One More Day...

We have one full day left to finish everything for the BIG weekend. We're actually doing very well- much better than last year thanks to vacation time and Lisa. Tomorrow looks like a lot of cleaning and venturing to the ghetto for shot glasses for craft time. Don's going out to put the final coat of paint on the kool deck, so I'm going to join him for this momentus moment in D&D home improvement history. We will be heating the pool just in case any of you cold-blooded people were curious. Can't wait to see everyone and try to relax. Next time you see me I'll be lounging by my pool sipping on a margarita. Ah.

Gen-X

As an early adolescent I remember hearing about this awful Generation X of screw-up kids who didn't care about anything except MTV. At least that's what the "old timers" said. For years I sat in limbo, because I didn't approach life that way. I wasn't a slacker. But, the day soon came when I realized that I was, in fact, part of Generation X. The perameters of Generation X are 1965 and 1981. As a child of the late 70s (ha!ha!), I am at the tail end. Some of my faithful readers may not have known that they are indeed Gen-Xers. The rest of you (minus one or two Baby Boomers) are part of Generation Y also known as the Millenial Generation. The sometimes great thing about my life is that I seem to be on the cusp of everything- I'm on the Leo/Virgo cusp and I straddle the line between these two generations. So, I get the benefits of both but no clear identity. So, I'm still left wondering where in the world do I belong? Do I want to be part of "the least nurtured generation in American history" or the one when parents actually started caring about their kids again? I have heard that one of the heralds in the generational divide is the little yellow Baby on Board sign. It started appearing somewhere between 1981 and 1983- after Gen-Xers were born. I'm probably boring the crap out of some of you, but I think that the generational divide is very significant and might help explain a few things. How many times have some of us lamented that we just don't understand the way some people think and conduct their lives even though we're only a few years apart? We bang our heads against the wall wondering how in the world someone who grew up in the same family can see the world so differently. Well, we may be in the same family but different generations. Gen-Xers are typically cynical and are called the latch-key kids because after school they went home to empty houses due to career driven parents or single parent homes. Gen-X people value extended families of friends. While parents seemed to be absent for Gen-X, Gen Y parents took a turn toward "overparenting and indulgence combined with perhaps overly adult and mature relationships" with their kids. It is so hard for me to understand the "my mom is my best-friend and we know everything about each other" thing. Not that it's wrong. I think there are good implications as well as bad. This group also values instant success and can be very self-centered. They say that this comes from the dot com revolution when all sorts of young people made a lot of money really fast. On the good side, Gen Y is very technologically savy, open-minded and tolerant.

I know that people can't be catagorized and that not every Gen-Xer or Gen-Yer has had the experiences described. But, these characterizations really ring true to me and help me to understand the differences in world/life view that are apparant in my relationships with family and friends a little bit younger than me. I guess I'll just have to accept that for some reason kids became a lot more important to the world a few years after I was cute and cuddly. Perception is reality: if people treat you like you're special, you must be and vice versa. Although this is really a sociological issue, I find everything about generational theory fascinating. What made our grandparents the Greatest Generation, what made the Baby Boomers so greedy, what made Gen-X so cynical and apathetic, what made Gen-Y so self-important? Recently, I heard that the current group of students in grade school is the largest since the Baby Boom and will probably surpass it. That's amazing! What does that mean for the future of our economy and our country in general? What will shape this new Baby Boom?

Ok, ok... I have gotten way too geeky excited about this generational stuff, so I'll stop before I betray my ditzy, blonde persona even more than I already have.

