Cherries in the Snow

Someday we'll all be old and I'll be so damn beautiful..

Monday, July 31, 2006

...Ocean

I had forgotten how much of a beach person I was until this vacation. I have always loved the beach and taken beach vacations for years..but hadn't had one in some time. The ocean is my zen..my place to be completely relaxed and calm. I don't realize how much I need that or don't feel that--until I am there..Waking up in a beach town makes me so happy I cannot even begin to describe it..giddy almost--the way I feel..the sunshine and the sound of that ocean..walking out along the path with the beach grass swaying on either side..out to the beach and walking along the shore, or lying in the sun, sitting in the beach chair with a book and watching my son (who also never wants to leave the beach) as he studies the sand and finds bits of shell or builds castles, body surfs against the waves..we walk in the tide pools and no matter how cold the water is, it feels good as it crashes into our feet..And the people are worth watching all day long..because they come in every shape and size, in every type of bathing suit imaginable..to sit or run, to read and talk..they bring lunches and beers or coffees.. grown men of middle age who sit right in the sand with their kids showing them how to build sandcastles or jump waves..No one is playing a video game or watching tv, no one is rushing anywhere..no one is bothered if they get covered in sand or salt water..the sound of the seagulls and the waves hitting the beach--is all that you can hear--except for the laughter of children here and there..and I could have stayed all month.. We did make plans for the same spot next summer--only a longer time..and I look forward to it..lobster dinners and blueberry crumb pie for dessert..I found the slice of heaven that my family is going to keep returning to..and I look forward to next July !! It really did rejuvenate me..

Sunday, July 23, 2006

~respite

Going to the Ocean soon with my family for a vacation..I will blog when I return...This has been a great July so far..trying to enjoy every minute of it..At first i thought i'd bring my laptop on the trip but then realized that wouldn't be a vacation if I could sign online at any moment..so its books and more books, and hiking trails and beach time with my family..a good vacation......

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Return of the Evil Neighbor Girl

So this evening we are out at the pool...and as I am getting out to sit on the deck (as the air was getting a little chillier than I like for swimming!!) I see the evil neighbor girl creeping through the bushes..in her swimsuit again. Now keep in mind that yesterday night I told my son to ignore her next time. That if he squirts her with the squirt gun or talks to her it will keep her there. She will get bored, I tell him, if you ignore her. So at first she's spying through the bushes which is rude enough in itself..but i keep quiet, pretending to look at a hangnail while hubby and son swim. She then comes up to the side of the pool..peering over at my son and giggling again. He sees her and dives under water and sets about to ignoring her. He did a fine job of ignoring her in fact. But this did not work. She. Kept. Standing. There. Staring. SIGH. Truth be told if we could choose theme music for that moment it would be "HATE ME" by Blue October. Because my son would rather she hate him and run away but no. She stands there in all her 7-8 year old glory, gazing at him and saying "Hi!" every time he comes up out of the water for air. She then tells my husband hello and he quietly tells her that maybe she should go home seeing as she HIT him last night. She changed the subject I guess and started chattering about something else. He looks at me and shakes his head. Finally we start getting ready to go inside and she is still saying my son's name and in my head I think--"It will sound better if a kid tells her to go to her own yard, than if I say it!"...so I whisper to my son "Tell her to go to her own yard". Yes I took the cowardly way out. I honestly thought it more likely a nearly twelve year old boy would say that, than me-the mom who is about over this neighbor girl's presence. So my son (dying for the past half hour to say SOMETHING) says exactly that. "Go to your own yard!" and she does leave. But quickly she returns and says "Can he come to slide on my water slide?" to me..because i was the closest within earshot. I told her that he was nearly twelve and just not wanting to play with kids her age right now (when i really wanted to say YOU ARE ANNOYING. GO HOME AND STAY HOME.)..sigh. Then hubby and i discussed the fence we're going to put in that corner of the yard. Somehow I don't think she's done coming over. She seems like the type who doesn't "get it" and the fact that she slapped at my husband when he gently patted her head--is a bit bratty!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Evil neighbor girl

