Thursday, March 29, 2007

Thinking Out Loud

I just opened up my mail and had several alerts for new entries from the AOL Journals. I felt the little rush that accompanies the anticipation of who it could be! Is it Jamie from Chase-N-Kids? Or is it Just Mary? Maybe another post from Lisa on Coming to Terms with Middle Age? Or so many of a dozen or so that I keep track of and continue to read on a regular basis. Fact is, I look forward to these entries from people I consider friends even though the only way I know them is through their writing and their journals.

I was driving down the open road with an open mind and this thought flew in the window and landed on my consciousness. I remember the exact moment I was no longer a bonafide child!! It was Saturday morning and only on Saturday morning we were allowed to veg out in front of the television watching cartoons and half hour entertainment for kids...such as My Friend Flicka, Rin-Tin-Tin, Sky King and of course the greatest cartoons of them all, Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Mighty Mouse and Fearless Fly. I didn't want to. I laid in bed and read a book. I had matured over night.

I am addicted to Dancing with the Stars. I'm rooting for Billie Ray Cyrus (I'm a sucker for a Kentucky boy).(I like Joey too). Nothing they do can make me like Heather Mills. I think they put her on hoping her leg will fly into the audience.

Spring is definitely in the air, flowers are in bloom and the trees are throwing off these showers of green stuff. It's neat.

When did the term "that's fly!" come back into the vernacular? Better yet, was it ever?

I have started at least four books this month and have not finished one of them. I have half way through a 1963 book about Egyptian antiquities. I have several pages left in one about UN employees in the mid-90's. I am in the middle of a perfectly great travelogue. But finish one, nah.

Started a vegetarian diet. Have no idea how long it will last.

Started Yoga classes. That stuff is hard and difficult. Since I nearly sliced my finger off a couple of weeks ago (too gross to write about, I saved all the gross stuff for Joe and spent serious amounts of time winding white adhesive tape around my middle finger at the office)so I have slacked off. But I really did like it.

I did not think I had a thing to ramble about and look! I'm just a natural at this.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

I BLEED BLUE

FLASH BACK TO MARCH 28, 1992 - Is it really 15 years ago today????

There is nothing on TV so we were channel surfing and had the "guide" on the screen reading the pathetic offerings. One caught my attention, it read something like this, "PAST GREAT COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME".

I mumbled and muttered and cursed knowing there is only one game that deserves that title.

Do you remember where you were when the University of Kentucky was beat by Duke in the Regional Final to advance to the Final Four? The score 104 - 103 in overtime?

If you are a True Blue Kentucky fan, that question certainly is answered with a resounding, if not disgusted and slightly choking, holding back tears, "Oh yea...."

I recently read that Richie Farmer said everyone remembers the little details.

I remember my details concerning that night.


I was dating a nice guy named Steve (way before Joe) and we decided to go the The World Famous Two Keys Tavern to watch the game. A week prior to that, we had gone to the Metallica concert where Steve, a normally mild mannered God Fearing Christian, was corrupted from the influence of a heavy metal band. (your mother was right)!

Two Keys was packed. Another regional final was being played down the street at Rupp Arena. Many of the fans of the teams that played the first game were also packed into Two Keys. We were wall to wall, shoulder to shoulder. Steve is not a drinker, but the beer was flowing that evening. Pitcher after pitcher arrived and was consumed by our new best friends. I need not describe the game, as it has earned itself accolades as the greatest college basketball game ever played. That evening, in the tavern on the fringe of the UK campus, you felt it, you knew it. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Everyone on their feet cheering and screaming. Beer mugs held high sloshing beer over the jubilant crowd.

The next thing I knew, UK had pulled ahead and it looked as if they were going to win the game! Steve climbed up on a table, and began to chant, "F*** you Duke, F***you Duke", shaking his beer mug at the tv.

Suddenly, everyone in the whole Two Keys Tavern began to chant with him , "F***YOU DUKE F***YOU DUKE F***YOUDUKE"

Then THE shot. Silence. Dead silence as people realized what had happened. Steve was helped down from the table. People were stunned. Some actually began to cry in disbelief and horror.

I took Steve home. I really had corrupted that man.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

STAYED IN BED ALL MORNING....

.....Just to pass the time
there's something wrong here
there can be no denying......



The Internet is a small place. At times, I have to be very careful about what I say and how I say it. Veil it. Disguise it. Ignore some of the drama going on in my life because I have no idea who knows who I am where I live. So I'm careful to not mention who I work for nor the trauma's I encounter because of my business.

Yet, it's really getting to me. We have endured price increases before, but this one was a humdinger and since I represent my company to my customers, they think it is all my fault and that I should be able to do something about it.

And when I do try help out a small Mom and Pop, I get smacked down by my own company for being too emotional and too passionate.

I have been unsettled. Since when was being passionate a bad thing?