Saturday: Septuplets and Snails

No, I'm not expecting septuplets, so everyone can relax. I'm not expecting anything, so, Don, you can relax! In my groggy morning state, I sat down to watch a program on Discovery Health about septuplets. OMG! I do not want septuplets, or any multiples for that matter! The parents that were interviewed had no sleep, free time or money. There were two families featured: one with baby septuplets and one with teenage septuplets. You'd think that it would get easier as they got older, but it didn't! The teenagers were just as crazy as the babies! The parents of the teens said that they wouldn't change a thing, but they wouldn't wish it on their worst enemy either! The parents of the babies said that they probably would have had a different answer about fertility drugs if they had really thought that multiples were so likely. Twins wouldn't be so bad, but I always remember the license plate holder on Lisa's parents' car growing up: Twins: Double Blessed, Double Stressed. Although, Psychology types love identical twins. They are wonderful for all kinds of studies that question Nature versus Nuture, but I'd have to keep one and send the other off to the plains of Africa and reunite them twenty years later. That would make having twins a lot easier! I don't think that I need to worry about it, because twins don't run in my family at all. Don's family- who knows? All the same, I probably don't need to concern myself with it at this time.

So, after the septuplet program I decided to work outside in the garden. Most of you probably already know this, but I don't think that I'm much of an outdoor girl. Sigh. When I was little I was outside all the time, but now I feel like a puny, wilting flower every time I try to do something outside. My skin turns red (even after applying sunscreen) and I just feel gross. Today's project was removing all the destroyed (thank you, Dobby) wooden planters in the garden. It really wasn't that bad. I had originally wanted to do a complete overhaul of the garden, but realistically that won't happen by next weekend. I'll settle with getting the really awful looking stuff out. It was kinda' fun discovering the wonders of "my big backyard". I unearthed lots of earthworms, found a big snail, a few slugs and (yuck!) a few spiders. (I hate spiders!) I feel like a little kid discovering nature for the first time when I actually get around to doing this stuff. Then I realize that I'm hot, dirty, sticky and smelly and just want to go inside and take a shower! Oh, well. That's one thing done out of too many. I know that some things just aren't going to happen- like getting our shower fixed. I'm really bummed about that one, but what can you do?

Now, I'm off to do air conditioned housework.

My Grandma Rocks!

Today is my grandma’s birthday. I don’t honestly know how old she would have been. Grandparents are kind of timeless that way. They always seem to be the same age. As a kid, you think that they are “old” even if they really aren’t; but by the time you are an adult and understand aging they really are old! Anyway, my grandma passed away three years ago this July. I spent so much of my childhood not understanding her at all. She wasn’t the laid-back, let the kids run wild grandmother. No, she had definite ideas about what we were supposed to be doing and how we were supposed to behave. We often accused her of being boring and mean and were afraid of her pointed fingernails! You always knew where you stood with Grandma. If she was pleased with you the whole world knew, and if you screwed up she made sure that you knew. I didn’t have to worry about that one much- my cousins did enough stupid things to make me look like an angel. Although my grandparents lived in Salt Lake, they made it a point to come out for every major event that they could. They were at every graduation and tried to come to as many Choir/Orchestra (Anthony played violin) concerts and plays as they could. And when they came, Grandma doted over us! She was so proud of all of our accomplishments. As a kid, of course I was embarrassed by the bravado. Grandma made a big deal about everything! Kids are so egocentric- that goes with the territory; it wasn’t until I got a lot older that I realized how much of an impact my grandma had on me and a lot of people and things. I could write a book about all the notable things my grandparents did during the War and all the stories they shared with us over the years. Here’s one of my favorite stories about Grandma:

Grandma very much believed that if there was going to be change in this world it would have to start with her. She was the first woman in the state of Montana to sign-up to be a WAVE during WWII. There’s actually a lake in Montana named after her because of this. During the early 70s, Grandma was a Representative in the Utah State Legislature. She served two terms. Of course, she worked on a lot of legislation, but there was one issue that she was particularly passionate about: pay toilets. I guess way back in the day you had to pay every time that you used a public restroom. She thought this was just plain ridiculous, so she sponsored legislation to eradicate pay toilets. Eventually, her Bill passed and the state of Utah was one of the very first in the country to give us the freedom to pee! Obviously, other states followed suite. So, next time you use a restroom in a restaurant or other public building, remember my grandma. If it weren’t for her, you might be paying $1.00 to go. Later in life, during a trip to Europe, my grandma was so upset by the pay toilets there that she organized all the women in the restroom with a plan: each woman would hold open the stall door for the next woman so no one had to pay to enter. It wasn’t enough that she had helped solve this problem in the US; she wanted to liberate Europe as well!

