All This Entertainment For Less Than The Cost Of A Restaurant Entree

I love movies.

I'll watch anything with Mark Wahlberg, Jason Bateman, Denzel Washington, Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon, any of the Afflecks, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, John Cusack, Melissa McCarthy (although I did not like Bridesmaids), Sandra Bullock or George Clooney (although I hated Gravity), my boyfriend Channing Tatum (with him, it has zero to do with acting)....gosh, there are so many actors I like, it's hard to choose.

But choose we did, from the RedBox around the corner.  We wore that thing out.  We've watched more movies this visit home than usual.  Here's the short list, with the RedBox synopsis for each flick.  I've put two stars (**) next to the ones I recommend.

** The Reluctant Fundamentalist:  Lahore, 2011. At an outdoor café, a Pakistani man named Changez tells American journalist Bobby about his experiences in the United States. Roll back ten years, and we find Changez, fresh from Princeton, seeking fortune and glory on Wall Street. The American Dream seems well within his grasp, complete with a smart and gorgeous artist girlfriend, Erica. But when the Twin Towers are attacked, a cultural divide slowly begins to crack open between Changez and Erica. Changez's dream soon begins to slip into nightmare: profiled, wrongfully arrested, strip-searched and interrogated, he is transformed from a well-educated, upwardly mobile businessman to a scapegoat and perceived enemy. And with time, he begins to hear the call of his own homeland.

Dark Skies:  Daniel and Lacey, a young couple living in the suburbs, witness a series of disturbing events and their tranquil home life quickly unravels. When it becomes clear that the family is the target of some horrific force, Daniel and Lacey must take matters into their own hands before it tears their family apart..

Only God Forgives:  Ten years after killing a man and going on the run, Julian now manages a boxing club in Bangkok, which in reality is a front for his drug operation. When Julian's brother kills a prostitute, a mysterious and unbalanced policeman arranges to have him killed in revenge by the girl's father. This prompts Julian's mother to come to Bangkok. The powerful head of a criminal organization, she's come to retrieve her son's body and to instruct Julian to find his killers and create chaos in the process.

The Power of Few:  During one afternoon in New Orleans: A desperate teenager assaults a store clerk to get medicine for his ailing baby brother. Two undercover agents come into conflict with the rules of torture while taking down a terrorist ring. To feed himself, a delusional homeless man steals a gun from a cop and sells it to the wrong guy. And while delivering a package, a courier rescues a man on the run and becomes the target of a ruthless gang. All are unknowingly connected to a smuggling operation, and they are to cross paths on that day.

Oblivion:  Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack's mission is nearly complete. Living in and patrolling the skies from thousands of feet above, he is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Stuck In Love:  Three years past his divorce, veteran novelist Bill Borgens cannot stop obsessing over, let alone spying on, his ex-wife Erica, who ignominiously left him for another man. Even as his neighbor-with-benefits, Tricia, tries to push him back into the dating pool, he remains blind to anyone else's charms. Meanwhile, his fiercely independent collegiate daughter Samantha is publishing her first novel while recoiling at the very thought of first love with a diehard romantic; and his teen son Rusty is trying to find his voice, both as a fantasy writer and as the unexpected boyfriend of a dream girl with very real problems. As each of these situations mounts into a tangled trio of romantic holiday crises, it brings the Borgens to surprising revelations about how endings become beginnings.

Peeples:  Sparks fly when Wade Walker crashes the preppy Peeples annual reunion in the Hamptons to ask for their precious daughter Grace's hand in marriage. Wade might be a fish-out-of-water among this seemingly perfect East Coast clan, but he's not about to let himself flounder. Instead, in a wild weekend of fun, dysfunction and hilarious surprises, Wade is about to discover there's room for all kinds of Peeples in this family, no matter their differences.

** Disconnect:  The need for human connection is told through interweaving stories: A hard-working lawyer is attached to his cell phone, but can't find the time to communicate with his family. An estranged couple uses the Internet as a way to escape from their lifeless marriage. A widowed former police officer struggles to raise a son who is cyber-bullying a classmate. An ambitious journalist learns of a teen performing on an adult-only site and sees this as a career-making story.

Redemption:  After his traumatic tour of duty in Afghanistan, ex-Special Forces soldier Joey returns to London to face another kind of war: life on the streets as a damaged, homeless veteran. Trying to start over, Joey takes another man's identity and seeks the aid of a young nun who works at an inner-city parish. When his training as a soldier leads him into work in London's criminal underworld, Joey offers his profits to those who need it most in order to maintain his integrity. But when he learns that his girlfriend has been murdered by a kingpin, he risks all he has for revenge, choosing a path that will either destroy him or be his last hope at redemption.

**  The Frozen Ground:  Based on a true story that follows Alaskan State Trooper Jack Halcombe as he sets out to end the murderous rampage of Robert Hansen, a serial killer who has gone unnoticed for 13 years. As the bodies of street girls start to pile up in Anchorage, fear strikes a chord with the public. Risking his life, Halcombe goes on a personal manhunt to find the killer before the next body surfaces. When a seventeen-year-old escapee reveals key information about the case, Halcombe is finally on the trail of the killer. But will he catch him in time to save the next victim?