So our backyard is very secluded.....but behind our yard there is a girl who is about 7 and she and her friends took to yelling my son's name through the trees early in the summer. Nothing came of it. He is nearly 12 and not wanting to be bothered by the likes of a seven year old girl. So tonight he's in the pool and I'm out on the deck and she starts creeping through the trees and bushes to be seen by him and says "Hi! (my son's name)" and he ignores her and then she keeps giggling and standing there and he fills a water gun and squirts her. She is in a bathing suit but I still said "Don't squirt her" and the girl says "Its ok! I'm in my bathing suit! Its fun"..ug. SO he still squirts her and she stays. She keeps saying "(son) is so silly isn't he? Teenagers!!!" and tells him how silly he is. Then she manages to keep walking around the above ground pool holding on to the side and jumping so she can see ---which makes me want to scream but in stead I nicely say "Please don't do that honey--the sides aren't supposed to be pushed against"...and she says ok but still does it. Finally I say "Let's cover the pool (son), it's getting late" and she still lingers...and my husband comes out to help us cover the pool. He nicely pats her on the head as he walks by and she starts swatting his arm with her two hands!! Like she was reacting to his little pat on the head--as if he'd hurt her..and she makes this face and says STOP IT! and he looks at her like she has two horns. Looks at me..and my eyes widen and I say "(my son) has to go inside now..so you probably should go home"...Darn it we need to fence in the yard!

Relief!

PHEW! Oprah's not gay. Those are the headlines on today's (and last night's) welcoming screen for AOL. Aren't you relieved? I mean, cause I was sure worried. (eyeroll) I am sure glad she told everyone that she and her best friend Gayle aren't lesbians. (eyeroll). I'm sorry -call me crazy but why in the world does anyone need to make sure that we know they are not gay? Its one thing to want to let people know if you are (personal choice) but if you have to announce that you're not..it seems so sixth grade. Sixth grade girlish--where the boys say "Oh Oprah and Gayle must be lesbians since they are together SOOO much!"...and now they are making sure the public knows, they aren't. Cause if they were they'd surely tell everyone-because there is nothing wrong with being gay (their words). So I guess they wanted to end the speculation. Speculation among the dumb people I guess. Because anyone with half a brain a) knows Oprah's not gay and b) doesn't care either way if she was.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Summer ramblings

So I would really like to lose like 10 lbs by the time summer is over..(she says as she looks at the m & m's wrapper to her left). I really have done well in the fitness dept. I've been working out on my treadmill an hour a day most days of the week. Upping my incline and speed as time goes on. But I'm oh so impatient. I will do that for four days and then think "I MUST have lost some weight by now!"..as if it will happen fast..as if those four days of working out must equal SOMETHING. I have changed eating habits and today is the first day i've had m and m's in awhile but they were calling to me and they WERE the dark chocolate kind which I'm sure is somehow healthy in a round about way? Right? So Big Brother Allstars has been on and I'm still watching and I do so lovvve Kaysar and if he gets kicked off at any point I will be in mourning..because he is sooo sweet and smart but sooo sexy. I do NOT like Dr. Will. I can't figure out why he thinks he's so great..I do see now why he's looking so different than the last time he was on. He's white as a ghost and giving himself botox injections whenever he wants!! Yet he has the nerve to say that Howie looks bad. I think Howie is far better looking than Dr. Will. Dr. Botox just creeps me out. So I got my m & m's craving out of the way. No more for a long while. This week my son is attending an afternoon session on forsenics (A CSI of sorts for kids in the upper grades of elem.)..he loves it. I however am driving two hours a day. Thirty minutes to get him there--thirty minutes to go home. Thirty minutes to go back and get him and thirty more to take him home. Thank goodness for satellite radio....

Friday, July 14, 2006

peace

Sometimes people in our lives disappoint us regularly...a cycle actually--of consistently disappointing you..and because you care for them you keep letting them..for the past five years I've let someone do that..and so why am I left wondering 'How did this happen again'??? This isn't anyone in my immediate family..So i will be ok.. but I need to somehow find an inner peace as I walk away from this person who isn't good for me spiritually or emotionally. At some point we have to recognize the dysfunction in another..and not let it keep affecting us..Here is to letting it go..fully and completely..imagining that I meet that person in the middle of a bridge...telling them that I forgive them for the last five years, but that i need to move on ..I need to visualize this a lot...in reality the moving on has occurred--its in my mind and soul that I need to work on. Imagining the deep breath as I turn and walk away to my side of the bridge and keep going--not looking back..as I return to my otherwise healthy and happy life..