In some ways, I feel bad that I started to appreciate her so late in her life. I really respect and honor my grandma. She is a fabulous role model. She wasn’t afraid to stand-up for her beliefs and put her money where her mouth was. She was a feminist but not in the negative way it’s perceived today. Grandma believed that anyone can do whatever they wish, and it shouldn’t matter that “anyone” is a woman. This view was even supported at her funeral when my cousin, Kristi, and I were pall bearers along with the boys. She defended her country, she had careers and interests, she was devout in her religion, she was a good wife and mother and she represented her community. She also loved and supported the Arts. Most of all, she was devoted to her family. We were the most important thing in her life. We made her more proud than anything else she had done. So, even though I didn’t fully appreciate everything about her when I could call her on the phone, I am glad that there is so much of her in me. My feistiness, resolve, passion and sense of justice and responsibility are all Grandma living on in me. I will be so proud if I can be even a fraction of how wonderful she was.

“I love you, Grandma. I hope you’ve had a lot of great reunions up there!”

Hot Off the Presses

Ok, so maybe this isn't really a newsworthy moment, but I was amused and surprised to say the least. Any of you who went to Durango HS a few years ago or hang out at church at all probably know who Daryl is. Here's a little reminder: he enjoys riding his bike a lot, he has some very distinct features, he likes to inappropriately hit on women, he tries to be a pseudo-security officer in the parking lot and likes driving around the golf cart. In my new spirit of kindness since it has come to my attention that some readers think that I am mean (wink. wink.), I hope that description suffices. Well, we haven't seen Daryl around for a little while, so I thought that maybe his bike got a flat tire ot maybe he had even been asked to stay away for a while. So, when I went into the office today I was surprised to see who else but Daryl swaggering around the joint. He came up to me and thrust his hand in my face and said, "Look!" I obliged and saw a thin gold band around his left ring finger. OMG! Daryl got married! I couldn't believe it! I guess it happened about a month ago which would explain his absence of late. I said, "Wow, Daryl, I didn't even know that you had a girlfriend!" I'm not known for my tact in these situations. He seemed very proud and I was secretly jumping for joy, because hopefully this means that he won't hit on me anymore! Hallelujah! Some people on staff have met his "other half", but I will not repeat what they have said lest I be labeled mean again. :) I guess there really is someone for everyone. Wow.

Here are some other notes from Tuesday so far:

The temptation of the pool finally got to Molly, so she celebrated the Summer Solstice with an impromptu swim. Too bad I didn't know about it until I let Dobby and her in and noticed her dripping fur. Since she is enjoying the first day of Summer so much, she can hang out side a while longer and dry off!

My cell phone broke on Saturday and I am anxiously awaiting it's replacement thanks to Verizon phone insurance. Of course, FedEx came today while I was gone and didn't leave the phone, so I get to deal with a falling apart POS for another day. Joy!

Thanks for wishing the 106 degree heat on us, Lisa! Ya' got your wish plus a little humidity for good measure. Yum, hot and muggy.

Let's see... anything else? I guess just the usual. So, I'll bid you adieu and mourn the loss of any chance I ever had with Daryl. Margaritas, anyone!

Greetings From a Weekend Passed

So, what kept us busy this weekend? For once, not church! lol. We (Don, my dad and I ) are now the proud owners of a margarita machine. We tried it out over the weekend, and it worked like a dream. Yummy! Yummy! I'm looking forward to making some blue margaritas. We got the mix safely into the house (love ya', Lis!), so we're good to go. The guy we bought it from is really nice, so if anyone wants to purchase or rent a machine we know where to go.