**  The East:  Former FBI agent Sarah Moss is starting a new career at Hiller Brood, an elite private intelligence firm that ruthlessly protects the interests of its A-list corporate clientele. Handpicked for a plum assignment by the company's head honcho Sharon, Sarah goes deep undercover to infiltrate The East, an elusive anarchist collective seeking revenge against major corporations guilty of covering up criminal activity. Determined, highly-trained and resourceful, Sarah soon ingratiates herself with the group, overcoming their initial suspicions and joining them on their next action or "jam." But living closely with the intensely committed members of The East, Sarah finds herself torn between her two worlds as she starts to connect with anarchist Benji and the rest of the collective, and awakens to the moral contradictions of her personal life.

**  The Factory:  Detective Mike Fletcher and his partner patrol the streets of Buffalo, NY, on the trail of a madman who targets prostitutes. But when his own daughter disappears, Fletcher throws the rules out the window as he stalks the killer.

**  Prisoners:  Keller Dover is facing every parent's worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter Anna and her young friend Joy are missing, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests its driver, Alex Jones, but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?

Mud:  Two boys, Ellis and his friend Neckbone, find a man named Mud hiding out on an island in the Mississippi. Mud describes fantastic scenarios-he killed a man in Texas and vengeful bounty hunters are coming to get him. He says he is planning to meet and escape with the love of his life, Juniper, who is waiting for him in town. Skeptical but intrigued, Ellis and Neckbone agree to help him. It isn't long until Mud's visions come true and their small town is besieged by a beautiful girl with a line of bounty hunters in tow.

The Colony:  As an endless winter engulfs Earth, humans struggle to survive in remote underground outposts. When Colony 7 receives a distress call from a nearby settlement, Sam and Briggs race through the snow on a dangerous rescue mission. What they find at the desolate base could mean mankind's salvation-or its total annihilation. Terrifying discoveries will unfold that will change the rules of survival forever

Fruitvale Station:  Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother, whose birthday falls on New Year's Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina and a better father to Tatiana, their beautiful four-year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family and strangers, Oscar starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that change is not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn when BART officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year's Day. Oscar's life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area - and the entire nation - to its very core.

**  Identity Thief:  Unlimited funds have allowed Diana to live it up on the outskirts of Orlando. There's only one glitch: she's financing her shopping sprees with an ID stolen from Sandy Patterson, an accounts rep who lives halfway across the U.S. With only one week to hunt down the con artist before his world implodes, the real Sandy Patterson is forced to extreme measures to clear his name. He hits the road to confront the woman with an all-access pass to his life and coerce her into making the 2,000 mile road trip back to Colorado to set things right.

Thanks For Sharing:  On the surface, over-achieving environmental consultant Adam, long-married small-business owner Mike, and wisecracking emergency-room doctor Neil, have little in common. But all are in different stages of dealing with addiction. Confident and successful in his career, Adam is afraid to allow love back into his life, even if that means losing a chance to start over with the beautiful and accomplished Phoebe. Mike's efforts to control his wife and son as tightly as he does are tearing his family apart. And Neil is still deeply in denial when befriended by Dede, who has just begun to take her own small steps back to health. As they navigate the rocky shores of recovery, the three men become a family that encourages, infuriates and applauds each other on the journey toward a new life.

We're The Millers:  David Burke is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids-after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad. In order to wipe the slate clean-and maintain a clean bill of health-David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad's latest shipment in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbors, cynical stripper Rose and wannabe customer Kenny, and the tatted-and-pierced streetwise teen Casey, he devises a foolproof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV later, the "Millers" are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang.

Elysium: In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine, man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet's crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium - but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens' luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max, an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission - one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt and her hard-line forces - but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.  

2 Guns:  For the past 12 months, DEA agent Bobby Trench and U.S. naval intelligence officer Marcus Stigman have been reluctantly attached at the hip. Working undercover as members of a narcotics syndicate, each man distrusts his partner as much as the criminals they have both been tasked to take down. When their attempt to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and recover millions goes haywire, Trench and Stigman are suddenly disavowed by their superiors. Now that everyone wants them in jail or in the ground, the only one each can count on is the other. Unfortunately for their pursuers, when good guys spend years pretending to be bad, they pick up a few tricks along the way.

Getaway:  Former race car driver Brent Magna is pitted against the clock. Desperately trying to save the life of his kidnapped wife, Brent commandeers a custom Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake, taking it and its unwitting owner on a high-speed race against time, at the command of the mysterious villain holding his wife hostage.

**  The Heat:  Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence--and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins, one of Boston P.D.'s "finest," is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies.

White House Down:  Washington D.C. policeman John Cale has just been denied his dream job of being a Secret Service agent and protecting President James Sawyer. Not wanting to disappoint his young daughter with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, and they are there when the complex is overtaken by a paramilitary group. Now the nation's government is falling into chaos, time is running out and it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter and the country.

Red 2:  Retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his motley team of elite operatives for a worldwide hunt to track down a missing portable nuclear device. In order to succeed, they'll need to survive relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazed government officials, who all want to get their hands on the next-generation weapon. The mission takes Frank and his team to Paris, London and Moscow. They are outgunned, outnumbered and have only their wits, old-school skills and each other to rely on as they try to save the world-and stay alive.