Thursday, July 13, 2006

AGGHHH

Star Jones is now an AOL Coach. Like I need her to tell me how to tell if a man is a keeper or not??? Helloooo..been married a lot longer than you Star. Not sure how you're suddenly an expert?!!!!!

A rockstar


Now this my friends...is a Rockstar..Perhaps the contestants on Rockstar Supernova should take note. Last night they let Chris go. He did actually sing better with his last final song--but still...black nail polish and eyeliner do not make the rockstar. You need to actually be able to sing. Screaming is good but only if you can actually sing and scream in a particular way. Jill Gioia actually looked ten times better last night than she's looked so far--and her Evanessence song was much nicer than her last performance. The spicey black haired girl just doesn't do it for me. She's not a rockstar IMO. After watching last night I've decided my favorite male is Toby and fave female is Patrice so far. Some of these contestants just seem to lack something. Last year I loved JD from day one. This year is just different.. maybe Dave and Brooke should get a room already.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Summer tv

So this is the time of year I watch Big Brother and Rock Star. My two vices for the summer....I'm still rooting for Big Brother 6 people on this All-Stars edition..I think a lot of us are. After all it happened just last summer and America loved Kaysar then and they love him now. Watching Dr. Will isn't fun for me. It's painful. First of all he looks nothing like he looked when he was originally on BB. What is that about? Is he paler? Is he obsessed with having skin peels or something and its removed his good looks? I wouldn't care that he didn't look as good if it weren't for the fact that he THINKS he looks good. I'm not a shallow person..but when someone walks around THINKING and SAYING that they are hot..well..when they really aren't--it's hard to not point it out. I am hoping that Allison goes home this week because I have no use for her. She should not have even been put back into the house. America didn't vote her there. Rockstar SuperNova is fun to watch but I'm not half as hooked as I was last year. Last year I just liked JD Fortune from day one and could not stop watching. This year there isn't anyone that hooks me. A few boys on this show think that if they paint their fingernails black, wear eye liner and yell really loud, that means that they are a rockstar. No. Sorry. Doesn't. Work. That. Way. To me, the women this time seem less silly than the boys. There are some great female artists. And some freaky ones. One woman's voice is so low it scares me. She sounds like she's been smoking several packs of cigarettes a day, since the age of 2. While she is entertaining-I do not see her as having the vocal range to be a lead for this band. One of the boys needs to enunciate more and not warble his words all over the stage..If you notice I don't use their names. I guess that is because none of them have made such an impression on me that I've got their names down pat. I hope they improve. There aren't any male performers so far that has that "IT" factor along with the voice. It just isn't doing it for me. If it weren't for Tommy Lee, I might even be passing on this season's rock star. He's the only one who adds some fun.. and if Dave Navarro says "Awesome" one more time I'll smack him. I LOVED this show last year. The artists need to improve this year or they need to start sending Brooke Burke out on stage wearing a thong and nothing else. She's working her way there anyway.

Monday, July 10, 2006

iPods

So I am pretty hip for my age..as I've been sayin'..and for my birthday I received an iPod. I am learning how useful it is. Like if your son who is singing along to his own iPod can be heard just singing the refrain of a song over and over (cause his earphones are on and all you can hear is him going "Right therre Right therrre"...) it's nice to put on your own iPod earphones and drown out the sound. Then you too are singing your own song as you load the dishwasher or something and not interupting one another's singing. I definitely work out much longer on my treadmill while using the iPod because I can switch songs whenever I want without moving off the treadmill and certain songs make me walk even faster and harder. The downside of the iPod in this situation is that now my family can only hear ME singing to the songs and not the music itself. I'm sorry but no matter how in key you can sing--if you have no music going--and you're singing a cappella as you work out on your treadmill..it just doesn't sound as nice. And when I sing along to Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and you can't hear the guitar along with it..it loses it's hipness. Also, sometimes you are working out so hard that you can't quite sing every word to the song you're singing..so you could be listening to The Black Eyed Peas "Pump It"..and only able to get out "Louder!" "Louder!" "Louder!"...then you later see your son who says "Mom all i heard was you singing the same words over and over!"..and I say "Well that's what YOU sound like when you sing along to YOUR ipod too!" Somehow he doesn't believe me.. My husband says "Well then don't sing along if you don't want to be heard. Just sing it in your head"... No. That's not an option. Somehow I just can't keep the singing in my head. Which is why I have yet to wear my iPod outside as I walk, because I will then be seen by passersby (and heard) singing rather loudly. I just can't NOT sing to certain songs. Perhaps it's an illness. I don't know.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Pirates