Thanks to a mostly free Saturday, Don is close to being done with the kool deck. I keep trying to help, but he won't let me. Oh, well. I get a little frustrated that I can't do more. It seems like every project I'm interested in requires assistance except working on my craft room.

Saturday night was Jessica's birthday party at The Whiskey at Green Valley Ranch. We had a reserved area so we had a guaranteed place to sit all night. I don't understand why clubs don't have more seating, because it really is a pain to go out and have no where to sit and leave your stuff and your drinks. We had a really great time. (Missed you, Lisa!) I forgot how much I love to go out and dance. I don't even pay much attention to the people around me. I just like to dance. It has been way too long since we've gone out. Don't get me wrong, I hate getting ready to go out, and I hate the meat market atmosphere. But, I do feel good when I get there and I am so thankful that I'm not there to "meet" people. I would absolutely hate to be in that scene again. Jessica and I had a great time together on the dance floor. She says that we drew a lot of attention by our not very conservative style of dancing. In another life, we could probably make a lot of money... Maybe we did, but as I said before I didn't really notice. I'm out there to have fun not to score a date. Now, we need to get that girls' night going... Speaking of girls out dancing... someone I know was out at Margaritaville and I just wondered how that worked... Call me and we'll talk! :)

Sunday, we woke up far too early for having gotten home at 4:00am, but our home was elected for the Father's Day festivities so we had to roll out of bed and get ready for the eventual arrival of the fam. It was nice and laid back once people actually got there. Anthony gets the early award. I guess he was making up for being late to Dad's B-day party. Everyone left early, so we watched Ray (the movie) and then went to bed. Moral of the story: Drugs are bad. Honestly, I did not realize that Ray Charles had such a hard life or that he had broken down so many barriers in the music biz. He was a very smart business man despite all of his personal demons. I will say that his wife deserves sainthood. Wow, what a woman! Some people would say that she was nuts to stay with him, but I respect her resolve and strength. If you haven't seen the movie, rent it.

So, that was the weekend. This week's forecast: Back to normal during the week going into crazy party prep mode by the weekend.

Party Page

It's almost here again: The 2nd Annual Fourth of July Bash!!!! Yippee! Don and I have been working hard to get things ready, and we are really excited to see everyone in a few weeks. We put a loose schedule together last night. Lisa, we did include a white legs contest, so you'll have to check out when that is so you can prepare. lol. Ya' know I love ya'! Here's the website for schedule, directions and FAQs:

http://www.nightcapmusic.com/party.htm

At least we're getting some use out of that Nightcap website! Speaking of Nightcap, we might be thinking of resurrecting it with a new soloist. The problem is that we don't have one, so if you know of anyone who might be interested send us a line.

Check out the website. Make plans to party with us!

Get Off Your @#& Already!

Just sitting in my wonderful craft room on my leopard chaise propped up by leopard pillows and snuggled under a leopard blanket listening to Alanis. Hmmm... maybe I like leopard print a little. I should be doing something productive like actually organizing the crap in my craft room or cleaning a bathroom or washing the guest room linens (Yes, Lisa, they will be clean.). Don was productive enough for the both of us today: he painted the entire family room and is now at his show. Ok, so I'm a slug. I'm just in a motivation funk; plus, I'm still trying to make peace with my hair (lol). The Alanis CD is really helping the motivation problem. Well, tomorrow is another day- thank goodness! I do really enjoy my craft room. It's a shame that I don't spend more time up here.

I usually don't pay too much attention to these survey things, but I liked this one. So, I "stole" it from Obviously Bored- If you're reading, I hope you don't mind.