**  The Internship:  Billy and Nick are salesmen whose careers have been demolished by the digital world. Trying to prove their relevance, they talk their way into coveted internships at Google, along with a team of bright, ambitious college students. But gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation's most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints:  After a long crime spree, passionate young outlaws and lovers Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie are caught in a shootout in the Texas hills and apprehended. When pregnant Ruth wounds one of the lawmen, Bob takes the blame and is sent to prison. Four years later he escapes and goes looking for Ruth and the daughter he has never met.

**  Paranoia:  The two most powerful tech billionaires in the world are bitter rivals with a complicated past who will stop at nothing to destroy each other. A young superstar, seduced by unlimited wealth and power falls between them, and becomes trapped in the middle of the twists and turns of their life-and-death game of corporate espionage. By the time he realizes his life is in danger, he is in far too deep and knows far too much for them to let him walk away.

**  Adore:  Two women cross the boundaries of friendship when they each have affairs with the others son.

Open Road:  Angie, a young Brazilian on the run from her past, finds an unexpected connection with an aging drifter, a handsome cop and his sympathetic sister. As she learns to care for her new friends, Angie finds herself torn between the freedom of her nomadic life and the joy of becoming part of a community that truly cares about her.

Parker:  Parker is a professional thief who refuses either to steal from people who can't afford the loss or hurt those who are innocent. On his latest heist, his crew double-crosses him, stealing his cash and then leaving him for dead. Parker sets out to get his revenge, tracking them down in Palm Beach where they are planning a heist to end all heists. Parker takes on a disguise and a savvy partner, Leslie. Together they come up with a plan to foil the heist and get away without a hitch.

The Numbers Station:  After his latest mission goes horribly wrong, veteran CIA black ops agent Emerson Kent is given one last chance to prove he still has what it takes to do his job. His new assignment: guarding Katherine, a code operator at a top-secret, remote CIA "Numbers Station" where encrypted messages are sent and received. When an elite team of heavily armed assailants lays siege to the station, Emerson and Katherine suddenly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle against an unknown enemy. With the station compromised and innocent lives at stake, they must stop the deadly plot before it's too late.

The Purge:  In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual, 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend help. It's one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. When an intruder breaks into James Sandin's gated community during the yearly lockdown, a sequence of events begins that threatens to tear a family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife Mary, and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.

**  Girl Most Likely: Imogene is a failed New York playwright awkwardly navigating the transition from Next Big Thing to Last Year's News. After both her career and relationship hit the skids, she's forced to make the humiliating move back home to New Jersey with her eccentric mother and younger brother. Adding further insult to injury, there's a strange man sleeping in her old bedroom and an even stranger man sleeping in her mother's bed. Through it all, Imogene eventually realizes that as part of her rebuilding process she must finally come to love and accept both her family and her Jersey roots if she's ever going to be stable enough to get the hell away from them.

As Cool As I Am:  James Marsden and Claire Danes star as parents of a teenage girl who is not only frustrated with the fact that her parents refuse to "grow up," but also wants more for herself and dreams of a bigger life.

Let's just say that it's a good thing some of these movies cost less than a pack of gum.  



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Ten Things I Hate About Flying
2012: Teeth Or Another European Vacation? Ooooh, It’s A Real Toss Up.
2011: Not So Wacky After All
2010: Spreading The Word
2009: He Had A Dream. Tomorrow We See It Come True.
2008: Who Do You Know?
2007: South Beach Blue
2006: Jawl Spake Anglesh??
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!  

Gorgeous, Rich, And Rugged. And That's Just The Bag.

So now the residents of  Down Under can get as fat as we are.

This takes bicycle riding to a whole new level.  Whole new level...get it?

I'm going to do one of these river cruises if I have to take it on my death bed.  I wanted it to happen this year, but it's too early to tell.

Yo!  What are you afraid of??

My favorite hair cut - and oddly, one that I've never had - is back again.  But really, did it ever leave us?

As if I didn't love grilled cheese enough - now I have EIGHTEEN choices.  

I love reading a movie.  I've seen some of these already, but I really need to get crackin' if I want to see all fifty.  

I don't even remember how many times I've seen this rig, but I love it.  And I want to take it on the road and live nomadically.

I love the style of this bag.  Impractical - because you have to stack everything you put in it, and what if you need something down at the bottom? - but I still would love to have one.  Or buy Ed one.  It's gorgeously rugged and rich.  

How does Cameron Diaz stay hydrated, you wonder?  She drinks water.  Holy shit.  Does NASA know about her yet?  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013:  Back To Basics
2012: I Can Think Of Better Ways To Spend Hump Day
2011: Can I Appoint Myself The Baroness Of Cattle?
2010: This Time Losing The Wallet Really Means Losing The Wallet
2009: Marley & Me
2008: Eddie Gets Handy Friday
2007: The Perfect Neapolitan Slice
2006: The King Of The Flying Salmon
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

All The Better To Cook With, My Dear

Ed bought me this fantastic frying pan for Christmas, and although he's been using it more than me lately, it really is fantastic.  When he bought the frying pan, he got a gift certificate to go back and buy something else in the store.  So that's what we did this week.