Which is making me become unglued. I'm questioning everything about myself and the profession I chose for myself. If I could turn back the hands of time, things would definitely be different.

In my perfect profession, I see myself as an Archaeologist.

I have a few good years left, maybe I should look into it. I made a vow to myself when I finished my degree that I would not set foot back in a class room. But, that was a long time ago, and like Childbirth (only getting my degree at night school must be worse!), you forget the pain in time.

Just thinking about it is easing the depression I am being sucked into.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

St. Patrick's Eve in Cleveland



We were at the back of the room....again. But closer to the bar.

As the band prepared to end and call it a night, Omega and I advanced toward the stage and waited for the encore.

I have written and written about the Saw Doctor concerts. Last year I saw them three times! Last year in Cleveland we had a grand adventure getting to the show, which was at the Agora and we arrived in a limo (because the hotel could not find us a cab but did find us a limo and we were so late that the concert had already begun! This year, not so much drama). The House of Blues was within walking distance of the hotel and the snow and stiff wind off Lake Erie was enough to freeze your rashers.

The House of Blues was a terrific venue.

But ahhhhhhh..........the Agora. The funky atmosphere, the hot cramped and sweating crowd. The 32 oz beers, the concrete floor and wall of people.

The House of Blues was definitely upscale.


Last year Leo appeared like an apparition in the back of the bar of the Agora.

We faithfully awaited for a re-appearance in the Bar/Restaurant area of the HOB.

We knew it was not his kind of place.

They were great, but I am so glad I have my memories of that night last year.

Monday, March 12, 2007

MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION

With great anticipation I await the day when I can turn the calendar over from February to March. This means that an action packed couple of weeks have arrived! Beginning with a birthday,then a 5K and at times more races, parades, the Saw Doc's, St. Paddy's day and then more birthdays and finally that first day of spring. Nothing is better that March coming in like a Lion!!

For the second year in a row I helped put together a float for the Louisville Highland St.Paddy Parade AKA The Ancient Order of Hibernians parade. It rained until time to emerge the float from the Bat Cave, then the sun shined and it became a lovely day.

I put together two enormous and seemingly impossible rows of balloons in the Irish colors of green, white and orange to fly gracefully above our float, (a flat bed pulled by a Chevy S-10)in two arches to resemble an Irish rainbow. Those were the instructions as my BIL fled the Bat Cave to attend an important soccer tournament. (isn't that the way it always goes, several things happening at once when you have small children?)

The three of us left looked at each other and immediately got to work! Me, another SIL, and the nine year old Zoe. The going was slow at first until we got the hang of it and got the flow going. Instead of twisting the helium balloons into a knot, the mighty BIL had purchased a bag of plastic string things. They were wonderful as I discovered that the plastic thingies could also attach easily to the long string that was the base of the rainbow.




Finally the chore was completed and with plenty of time to spare.

As the showers stopped and the sun came out, so did our beautiful ballooned POT OF GOLD float (our theme was Tooar Loora Looral - That's an Irish Lullaby...but our float was the same as last year!) At the judges station BIL had all the children do a dance number to "HELLO EILEEN" which was fabulous! But our float was now way behind in the line up heading down Bardstown Rd. Our driver decided to close the distance between us and the float ahead.

The following pictures are of a very courageous Irish dancer catching up with the flat bed.










All in all, a great day.

My Sis had been circling the "Kiss" people all week. This was the group that had the winning float last year themed, "KISS ME I'M IRISH". They were the ones to beat! We closed the gap a little this year, thanks to the beautiful balloons...but we still fell short.



Damn ....they are a clever lot of Irish Eejit's.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

MY DEPRIVED CHILDHOOD

My brothers and I would sit entranced in front of the television set every day around 4pm. My Mother had very strict rules guarding the amount of tv time (i.e. idiot box)we were allowed.

4pm every afternoon we were allowed to tune in to the "T bar V Ranch" show out of Louisville, a mere 60 miles away. May as well have been 6,000 miles away to our little minds.

A group of kids every afternoon would be stars for one day! It was their birthday and they were the STARS of the show! They would dress in their birthday finery and carry their birthday presents onto the stage.

This was a Cowboy show mind you. All the boys wore their cowboy hats, holsters, tied to their leg with the strip of raw hide,and their guns. Sometime during the half hour show the boys would line up on stage and stand at ready, waiting for the order to DRAW!

Oh, the child hood days of the 1950's and 60's. Homegrown televisions shows featuring homegrown children.

I wanted to be on that show! I wanted to flounce around in my party dress and face the camera and say hello to my Mom and Dad, my brothers and sister, and all my friends at home. I wanted to so bad.

I was so deprived!

It was impossible for my Mom to take us all to Louisville for an afternoon! It was totally out of the question. I doubt we even asked. We just practiced our gun draws in the back yard in the hopes that one day, maybe one day, we would be on tv showing off our stuff.