F I R S T S
First best friend: Stacey Stucki
First kiss on the lips: Carl, in the first grade
First real kiss: Joe
First funeral: Our HS jazz choir sang at the funeral for a teacher from our school who was murdered around the corner from my parent's house
First pets: Rocco and Tiger
First true love: Don
First big trip: Dodge City, Kansas
First music you remember hearing in your house: The Beatles/Elton John

L A S T S
last car ride: Tonight coming home from Taco Bell
Last good cry: I'm going to keep this one to myself (no, it wasn't when Dr. Greene died on ER! All of you need to forget that you ever saw that!)
Last beverage drank: chocolate milk
Last Crush: Antonio Banderas
Last phone call: Don called on the way to the show
Last time showered: this morning before work
Last item bought: flooring

r e l a t I o n s h i p s
01. who are your very best friends? Lisa, Jessica and Don (that whole spousal privilege thing. lol)
02. do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? No. Probably not a good idea for someone who'd like to stay married.

f a s h i o n s t u f f
01. where is your favorite place to shop?: Target/Pottery Barn/Pier1/Micheals/Dillards
02. any tattoos or piercings?: yup

s p e c i f i c s
01. Do you do drugs? no
02. what kind of shampoo do you use? trying out Lanza color protection
03. what are you most scared of? head injuries; someone I love being hurt/being hurt by someone I love
04. what are you listening to right now? Alanis Uninvited
05. where do you want to get married?: Already did. CTK was good except that whole aisle thing!
07. what would you change about yourself?: My obsession with my hair. While we're talking about hair, I'd change the texture from fine to normal.

h a v e y o u e v e r
01. taken a bath with someone? Yes
02. smoked? No.
03. made yourself throw up? Yes, when I have been very sick or very drunk & just want to feel better.
04. skinny dipped? Yes
05. been in love?: Yes, I'm married, so I'd hope that love had something to do with it!
06. lied?: I got in the worst trouble of my life for lieing to my parents, so I don't do it anymore.
07. been rejected?: Yes, who hasn't been?
08. rejected someone?: Yes. Not proud of it, but yes.
09. used someone?: Not intentionally. Some people may think differently, but I have never set out to hurt or gain from anyone.
10. done something you regret? I used to kick boys in the balls in elementary school. I probably shouldn't have done that, especially if they have trouble functioning today.

c u r r e n t
clothes: white NAU T-shirt (thanks, Katie!) and blue pj pants
desktop picture: Don. Ok, that sounds so sappy. The truth is that no one takes pictures of me- let alone good ones- so it's either Don or Dobby who are both better than the Windows options.
last p e r s o n hugged: Don- on the way out the door to the show

a r e y o u
open minded: It depends. I'm not as conservative as everyone seems to think.
interesting: You're reading this, so I must be slightly interesting to you!
moody: Hell, yes- I'm a woman! (I do believe in male PMS, though. My brother is a great example.)
hardworking: not tonight
responsible: Yes

w h i c h i s b e t t er
coke or pepsi: Pepsi
flowers or candy: Flowers are nice...

So, there's my contribution to the survey craze. I hope that satisfies all of you who have sent them to me and have not received a reply. I like reading yours; I just don't get around to doing them myself- hence, the motivation problem that started this whole post! Ah, full circle.