I wanted to buy everything in the store.  I can go crazy in there.  I swear if I had more room in the truck - or I could convince Ed to give me an entire side box for kitchen gadgetry - we'd be in trouble.  In trouble, but in heaven at the same time.

I walked out of the store with a few new things for the truck kitchen which aren't fancy, but useful.  Next time I go back though, I may not have as much restraint.

And my new gadgets complement my new knife nicely.  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: I Fancy The Castle Life
2012: There Are No Prison Blues If You Have Naan
2011: Now I’m No Longer Alone
2010: Rings Of Spring
2009: Map Schmap
2008: A Willow Weeps In Arizona
2007: Double Team
2006: Turning One Million
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Sunset Cycling

Today we went on our first bike ride of the year.

We're still home and we've been doing a lot of nothing.  I think I may have mentioned that we watched every RedBox movie available, we've done some shopping, we went to doctors and dentists, and ate out a lot.  Oh, and I finally watched The Grocer's Son, which I've been wanting to see because I'm completely in love with Nicolas Cazalé.

It felt good to be outside today.  It's not hot, so I was happy, and since the sun was setting we only did four miles - a quick loop around the neighborhood.  I actually rode through an area I've never been to, about a mile from my house.  I passed this street a million times in the past 30 years, and I've never driven down it.

At one time, from what I've heard, this was all horse property and ranches.  The houses are all in the $600,000 and up range and all of them has horses - one even had individual open stalls outside, containing at least twenty horses.  And there were quite a few people out exercising their horses - or whatever it's called when they trot them around.

The sun was setting as we headed back to the house, and we were home in time for dinner.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Pit Stop At Home
2012: Adding A Few More Wheels To The Big Rig
2011: Again And Again And Again
2010: Hood Ornament
2009: Eddie Out Of Control Friday
2008: My Boyfriend Simon Is Back In Town
2007: A Little Taste Of Miami Beach
2006: Ooooohhhhhh, Jabra!
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Strength In Numbers

The WOWs

When my mother lost her husband in October 2011, she joined a support group provided through Hospice.

Within that group, she met other women who had also lost their husbands.  Week after week they'd meet, share (or just listen) to the stories of the others in the group, leaning on each other's words, comforting them if but for a moment, letting them know they were not losing their minds, it was not the end of the world, and they were not alone.

Grief is an extremely powerful emotion.  Even though I've lost all four of my grandparents, and my own father, I didn't realize the grip it had until my mother lost her husband of 32 years, my step-father.  In the immediate aftermath, I didn't recognize my mother.  I could swear she'd stepped off the set of The Walking Dead.  She's different now.  Better, but different.  Although there was that bat-shit crazy stage, which I sometimes still think she's in.  

But the best thing to come out of her loss, if you can even identify a "best thing", are the women she met through the grief support program.

Week after week they'd go for their meetings or individual counseling sessions (provided free of charge through Hospice), and afterwards go for lunch.  It became a regular thing and little by little, more women were added to the core group.

My mother eventually started hosting the group at her house, to celebrate the birthdays of the women, something joyful to fill the sadness, once a month.  The honoree got to sit in the birthday chair - I guess they duked it out if there was more than one that month - while they all ate cake, drank coffee, and talked, laughed, and cried.

After some brainstorming, my mother put it to a vote, and it was decided to call the group the WOWs - Women of Widowhood.  I'd only met two of the WOWs in the past, but today Ed and I got to meet quite a few of the rest since we were still in town and the meeting was taking place at the house.  Usually there are about twelve in attendance, today there were only seven who made it.

I was SO thrilled to finally meet the women who have given my mother such joy.  I even baked a cake for the occasion!  And I wasn't even concerned that they knew LOTS about me - not all of it very flattering - because I have Mina's pixie dust . I wasn't too worried.

I got hugs from everyone, and I'm in love with them all.

Christine smells delicious.  And after she hugged me, I smelled delicious too.  She's incredibly kind, with the joy of a child in her face.  It just lights up.  She reminds me of my Nanny.

Jo gave me the warmest, tightest, longest, best hug I've ever gotten.  She has happy, twinkly eyes, and she's got travel in her blood.  She's been to every state in the nation in an RV, and has traveled the world.  She and her husband even lived in Saudi Arabia for several years.  I can't wait to sit and talk more with her someday!

Jean has a laugh that fills the room and takes over her body.  She jiggles with joy.  She's the second WOW I met, she knows practically every step Ed and I take, and she's my biggest cheerleader.

Diana sat with me right away, showing me pictures of her dog, and of her gorgeous farmhouse in Wisconsin.  I noticed in the photos that there was truck parking, and I think I may have kinda invited myself for a visit.  What?  She's got a barn and a bunkhouse!  There's plenty of room.  And I'm a great houseguest!  

Kristie (with an e!) also hugged me immediately, recognition of who I was in her eyes.  Boy, I wonder what my mother's been telling them??  I didn't have a chance to really chat with her, but as with the other women, I couldn't help but notice how happy they seemed to be among their friends.

Little Jean, the oldest of the group, exuded a calm serenity.  She had the kind of super-soft hands that only come with age, where the skin is like your favorite set of sheets - worn, yet full of a lifetime of dreams.  And she was so tiny, I wanted to put her in my pocket!