Years later, when I was in college I was having a conversation with my Louisville boy friend when he proudly told me about his birthday appearance on T bar V Ranch Time. He told me about standing in the wings, sitting on the bench, about being struck dumb when it was his turn in front of the camera, about not being able to get his gun out of the holster.

I was smiling through clenched teeth. I was soooooooo jealous I was certain my skin was glowing red from my insane buried and repressed want to be a Cow girl on T-bar-V.

The reason I am remembering all this is simple.

It's was my birthday a couple of days ago. I have this desire to go outside and practice some fancy gun handling. But that aside, I go on line to find out the words to the songs we use to sing along with Randy and Cactus....

"Brush your teeth each morning,
get lots of sleep at night
Mind your Mom and Daddy,
cause they know what is right....."

And I am blank after that....I can't remember what comes next!

"Happy Happy Birthday
May all your Dreams come true
Happy Happy Birthday to you and you
and you...And Everybody Out There!"....

I was always everybody out there.

Never right there.

I was so deprived.

On a very sad not, the show was on tv from 1950 till 1970 and not one show was ever taped! Not one!! Every self respecting baby boomer in the Louisville Area appeared on that show! And not one moment of gun twirling and dress flouncing remains.

So sad.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Quick Trip Rehash

So I left early in the afternoon because I could. One of those rare times when the stars aligned and no one was at the office I had to report to, or who was keeping tabs on me. So, being the devious person I can be at times, I took off.

Beautiful day though windy. Made the drive down South in record breaking time, due to a good back wind I suppose.

No one told me Geo. W Bush was going to be in downtown Louisville at a fund raiser for Mitch. And to make it all the more inconvenient for me, he was at the Seelbach Hotel which is on the same block of the Fourth Street Live area I was headed.

I had a 30% off coupon for Borders and I like the Borders on the corner of 4th and Liberty. Lucky for me I found a parking spot on 3rd Street parallel to front of the Seelbach! You could not get anywhere close to the hotel. I had to hike down to Liberty and then cut up to Borders.

By the time I left Borders with my new book ( Emergency Sex and other desperate measures...a true story from hell on earth...from the travel writing section)...the party was breaking up and Geo. was on his way to Alabama. Men in very expensive suits were headed to stretch limos lined up on Liberty. Good looking young men in expensive suits, no over coats, and name tags.

Easy to trek through Fourth Street Live and cut over to my car through the plaza across the street from the Seelbach. The police officers on horse back still on alert for any radical behavior from the protesters. Several were still lingering about with their signs and looks of important intent. Trying to have their voices heard. Their messages read.

I quickly escaped the massive traffic jam that had now interrupted the once breezy and spring like evening and headed to the nearest gas station. I found the one that Bridget always used when she lived in DT Louisville.

As I was punching the secret codes that unlock the buying power of my company gas card I was interrupted by a young man with hands in his bulky jacket pockets and shoulders hunched as he quickly gave me the rap about not having any money and wanted to ride the bus home because it was a long walk otherwise.

I told him to hold on and continued to punch in my never ending sequence of numbers then gave him $2. He scampered away hopefully towards a bus stop.

Weeks before, Bridget had told me of the kindness of someone at a gas station when she had run out of gas and had no money. I re-paid that kindness I suppose.

I stayed at a hotel close to the Watterson Expressway. When I got up in the morning to head towards Slugger Field and the 5K I emerged into a glorious morning. Birds were chirping!! Spring comes much earlier here than in NE IN.

A breathtaking sun rise was appearing in my rear view mirror.

It felt good to be home. Joe has an opportunity to be transferred to Louisville. I am holding my breath, but I am not going to get my hopes up.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

On A Flipping Whim ....




....I drove to Kentucky yesterday. (approx. 250 miles)

I have been running (snicker) in the Anthem 5K, the first leg of the triple crown of running, since its creation several years ago. The triple crown was a 10K, a 10 miler then you finished up with the Kentucky Derby Marathon (or half marathon). I did the original triple crown in 2003, months before I started blogging, so there is no record of that dramatic feat!

Then, in 2005 (I think) they decided to make it easier and to attract more runners, they carved off the Ky Derby Marathon as a stand alone event, and tacked on the easier 5K for the beginning.

Now that the history lesson is over....

I just signed up this morning while the sun was shining bright, and finished as snow flakes curled and danced around us.

I feel great. I was able to run the first mile and half, then walk/ran the final and think I finished under 40 minutes. I don't know, because over 7,000 people participated and it took nine minutes to cross the START line.

Once again, I did not practice at all.

I was going to give Joe a TiVo for Valentines day, instead I purchased us a membership at the YMCA.

Those elliptical machines are awesome. After two weeks they have stregnthen my knees to the point where I can jump in and complete a 5K (three point one miles).