Making Progress

I love it when motivation finally hits us! We have had a lot going on lately, but it's all stuff that we have talked about doing forever. We bought a new kitchen table, which was delivered last Wednesday (thank you, Lisa!). It does look better in the space than the other one, plus it has two leaves so it will accommodate more people. Don started work on the kool deck again this weekend. It's going to look really great when it's done. I never knew what a difference kool deck makes in heat reduction. When I walk on the old sections my feet burn up, but on the freshly painted areas it feels so much cooler. Kool deck in Las Vegas is a very good thing! We had a guy come today to look at our shower in our bedroom. We haven't used it for nine months, because of a leak in the tiles. Finally, we are looking at getting it fixed. I love you all, but I wasn't very excited about showering downstairs with the whole gang around! I guess it couldn't have been any worse than sharing the bathroom over Memorial Day, although I did walk in on that old guy taking a crap! (Ew! Yuck! Gross!) The thing that I am most excited about is our new flooring. We're having wood laminate installed in the family room on Tuesday. It's going to look so good. We plan to use it in the other downstairs living space, but we have to knock out a half wall and do more prep work, so it can wait until later. We have a nice house, but some things just need to be updated a little to reflect our lifestyle and to make it look a little more modern. We are no where near done getting ready for the Fourth. We still have to replace some light fixtures (I haven't been able to find any sconces that Don and I agree on, so we'll have to live with Miami Vice for a little while longer!), weed the backyard (Help!), put up twinkle lights on the patio and I would love to at least clean up the garden even if we don't have time to re-do it. Oh, yeah, I need to finish trying to make my craft room presentable so people can actually crash in there. (My) Lisa will be so proud of me, because last week I actually unearthed the floor and my chaise lounge! Very exciting. The good news is that we have almost every night free this week, and we don't have to do Mass next weekend. (Although, I am looking forward to Jessica's birthday.) This is a whole lot of change in a very short amount of time; I'm just waiting for my change freak-out to happen any day now (mostly because of my hair, which I'm still trying to get used to). Even though we don't usually have the luxery of Time, I feel very fortunate that we are able to have and do nice things. Most people don't worry about how to replace Miami Vice sconces let alone have them! God and, by extension, IBM have been very good to us lately.

Something Different

I'm just giving you all a heads up- I had a hair appointment today and decided that it was time for something new. So, we chopped it all off. So far, I really like it. It's pretty short. I keep trying to run my fingers through it and am surprised that there isn't much there! lol! It's chin-length in front but layered a lot shorter in the back. The back is a little bit shorter than I had wanted, but hopefully when it grows out a little I'll like it better. I just wanted to let you all know so that no one freaks out when they finally see me!

Tattoos, Piercings and Toe Rings

With that title I sure am living up to my Goddess Desiree name! Do an internet search on Goddess Desiree sometime and see what you get. Some people probably find my blog and are very disappointed! Handcuffs, anyone? Moving right along… If a woman has a tattoo, piercings (other than in the lower ear) or a toe ring than she must be of questionable moral character, right? Well, believe it or not, that is what our wonderful Vegas morning DJs Mark & Mercedes were spewing out over the airwaves this morning. To be honest, I don’t particularly like M&M. I know that I am not the only one who thinks that Mercedes is an irritating dim-wit, and looking at Mark’s public “private” life he’s really not one to pass judgment on anyone else’s moral character. I’ll admit that I do find them entertaining, or I wouldn’t listen. But, I really could not believe that they would make such a huge generalization about people who have more permanent body decorations. In fact, I was so upset that I called in to stand up for my tattooed and/or pierced sisters. I did get through the “screening”, but I had to hang up before they were able to put me on the air because I had finally gotten to work. I felt compelled to let everyone know that there are wonderful, moral church-going women who have tattoos in the small of their back, barbells in various areas and permanent toe rings. Where did toe rings come from anyway? I bet a lot of guys thought that they could score with me after they noticed that I had a toe ring. What’s that about?! The other thing that pissed me off was that they assumed that women must do these things to their bodies to attract men and show them that they are a sexy good time. Step out of the box for just a second- this may be shocking: Call me crazy, but maybe women just like the way these things look on their bodies and it really doesn’t have anything to do with what men think or do. Maybe, some people even consider tattoos as art. That can’t be it. It’s just all about being slutty. I’m not a big fan of tattoos for a variety of reasons, but I have never looked at a woman with a tattoo and thought, “Oh, she’s a slut.” That’s ridiculous and just wrong. Big deal if a woman has a pierced bellybutton, etc. Maybe you could assume that they know how to have a good time, but that does not automatically mean that they will screw anything that moves! I know that it was just a stupid morning topic, but generalizations like this are very dangerous when people take them seriously. They can keep people from feeling that they have the freedom to be or act certain ways, and they can make people think that they have the power to treat others in disrespectful ways because of who they think they are. So, to all you tattooed, pierced and toe-ringed sisters, “I got your back!”