And Terry, with her thick New York accent (a good 'ol Brooklyn babe!), reminded me of home.  All we needed was a stoop to sit on, and I'm sure I would have gotten some good stories out of her.

I can see why my mother, and each of these ladies, loves to be in each other's company.  Ed and I left after meeting everyone, because we knew in addition to the joy and laughter they share, there are also personal moments and tears.  It's their thing, their bond, their little world.

They are a formidable group - in the sense of inspiring awe, admiration and wonder.  To look at them, you'd never know of their losses.  You'd never know it's hard for them to eat at the kitchen table, or buy perfume, or listen to certain music without crying.  You'd never know the challenges they've dealt with or hurdles they've crossed.

But they know.

And I know.

And if you were to meet any one of them, you'd know that WOW more than aptly describes them.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Woman Cannot Live On Bread Alone
2012: Why Milk Is ALWAYS At The Top Of My Shopping List
2011: Fun For Sale
2010: Dublin Is Incredibly Corny
2009: Welcome To Snowhio
2008: When Big Hair And Denim Were King
2007: Open 24 Hours
2006: Lucky One Eye
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

The Cockroach Cowboy

Cockroach Cowboy courtesy of Google Images and Ed and his crafty Photoshop skills.

Ed went for allergy testing today.  It was done in the doctor's office, in less than an hour.

The testing was done by dipping the ends of this contraption into the allergen, then placing it on his back in rows.  Once they were all placed, they waited to see what the reaction was to each allergen.

He also got 41 shots in his arm.  Also in rows, with a number at the top of each row written in ink by the nurse.

When the test was finished, we learned he was allergic to several types of weeds, molds, trees, bushes, and dust mites.

And cats.  Suprisingly not dogs, though.

And cockroaches.

And horses.

I don't know how easy it'll be to know when he's around a tree or bush or weed that's going to bother him, since we're not friggin' botantists and I'm pretty sure he doesn't plan to carry a picture around of something he may have a reaction to, and since they only tested for allergens in this area, it's pretty useless considering we travel all over the United States and at any time he may come into contact with one of these things.

He'd have to go for regular visits to get shots, which will eventually cause an immunity to be built up to whatever he has a reaction to.  The thing is, he's not a sneezy, sniffly, watery eye kind of allergic.  It's more of a sinus pressure thing that causes discomfort.  Once we have another meeting with the doctor, we'll know more about how to proceed.

In the meantime, we'll have to keep him away from cats, horses and cockroaches.

I'm pretty sure that won't be a problem.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Slap 'Em Right Up Here, Ma'am
2012: A Documentary In My Head
2011: Weeding Out The Assholes
2010: Does It Fall Under Some Kind Of Secret Guy Code?
2009: Over 140 Million Years In The Making
2008: If “G” Means Good, Then “I” Must Mean Incompetent
2007: Ft. Lauderdale Storm
2006: You Don’t Need Makeup Or Starbucks
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Field Two

The field number on the fence at my youngest nephew's baseball game.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013:  We Are A Very Rich, Blessed, Lucky, Fortunate Lot Aren't We?
2012: Passion Creates Pure Art
2011: Reflecting On The Day
2010: Crunching The Numbers
2009: Looking Grand At The Grand Canyon
2008: Overshadowing Government
2007: Miami International
2006: Did You Check The Solenoid?
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Next Blog, Please

You see up there at the top of the screen....at the very, tippy-top....where it says "next blog" with two arrows?

I don't know who uses this button, and I haven't done it for YEARS, but today I decided to keep paging forward to see what I came across.

You know what I found?

Crap.

I had intended to link to some really cool blogs that I thought I'd be coming across as a result of my devil-may-care clicking.  

I'm sure there are clickers who breeze right by me - Wait!  Stop!!  Come back! - and that's fine.  Can't be everyone's cup of tea.  In the course of my clicking, I found blogs that hadn't been updated (for years!), a disturbing number of religious blogs, a gluten-free cyclist, mommy and daddy blogs with pictures of kids sleeping, eating and I think one who was throwing up.  It was really a disastrous random blog-finding journey.

But then I found this one:

Vito, of Bill's Magical Mystery Tour.  I don't quite get the name, but he rides his bike in the snow!  A bike that has handlebar gloves - or whatever they're called.  Can I love him more??

He apparently rides a LOT - year round - and he's got some pretty amazing pictures of his travels.  He even has one of a really damn big deer.    I'm certainly not at his level of bike riding - mountain trails, lakeside sojourns, snow - but it's inspiring and really makes me look forward to the spring.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: My Mother Never Fried Chicken Like This
2012: Shocking
2011: Awesome All-Star
2010: Have Pots And Pans, Will Travel
2009: This One Contains A Young Rider
2008: When She’s Not Sleeping, She Tries To Look Purty
2007: Eddie McSteamy Friday
2006: Pepparkakor Cat
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

The Ninety-Two Year Old Horseman

El Charro Café in Tucson, Arizona, is the nation's oldest Mexican restaurant in continuous operation by the same family.  The original restaurant is located downtown in the El Presidio Neighborhood, where Tucson began as a Spanish Colonial outpost.  Today, they have several locations.  We went to to North location, on our side of town.

