Desert Magnolia

Seriously. You'd think that arranging a trip the likes of ours would be a piece of cake. That travel agents would grab at the chance to book us. Apparently not. Apparently nobody seems to know where to stay in Paris, and unless they're getting a rather substantial cut of an airline fare, they don't look for good deals. This is a fact which has upset G.G. and caused a series of events to begin that include but certainly aren't all inclusive: We bitch and carry on and then do what we (probably) should have done in the first place, which is to do our research on our damned flights and book 'em. Period. There are hops and there are variables, but if you're a travel agent, aren't you supposed to take that in stride? I mean, what the hell else do you do all day but figure out options for your clients??? That's your frickin' job. We decide if we want to go through Boston or NYC, then choose. Just make a decision, and book. We concoct a meal tha...

Daughter's team is playing in DePaul this weekend. And also at Notre Dame. For many reasons, none of which seem solid to me right now,  I'm not going to see her play. But G. G. and his Mom are. G.G.'s fam is from that area of the world, so they'll be staying in a hotel one night and with relatives the next, so it's convenient and then his Mom is going to some kind of a reunion one night so G.G. may be able to hang with our girl a little then, too, which is a bonus. He misses his girl. And she misses her Dad. So, G. G. and Mominlaw are super excited about seeing the girl play. She's strengthening and focusing herself on the field and getting more minutes and all is well. And she loves it when her Dad watches her play..she always has. While I may not be there in body, I will most certainly be there in spirit. Which means I'm sending a goodie bag for the girl, some stuff she's requested, some I found and will be a surprise. Mostly it'll be some ...

Mom shared a book with me while she was here, Primal Body, Primal Mind, by Nora Gedgaudas.  Link to her Blog. Gedgaudas'  premise is that we are essentially the same beings we were when we were hunter gatherers, and aren't evolved enough to digest and utilize our diets that are so rich in grains and carbs and sugars and such. We're behind our very own supply chain, as it turns out. Mom said it was thought provoking, to say the least, and that it was helping her change her diet in a way that was already making her feel better, overall. She gave me a copy, and I began it last night. So far I'm kind of obsessed because it's incredibly well written, exhaustively researched and really gets to the core of why so many diets, and you can probably name 5 from recent fad history, don't work. Low fat high carb is essentially a toxic mix designed to leave you hungry and make you crave sugars. And the food pyramid, don't get her started on that beast that has...

I felt it this morning, on the trail, before the sun had fully risen. First long sleeved shirt run in months and months. Coolness...in the air, on my face..it was lovely. And the familiar sound of my tennies on pavement, rhythmic and steady, that made me happy too. Sometimes, particularly after an intense emotional period, simply being outside, in the fresh air, going for a nice run is just the ticket. Like today, for instance.

The Mom is gone. She looks sassy with her new Halle Berry 'do. She feels good about her Mom's progress and knows she'll be fine. She said she's looking forward to getting home to the house, the boat, her BF, and the ocean. She didn't say when she was coming back. She thanked me profusely for 'everything.' She hugged me and told me she loved me and to keep on being strong and having a good sense of humor and enjoying my family because they are a.mazing, one and all. And then she was gone.

As in to mend again. Or to mend a rend in the emotional fabric of our lives. A little background on this. My Mom and I have an interesting relationship borne of many things, but mostly conducted at a distance. A long distance. She lives far away, in Oregon now, but she's lived further away than that for decades now. Originally, she went with my step dad, a physicist, who needed special equipment to do his research. They went to Germany for 7 years, then to Brazil for another 3. During the Germany time both of my babies were born. And Mom came to visit for those events. And then they moved back for a bit. But though they lived in the same state as us, they lived 45 minutes away from us in a little town. In a weird little apartment attached to a much larger house sitting on a horse farm of sorts but not really a horse farm..they boarded, but there wasn't as much lush pasture as you'd expect at a horse farm. Maybe it was just kind of a desert version of a horse farm....