My Sister

Hey, does anybody remember this song? This one takes me back to Freshman year of High School singing in my best friend's living room. There was also a "girl" song that came out around the same time as this one that had a pretty high part (at least that's the way I remember it.). For the life of me, I can't remember what it is. It's on the tip of my brain. Help!

My Sister
Juliana Hatfield

My sister... my sister... my sister.

I hate my sister, she’s such a bitch.
She acts as if she doesn’t even know that I exist.
But I would do anything to let her know I care.
But I am only talking to myself ’cos she isn’t there.

My sister, I love my sister, she’s the best.
She’s cooler than any other girl that I have ever met.
She had the greatest band, she had the greatest guy.
She’s good at everything and doesn’t even try.

She’s got a wall around her nobody can climb.
She lets her ladder down for those who really shine.
I tried to scale it, but to me she’s blind.
So I lit a firecracker, went off in my eye.

I miss my sister, why’d she go ?
She’s the one who would have taken meTo my first all-ages show.
It was the violent femmes and the del fuegos,Before they had a record out.
before they went gold,And started to grow.

I miss my sister. I miss my sister.
I miss my sister. I really miss her.

So, that's a peak into my adolescent years along with a lot of Madonna and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. Isn't it funny how some songs will always remind you of a certain time in your life no matter when you hear it again?

A Little Bit of Nothing

No big topic today; just random spewing of thoughts. Weekend's over. Unfortunately, mine was mostly a "working" weekend, so I didn't really get one at all. We went to a wedding, had my dad's 50th birthday party on Saturday and Debbie and I spoke at all the Masses trying to convince people that Jr. High kids aren't that bad. It must have worked, because we got tons more people than we ever expected to volunteer to help us out next year. We're not sure if it was our jubilant personalities or if it was my cleavage! We had a running joke all day that every time I bent forward more people came to sign up. Actually, I was not dressed well for the occasion at all. I had to keep pulling up my shirt and I was wearing a flippy skirt on a windy day! Not very good planning. Oh, well. No matter what the cause, we are very pleased and excited about the response that we received. Now, we have to figure out what to do with all these people! But in our business, that's a really good problem to have.

I think that most of you who read this know that Mr. Happy is our neighbor. For any of you who don't know, Mr. Happy is the guy who hangs out on the corner of Sahara and Fort Apache wearing crazy out-fits and playing a 2-stringed guitar. A lot of people think that he's a total nut job, but he's actually a very nice and quiet neighbor. (He never violates our CC&Rs. :) ) Two indie film makers have actually made a movie about him. I believe that there is a screening of it at the end of the month. Anyway, here's my point: a few people who know that he is our neighbor are encouraging us to invite him to our party because they are totally intrigued by him. I would love to invite him, but we aren't "friends". I don't want to hurt his feelings by inviting him because he is "famous" or so he can entertain people. We won't be inviting anyone else in the neighborhood (I don't even know the people who live next door!). Am I being way too sensitive? Should we invite Mr. Happy? What do you think?

Our home improvement projects are gaining speed. We have a new kitchen table coming on Wednesday and hopefully we'll have new flooring installed late next week. Yippee!