I love the decor of the restaurant.  It's a large, open space, with exposed ceilings and private dining areas which can be closed off from the main dining room with the sweep of heavy, ornate curtains.

We've only been to this location once before and I don't remember being impressed with the food, but we thought we'd give it another chance.  And boy, are we glad we did!  The food was fantastic.  

Ed had the Poblano & Carnitas Relleno Bandera Style (carnitas stuffed poblano in Dos Equis tempura with red, white & green sauce) and I created my own platter with one Charro Birria (slow cooked shredded beef, with mild green chile & seasonings) taco, one Carne Seca (marinated lean Angus beef dried in the Sonoran desert, shredded and flash-grilled with green chile, tomato and onions) taco, and one Fresh Corn Tamale.  Every morsel of my plate was amazing.  I usually get a pork tamale but the fresh corn just sounded so...fresh.  And it was amazingly light and full of flavor.

One of my favorite elements in the restaurant is the lighting.  The boxes above, made of punched tin, are awesome.  And the starbursts below.  Wow.  I love them and want one in the truck.

I have my favorite Mexican restaurants in town - my absolute favorite being La Parrilla Suiza - but I'm now adding El Charro to my list.  I'll definitely be going back for their carne seca and birria.

And I like their motto:  We are not the best because we are the oldest.  We are the oldest because we are the best.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Where They Store The Crop Goodies
2012: Inside The Trucker’s Studio
2011: The Next Project
2010: Why Would You Want To Be A Zero When Looking Like This Is Clearly A Plus?
2009: The Giant Dirty Bird Goes Sailing In The Four Corners
2008: Soft Core Porn
2007: Almost Fully Integrated
2006: Downtown Scenery And Deals
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

It's So EXHAUSTing Being Right All The Time

A few weeks ago when we were home, I walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in my tracks.  "Eww.  What's that smell??"  I said.

Ed was making breakfast and he was just getting ready to fry up some bacon.  I picked up the package, smelled it, and said, "That's bad."

"No it's not." he said.

"Yes it is.  It smells disgusting."

He looked at the date and said, "It can't be bad.  It's not even past the date yet."

"Well, it is.  I wouldn't eat it,"  I said.  "But you do what you want."  And I walked away.

He cooked it anyway.  After taking one bite, he realized it was bad.  And because he cooked his eggs in the bacon grease, he had to throw away his entire breakfast.

When I walked through the kitchen and saw his breakfast heaped in the garbage, I had to say it.

"I told you."

Personally, I would have rather he just listened to me and got rid of the bacon right away.  I knew it was bad.  My sniffer told me.  I mean, why would I want him to go through the lengthy process of making breakfast, to possibly eat something that was going to make him sick?  But, sometimes you just can't tell someone what to do.

Even though I try on a regular basis.  Bossiness is - according to others, not me - one of my less desirable personality traits.

Which brings me to the latest sniffing tale.

For several months I've been telling Ed I smell exhaust.  

I didn't know where it was coming from or what was causing it, but I knew I was smelling it.

"That happens when you turn on the defroster," he said.  "It sucks in exhaust from the other cars."

"Um, no.  I've been using the defroster on this truck for almost five years and it has not smelled like exhaust."

"Well, you don't know what you're talking about." he said.

"Well, I know you're not supposed to get asphyxiated when you defrost your windows.  I know that's not supposed to happen."

"It's in your head." he said.

"Um, no...it's in my nose.  I.  Smell.  Exhaust.  IN my nose.  It's coming from somewhere, and it's making me nauseous."

So he looked for it.  Couldn't find anything.  Or maybe it just didn't present itself when he looked.  But as soon as he started driving, if I were sitting up front with him, I'd smell it.

"There it is again.  I don't know how you don't smell that.  It's so strong."

"You're too sensitive." he said.

"I don't know why you're not taking this seriously.  You know how I am with smells.  I can sniff out anything.  You're the one who calls me a bloodhound.  You joked about renting me out to Border Patrol.  Remember??"

Fast forward to this week.  Yesterday we took the truck in for repair.  We had to get new mufflers because the weld on one of them broke.  But that wasn't where the exhaust I was smelling came from - because this weld thing was a new problem.

This afternoon Ed came back from the shop.  I was standing in the kitchen making cookies, and he came in the sliding door with mail in his hand.  He approached slowly and said in a serious tone, "I have something to tell you."  Oh crap.

Then I saw him looking a little sheepish.  Shifting.  I swear he was kicking a patch of imaginary dirt with the toe of his shoe on the other side of the counter.  

He shuffled from one foot to the other and said, "So, uh, I was at the shop.  And the guy said he was checking out the system and he found...um, under the passenger side of the truck...there was a loose clamp.  It was way up underneath.  He said that it was so loose, he's surprised it didn't come off."

"Uh, huh." I said.  "And?"

"Well...it seems there was a leak."

"So I was right?" I said.

"Well..."

"Sounds like the exhaust I was smelling was probably coming from there, huh?" I said.

"Well, I told the guy that my girlfriend kept telling me she was smelling exhaust, and I kept telling her she didn't know what she was talking about, and now I have to go home and tell her she was right.  And the guy said, 'Yeah, I hate that.'"

