is a hero.
So that is it. I wish, I wish I could dance with them! I cry every episode.
I was skeptical about this seasons line-up. After watching tonight's premiere I am a little more hopeful. So here it goes:
Chad Ochocinco: This man may be enough of a reason to start watching football. He is beautiful people! I also love his personality...very smooth with out being ostentatious. He has a great work ethic. He does not want to be told he is doing well if he isn't. That's brave! I thought he had one of the best performances tonight though he did not score very high. I think it's the price you pay for going first.
Shannen Doherty: Meh. She did nice. I think she will do alright...she may even surprise it and kick it up a notch but she will have to be less insecure. I loved that she cried because of how proud it made her dad to see her dance. It shows a lot about a gal if she still has a sweet spot for her Daddy!
And now I can't remember the order of things but...
Niecy Nash: I like this lady! I like her alot!! I love that she does not have hang ups about her figure. I need to learn her trick. (that will be a whole other blog.) I thought she danced great and I was crying with her in the end. She was my favorite tonight.
I don't have much to say about Aiden Turner, Erin Andrews was lovely, Evan L. You know...I found him very charming. His dancing...eh.
The Bachelor: Ug. Go home already. Your 15 minutes is up. This is sad because I love Chelsea Hightower and would like to see her stick around. And what the heck was going on in the front row? Vienna and Gia were both sitting there watching him?! Ew! That was just nasty.
Kate Gosselin: This is the first time I've ever seen her on tv or talking or anything. Poor thing. There is nothing pleasant about her. Nothing endearing. I am hoping to see that come out in her and to see her soften up and also loosen up. It was very hard for her to be judged. She probably got involved in this to have fun and sort of get some relief from the judging eye that is always on her but..should have thought that one thru a little more.
Nicole Scherzingergerger whatever her name is: The pussycat girl. Bravo!! I loved her dance! I think these very sexy women who do nothing but promote sex and their bodies all the time really benefit from these more lady like dances and appreciate so much being seen as a lady instead of sex on a stick. Granted, they are the ones who got themselves in that position.
Enter Pamela Anderson: What was she on?! The poor girl was clearly not sober. Her hair was a birds nest. Just a mess! Her dance was ok but it was not the hot show Bruno and Carrie Ann made it out to be. And I felt bad for her that all they could see was sex on the floor. I hope she can class it up for her ball room routines. Her breasts look painful.
And Buzz Aldrin: American Hero. Why are you doing this? I don't think it is nice to have these older men and women do the show. There is no way that he will be any competition. Kudos for being able to move as well as you can and to be able to remember the routine. (that would be the hardest part for me. The memorizing.) But I really wish he had not done the show at all. I can't even talk about his wife because he is a hero.
So that is it. I wish, I wish I could dance with them! I cry every episode.
What a mother will do for her children and State
I guess it was back in December sometime that my sons stayed over at my moms. For whatever reason they were talking about our great state of Texas. They quizzed each other on the State Bird, the State Tree, the State Flower, etc. My youngest, Drew, is a foodie. (The boy loves to shop for it, prepare it and, of course, eat it.) All this talk about the things Texas has named their best got the boy to thinking: What is the State Cupcake? Mom laughed and everyone who ever heard the story laughed. I laughed too and then....I wondered...
Drew and I got on the computer one day (because he asked me again what the State Cupcake was)and did a little research to find out there is indeed no State Cupcake. Why oh why did I feel the need remedy this? But I did more research to find out how to make it happen. It requires legislation and so I contacted our state reps and got everything into motion. They are currently out of session until January 2011 but our request in on file for the 82nd session. This gives us time to choose a cupcake to be declared The Texas State Cupcake!
Enter Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an overnight fundraiser for cancer research. The idea is that cancer never sleeps and so we don't either. Teams of people camp out around a track and walk all night in a relay fashion. Some events run for a 24 hour period. Ours is for 12. 7 p.m.- 7 a.m. Each team is also required to do an on-site fundraiser. This helps to raise more money for cancer research as well as give us things to do to keep us up all night. My team is called Craving a Cure and our fundraiser is a cupcake bake-off.
I am having so much fun working on this event and trying to pull it together. I am also wondering what in the world am I doing? This is a lot of work all because my little Nugget asked if there was a State Cupcake! Unbelievable.
We have cupcakeries from all over the state coming to this thing. It's going to be amazing! Professional and amateurs alike are getting involved. My sons can not wait to start the judging!
If you would like to participate in this event either by entering a cupcake or donating to the American Cancer Society you can click on this link here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10PL?pg=team&fr_id=26415&team_id=643391.