So I saw Pirates of the Caribbean part two--before I read a review. I'm glad because the reviewer gave the movie a D+ and I loved it! I think movie reviews are worthless for the most part. Everyone is so unique in their movie tastes and it seems like a waste of time for me to read a review unless I read it after the fact. If I read it after the fact I can go "Oh wow you did NOT see the same movie i did"..or "Cool. I think so too."...otherwise I don't want to know if someone else thinks it's good or bad--because it ruins it for me. I do think if you loved Pirates part 1 you will love the second one. Orlando Bloom is so easy to watch for two and a half hours and Johnny Depp is still cute with all his grungey pirateness. Plus he wears eyeliner. If you liked the 80's rock bands who wore eyeliner, chances are you will enjoy watching Johnny Depp prance around without ruining his eye make up once. Kiera Knightly wears less makeup than Johnny and she is adorable and sexy at the same time. Loved it. I also saw "The Devil Wears Prada" which is fabulous and well--fab U LOUS!... Lots of eye makeup and clothing in that one too. One of my favorite quotes: "I'm one stomach flu away from my goal weight"...:)

Thursday, July 06, 2006

AHHH

Ahh Summer. So far so good. I am enjoying all of it. This week I'm meeting an old college girlfriend for dinner when she's in town. Going to later see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 with my family (have been looking forward to it for months). And will see "Menopause The Musical" as well this weekend. Supposed to be very funny..I myself wasn't going to go and sit among menopausal singing women..but my mother wants to go and has talked about how funny it is etc. So I will go..but I won't pretend to be menopausal! I'm still 41 damn it. I still have some youth left. I still know all the words to the songs on the radio (my mother never did), I do not wear mom jeans, and I KNOW what a blog is. (It really bugs me when I mention the word blog and people look at me like they aren't sure what I'm talking about). And when I do become menopausal I will be hippest menopausal woman I know. This crossed my mind the other day when I realized I was driving with my preteen son--and we were both singing all the words to the top 20 songs on Satellite Radio..because I never remember my mother doing that at my age. In fact she was usually asking that we turn the radio down. (Plus she was tone deaf)

Sunday, July 02, 2006

as my mind skips through the past couple days..

So I am a Tour de France Widow. Well not really. Just that when he can, he's keeping up with what's going on. He rides in local races himself, and was a big Lance fan. He reads the cycling magazines..I have to say I like it better than being a football widow..because well-football makes no sense to me and I just don't like the whole concept..Other than the Superbowl Sunday commercials and half time show. Though watching the Tour is not fun for me either..i realize they are all racing but it's a longggggg race and its all boys in cycling shorts to me, just sweating and riding and well. Not very Exciting. More exciting to me when Lance was racing. And Lance broke up with Sheryl Crow which-why? I just don't get that either. At first I thought maybe he was going back with his wife and that would have been a good reason but nope he has not reconciled with his wife. Sadly, more fun for me was watching High School Musical last night finally. My son talked about it because they showed it in school on the last week and I was far too curious to not see it! So last night we watched with him and here were five adults with this twelve year old watching and smirking to ourselves. Because it is kind of cheesy and yet it's cute. Very cute. He didn't talk through this as much as he talked through 8 Below the other night..and I must say I enjoyed 8 below MUCH less. In fact here is my review of 8 Below: PAINFULLY TORTUREOUS. I say this if in fact you are a dog lover as I am. I cannot stand to know of dogs suffering, even if they are actor dogs. Every scene that showed how many days those dogs were left to fend for themselves in Antarctica was like a sword through my heart. So eventually i got out my nail polish and started polishing my toenails because I could not allow myself to emotionally attach too much to those dogs. It kept me from being a basket case and in the end I would say it wasn't a movie I'd put myself through again. People told me "OH it's great!" WELL sure it's great. At the END when the anxiety and pain has stopped! That is the only time it was great!