"So does this mean you'll listen to me in the future when I tell you I hear something not right, or I smell something funny?"  I said.

"Yeah."

"So where's my apology?" I said.

"That was it."

OK.  I'll take that.  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: A Marriage Of Two Loves
2012: I Love A Man Wearing A Damn Good Looking Workboot
2011: MMXI At Full Throttle
2010: Maybe There’s A Reason Ed Never Lets Me Out Of The Truck
2009: Napolitos
2008: Pull Up A Chair
2007: The Story Of The Uppity Barista: Otherwise Known As A Texan Gittin’ Above His Raisin’
2006: Rock, Paper, Eddie
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Books Are So Much More Interesting Than Guns

This is a new sticker on the window of my local Barnes & Noble, a store I worked at when it first opened over fifteen years ago.  I spend a lot of time in this store, and I can't believe they have to have a "no guns" sticker on the window.  It's a little creepy.

Other than the occasional group of weirdo teenagers walking through after the movies, this is a pretty quiet store, and it's in a good neighborhood.  The cafe is typically filled with old people, students, and people like me who just get a coffee to accompany their stack of magazines.

I don't really know what a sticker like this accomplishes.  I'm pretty sure the guy with the gun isn't going to say, "Oh, crap.  Did you see that sticker?  I can't go in there with this gun."  And unless they're frisking everyone who walks through the doors (which we weren't), how do they even know who has a gun?

Crap.  How am I going to concentrate on my magazines if I now have to look over my shoulder while I'm sipping my latte?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013:  Contemplating Broccoli Cheddar
2012: I’m Totally Contemplating Thievery
2011: Some People Are Just Fucking Nuts
2010: 7am In Beantown
2009: Eddie Taking A Moment To Enjoy Nature Friday
2008: Pull Up A Chair
2007: Brad Blows
2006: Expressly American
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Who?

Thanks, National Geographic Photo of the Day.

Don't know what I'd do without you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Doing A Complete 180
2012: Apple Is My Life. I’m Living It To The Core.
2011: Men (And One Little Man) At Work
2010: Miss Me Like It’s Forever
2009: Speak Already!
2008: On The Hunt
2007: Cash For Life
2006: Nice Melons
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Ugatz

Lame.

That's my brain this week.

I'm still home.  I haven't done anything worth blogging about, and it's already the seventh day of the year.

I've shopped.  Cooked.  Shopped more.  Returned items I bought.  Went to lunch, dinner, and coffee with a friend.  Rented every RedBox movie we haven't seen yet.  Cleaned out a shed.  Almost had a garage sale.  Did countless loads of laundry - I keep washing the two outfits I go out of the house in.

I am used to having a lot of time on my hands and I've realized that I'm better when my time is limited.  Only because it provides a deadline for me to get whatever things done that I need to do.

We're having mufflers replaced on our truck now.  Waiting for the parts to be delivered.  They're coming from the east coast, and with a third of the country experiencing below zero temperatures, in addition to snow and ice, we're not really sure when they're going to arrive.  They were supposed to be here today.  They're not.

We also got a call today for a load.  Going to California.  We can't go to California anymore and told that to the agent.  They said, "Yeah, that law is really hurting us."  Oh well {{shoulder shrug}}, California obviously doesn't care.  We don't go to California that frequently anyway, so it's not a huge problem for us, and they do care enough to give us about 1,000 miles a year in their state.  Whether we'll use that remains to be seen.

For now, we get the truck mufflers fixed and look for a load to get out of town.  Until then, we sit.  

So, see?  Lameness abounds.

I was thinking about doing a "photo a day" for 2014.  As you can see, I'm seven days behind on that project.  Maybe I'll make it a "photo a month" instead.

I do a lot of thinking on a lot of things, but don't do a lot of doing.  Don't get me wrong, I get a lot done in a day when I'm being productive.

So, yeah, I guess I'm rambling here.  Filling space, trying to think of something exciting to tell you about besides my dentist appointment and my failed garage sale.  But I've got o cazzo.  Look that up - o cozzo - it was a favorite phrase in my family.

Tomorrow, I'll post a lame photo.  Unless something exciting happens between now and then.

Don't hold your breath.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013:  All The Better To See You With My Dear 
2012: Gratuitous Cute Dog Photo
2011: How To Kill Bees
2010: A Mirage Of Sorts
2009: Clouds Aflame
2008: When You Get One Like This, Don’t Let Him Get Away
2007: A Good Tipper Can Always Get Away With Being A Little Bossy
2006: Like Day And Night In Utah
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Third Time Is Not A Charm

Second trip to the dentist in two weeks.

I love my dentist, but I'm really not interested in seeing her a third time.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: A Sure Sign You're In A Truck Stop
2012: Waiting For The Bell To Ring
2011: You Don’t Need I.D. To Buy Booze If You Have One Of These In Your Pocket
2010: The Pros Slip In And Out With Ease
2009: Mine. All Mine.
2008: No, You Can’t Fly It
2007: Flying Parasols
2006: Seattle In Motion
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

I'm Pretty Sure I Was Born With One

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Gettin' The Juice To Stay On The Move
2012: Light On My Feet. Literally.
2011: We Got Smashed
2010: One Provides Light, The Other Just Stands There
2009: Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!
2008: C’Mon In
2007: Eddie Hits The Bricks Friday
2006: Take It As It Comes
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

A Room With A View

This is the view from the bedroom of our house.