I have a very long bucket list. On said list are a multitude of international locations, some predictably so, some for more personal reasons like 'wanting to visit the homeland of my people' and that sort of thing. Some are on there for no apparent reason but a whim. Of all the types of locations, for all the reasons they appear upon my list, Abu Dhabi remained absent up until a month ago, when it not only was added, it was placed in the top two spot. Let me explain. Son is working over in the land of many sandstorms and camels and plentiful oil reserves and indoor ski slopes and where the bright shiny present crashes into the 5th century. Everywhere you look, I'm told. He said we should come visit, and that we should do it when the daily temps are somewhere below interior of the sun levels, which means in the winter. It should be around 80 degrees most days. At first we couldn't fathom a trip of that magnitude right now, but then we realized he was probably n...

This post, I warn you now, may feel a little sentimental. So leave if you're just not in the mood. Oh, and I'm going to talk about an upcoming trip, too, so if you're into travel plans, just skip over the sentimental stuff. Unless I'm too clever and mix 'em up. Which I might, because it's that kind of a day. Chameleons...adapt. They protect themselves by blending into whatever background they happen to be against at any moment in time. What a fabulous evolutionary trait, and one that serves them very well. I mean, they're still around, right? That alone speaks to the effectiveness of blending and adapting to current environments. I believe we as humans do the same, only emotionally. At least I know I have, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing but it just seems to be how I manage my life. There was a time, in a former life (literally, I was married, briefly, before, at a very early age and have still not forgiven my parents f...

It's been awhile. I've mostly been in bed. Blowing my nose and NOT doing the otherwise sexy things that one does while in the throes of passion, which would be most awe.some, but while wrestling with the head cold from Hell. From Hell. I had to repeat the Hell because, really. So it's next week. Almost a week from the last time I wrote, and longer than I usually go, and for that I'm sorry. But I'm not dead, not even close. I'm on the better side of this ridiculous virus, and my strength and humor are beginning to return. Not necessarily in that order, because honestly, how can you NOT laugh at the red nose, puffy eyes, general feeling of discombobulation that occurs with a head cold? If you don't laugh, my friends, you cry, and I'm not in the mood to cry about a cold. What I am in the mood for, though, is the following, not necessarily in any order. This is a stream of consciousness list, which means importance isn't linear. Chocolate. De...

I know it's not Monday, I do. But it feels like it right now. First, there was the holiday weekend, which always throws thing off. Then the head cold from Hell moved in and blanketed my brain with mucous and ache and ick and so I opted to keep my germs and myself home yesterday. Have you ever noticed how sick days, when you're really down and just resting, trying to hydrate, blowing your nose, napping, etc., kind of just slide by and you wonder how you could possibly sleep that much and still be bone tired and how you could lose a day like that when there is so very much to do to keep up at work? So today feels like a Monday, when in fact it's not. And I need more tea and honey, cuz the voice? Not going to make it all the way through. And the head? Kind of gauzy feeling and I'm pretty sure if I handle anything important at all today I'm going to have at least two people check my work. It's that kind of a Monday, er, Tuesday, er Wednesday.

That Grandma of mine? Remarkable. During today's visit, which happened to be when the Occupational Therapist was there, I saw some of the fire and metal core that makes up my little granny. The OT did her thing, they practiced some stuff, etc., etc., and as Grandma walked across the room with her walker she did a little hip shimmy thing. I shit you not. My 91 year old granny shimmied. Twice.

There's no two ways around it, last week was a humdinger. But this one is alright and getting better. First, Grandma Gin has turned a corner in her recovery and is doing much much better today. Much. Got to take a shower, which was a biggie since we all know how ineffective sponge baths really are. She's been walking a good distance at a time now, which is a huge improvement. And most importantly, her spirits have lifted a bit. I think with each hurdle she overcomes we'll see more of the familiar sass back, and that, my friends, is awe.some. Second, the fish are fine. G.G. installed a new pond pump last night and did some general cleaning while he was at it and the pond is spic and span and everyone is happy happy. And there's a new little head on the water pipe that creates a gentle fountainlike spray, which is lovely. And last, G.G. and his fantasy football friends are picking teams tonight, so I'm flying solo after work. Which means I'll most likely pic...