I am starting to become aware of a topic in my life that is really causing me angst. I am troubled by my perception that some young people are not growing into who I thought they would be. Maybe it's just my disappointment in the choices and seeming disinterest of people that I thought I had a good influence on once upon a time. I don't want to admit or know that people I love may have gone down different paths and that perception might be reality. I just can't believe that a glorified life of money, alcohol, loose women and hot-headedness is ok for someone that I love. How can someone see how awful another person's behavior and lifestyle is and still hang around them? Will they never understand the saying, "You tell on yourself by the company you keep"? How many times does someone have to prove that they are bad news? Even more disturbing is seeing someone who has experienced abuse from another start to head down the same road as the person who hurt them. It's as if every life lesson from childhood and adolescence has been erased and the person standing in front of me is someone that I don't recognize and am not sure that I want to know. Hopefully, it's all a phase that I don't think I ever went through and all it takes is time. That's not much consolation right now, especially when all I want is to see good lives and good choices. But, I guess everyone has to live their own life and make their own mistakes. I can't protect anyone from experience no matter how hard I try.

It Must be a Full Moon, Because the Freaks are Out Already!

What a day! It's been frustrating, saddening and just absurd in one way or another. Here's the sad news for anyone in music ministry at CTK: our new sound board was stolen out of the church yesterday. I don't have many details other than that the church was obviously unlocked/unsupervised when it wasn't supposed to be. How sad it is that we live in a world where even churches have to lock their doors during the middle of the day. Churches are places where people go for comfort and help. I guess these people felt that they needed more help than everyone else. It is also a sad day when people are not safe to pray alone in a church when they need to. I used to go to our Eucheristic Chapel quite a bit, but now I think twice even if I know that people are around or working. Obviously other people on the premises are not a deterrent. This isn't the first time that we have had equipment stolen or been vandalized, but it makes me just as upset. A church is a sacred space and when it is violated I think we all feel just as victimized. The good news is that to my knowledge no one has been physically harmed. At least they have some decency.

Here's the petty, frustrating part of the day: I think that I have established in previous posts that I work for a bank as well as the church. Today, I decided that I have too much money in my savings account making really crappy interest. So, I'm going to open a CD at another institution. I'm thinking that it should be a piece of cake to walk in, withdraw x dollars and be on my merry way. The bank I work for deals in a majority of high dollar accounts, so I don't blink an eye when someone has a check for $100,000.00. Well, I wasn't withdrawing $100.00 but it wasn't $100,000.00 either, so it's not a big deal. I don't know if the teller was new or what, but she asked for every security check, had to get approval from her manager, had to check with everyone in the bank (it seemed that way anyway!) before she'd complete the withdrawl. It was as if I was trying to buy the Taj Mahal! Then, she tried to give it all to me in cash! Who do you know that thinks it's a good idea to walk around with a large amount of cash if they aren't in a casino? So, I politely told the girl that I wanted a check. You'd think that I had asked her for a kidney! On top of it all, she was going to charge me $5.00 for a stupid piece of paper! It took all my will power not to pull the "I work in a bank and I know this is crap" line, but I argued all the same and got the fee waived, which also required manager approval. Of course. I know that I was probably that girl's "customer from Hell" for the day. I am just sooo irritated by bad service at banks. They do know that they make more money off of my money than they give back to me in a pitiful .25% interest rate. Geez!

Now, for the absurd: After my 25 minute check writing experience, it was finally time to come home. So, I'm in the middle lane tooling up Tropicana toward Rainbow when the car in front of me breaks and swerves. I thought, "Oh, great, an accident!" Not quite... There was a homeless (I'm assuming- she was very dirty and very tan) woman standing in the middle of the center lane of traffic going west trying to thumb a ride! Of course, I had to break and swerve as well. I had a few gestures for her as she stuck-out her thumb and yelled," I need a ride!" At first I was pissed off that the woman had disrupted my peaceful rush-hour drive home, but then my good Catholic side was worried for her welfare since she was obviously mentally ill. So, I called the Metro non-emergency line to get someone out there to take her away, since she was a danger to herself and others. So, I get the Good Citizen Award for the week, unless my bank is suspicious of me now that I've withdrawn gobs of money and is having me watched for illegal activity. Oy, vey! What a day!