We are excited about the whole process and it will be so cool that if one day another child wonders what the Texas State Cupcake is they can have an answer! Ha!
Drew and I got on the computer one day (because he asked me again what the State Cupcake was)and did a little research to find out there is indeed no State Cupcake. Why oh why did I feel the need remedy this? But I did more research to find out how to make it happen. It requires legislation and so I contacted our state reps and got everything into motion. They are currently out of session until January 2011 but our request in on file for the 82nd session. This gives us time to choose a cupcake to be declared The Texas State Cupcake!
Enter Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an overnight fundraiser for cancer research. The idea is that cancer never sleeps and so we don't either. Teams of people camp out around a track and walk all night in a relay fashion. Some events run for a 24 hour period. Ours is for 12. 7 p.m.- 7 a.m. Each team is also required to do an on-site fundraiser. This helps to raise more money for cancer research as well as give us things to do to keep us up all night. My team is called Craving a Cure and our fundraiser is a cupcake bake-off.
I am having so much fun working on this event and trying to pull it together. I am also wondering what in the world am I doing? This is a lot of work all because my little Nugget asked if there was a State Cupcake! Unbelievable.
We have cupcakeries from all over the state coming to this thing. It's going to be amazing! Professional and amateurs alike are getting involved. My sons can not wait to start the judging!
If you would like to participate in this event either by entering a cupcake or donating to the American Cancer Society you can click on this link here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10PL?pg=team&fr_id=26415&team_id=643391.
We are excited about the whole process and it will be so cool that if one day another child wonders what the Texas State Cupcake is they can have an answer! Ha!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Let the adventures begin!
I've been told by many that I should start a blog. I have to say that the times that I have posted a note in the social networking arena it has been therapeutic; to say the least. I have terrible grammar so you will have to excuse that.
My latest adventure was to Dallas for some Spring Break R&R. It was busy and fun and I left feeling full! I love my friends up in the Big D and hate that I can't see them more.
One odd occurrence while there was that every night was a marathon of dreams. I would dream something and wake up for an intermission to the restroom and then dream again. I often dream but these were consistently occurring. One dream I had was about snakes and I swear to you that I felt something slither by my leg. You better believe that woke me up. Ew.
In another dream I was working the car-rider line for a senior center. Now if you are not a parent or do not have school aged children you may not be familiar with what a car-rider line is. Basically if you are a child who is being picked up in a car rather then riding a bus you are a "car-rider." The line that the parent drives thru to pick up their child is called a "car-rider line." The teachers are out there to make sure that the children safely get in to the correct car.
So, in my dream I was helping senior citizens get into cars of people who were picking them up. Some were in wheel chairs and most were just very slow moving elderly. I was trying to be friendly and cheerful while helping but inside I was wrestling with impatience. Dreams. They are crazy. I'll have to look that one up on Dream Moods. It's great for dream analysis.
Before I left for the trip my husband gave me the most delicious kiss.... It was genius. I missed him the whole time and could not wait to get home! Yeah...he knows what he's doing.
So that kind of sucks for my first blog. I really had no intentions of starting a blog. Not a bad bit of jot for a whim.
Michal
My latest adventure was to Dallas for some Spring Break R&R. It was busy and fun and I left feeling full! I love my friends up in the Big D and hate that I can't see them more.
One odd occurrence while there was that every night was a marathon of dreams. I would dream something and wake up for an intermission to the restroom and then dream again. I often dream but these were consistently occurring. One dream I had was about snakes and I swear to you that I felt something slither by my leg. You better believe that woke me up. Ew.
In another dream I was working the car-rider line for a senior center. Now if you are not a parent or do not have school aged children you may not be familiar with what a car-rider line is. Basically if you are a child who is being picked up in a car rather then riding a bus you are a "car-rider." The line that the parent drives thru to pick up their child is called a "car-rider line." The teachers are out there to make sure that the children safely get in to the correct car.
So, in my dream I was helping senior citizens get into cars of people who were picking them up. Some were in wheel chairs and most were just very slow moving elderly. I was trying to be friendly and cheerful while helping but inside I was wrestling with impatience. Dreams. They are crazy. I'll have to look that one up on Dream Moods. It's great for dream analysis.
Before I left for the trip my husband gave me the most delicious kiss.... It was genius. I missed him the whole time and could not wait to get home! Yeah...he knows what he's doing.
So that kind of sucks for my first blog. I really had no intentions of starting a blog. Not a bad bit of jot for a whim.
Michal
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