Yes, those are bars on the window.  Kinda unsettling, huh?

Years ago, this was a popular design feature.  Many houses in the area had them.  They were sort of a status symbol.  If you had bars on your windows, you had enough money to buy bars.  Which I guess would mean you needed the bars.  I didn't then, and don't now, think we "need" bars.  

We've never really considered removing them.  Some people have, when they've upgraded or changed the appearance of the home's exterior.  But, whatever.  You can't help but feel safe in a house with bars on every door and window.
There's no way to get out of the house if you don't have a key.  Every door has a deadbolt and every window has a lock that releases the bars.  They've been there so long, we don't even notice them anymore.  And we're so used to locking the door the minute we come in the house, that if there's a guest in the house and they don't know they need a key to get out, there's always a look of panic that comes over their face when they think, for a split second, that they're trapped.
Those of us with keys have been known to accept bribes.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: Is The Coast Clear Yet?
2012: Why So Angry, Birds?
2011: One Hand In The Air For The Empire State
2010: Hitching A Ride From The Frying Pan Into The Fire
2009: Don’t Look AT Me Like That. No, Really. Don’t. You’re Making Me Melt.
2008: A Mid-Winter Pick Me Up
2007: I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You
2006: How To Get Rid Of Your Girlfriend
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

You're Not Alone

Flashing truckers.

Not that kind.

I'm talking about headlights.

No, not that kind.

A few weeks ago, on one of the trucker social media sites, I was reading about the practice of flashing your headlights at a trucker after they pass you, to let them know the lane is clear for them to move back over.

Comments varied:

"I don't need anyone flashing me.  I know where the goddamned back of my truck is."

"I never use my brights.  Some drivers use their brights.  They should know better."

"These newbies don't know the meaning of courtesy.  Why should I help them drive??"

"I like when someone flashes me over.  I think it's nice."

It went on and on.

I remember when I was younger growing up in New York.  The only time we flashed headlights at other people was to let them know the cops were hiding in the dip over the hill on Route 17.  They always hid there, everyone knew it, but as a courtesy we flashed our lights, to let them know that today, they were definitely there.  When I moved out West, no one did it.  It was weird.

Then I started trucking.

Everyone's seen it, the trucker who flashes his lights to let the other trucker know he's clear and can move over into the slow lane.  Or whatever lane.  Or that he can merge into traffic from an entrance ramp, and the trucker doing the flashing will hang back until they come on over.

We flash the trailer lights, too.  As a thank you.  Once you've passed another driver, after they've given the signal, you give 'em a little flash of your trailer lights - some people use their 4-way flashers - to thank them.

To me, the flash of lights means more than just thanking another driver, or telling them they're clear.

For me, it's about acknowledging our sameness.  That we share the same lifestyle.  To let them know that someone else knows what their experience is and I'm nodding to it.

To say, I see you.

I am you.  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: More Bling Than One Person Can Handle
2012: Instantly Tucson
2011: Start With An Ollie, Finish With A Shred And Grind
2010: Fire In The Sky
2009: Free Advertising For Erectile Dysfunction
2008: High Flame Toni
2007: Ripped From The Headlines
2006: Our Truck Looked Reallllly Good…
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Because...Perché No?

So that idea lasted one day.  If you haven't been keeping up, I'm talking about the yard sale idea from yesterday.

After getting all the big stuff out of our shed - two truck seats that Ed sold on Ebay, a KingDome unit, A truck tire, extra parts for our trailer, snow chains we don't need, etc. - we had a surprisingly small amount of stuff.  I'd actually be embarrassed to ask people to make the 3-4 turns it would take for them to get to our house from the main road.  Can you imagine....people pulling up expecting good yard sale stuff and then seeing old flip-flops and a few cloudy Tupperware containers?  So I boxed it all up and we're taking it to Goodwill.

And because I don't have any exciting yard sale stories to share with you, I'm going to hit you with a few new Flipboard finds:

Ed has wanted to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve for years.  I've made it 46 years without going and I'm not going to start now.  Some good reasons why.

Banff has been on my list for a long time.  If only I knew how to ski.

Andrew kinda gets around.  I've been to Central Montana, so I can nix that one, but I'm adding Scotland to the list.  Ed has a family clan tartan, or kilt, or crest or something that goes back to the country.  

Fine.  I didn't want to go there anyway.

Do you drink pop, soda, or coke?  And while you're drinking it, do you wear sneakers?  

Oh, the miserable memories.  I'm so glad we didn't do the UPS run this year.  And I'm so glad I'm not one of these yard dogs.  Mostly because I can't back into a hole that fast.

I'm going to retire in the glow of 60-watts.  The future is in light bulbs - I should probably get out and buy a few cases now that the shed has been emptied.

And, one last thing...

Because we all know the Italians know how to do everything better.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: The Big Little Giant
2012: All The Color I Need
2011: Bobbin’ Around The Neighborhood
2010: Getting Ready For Bathing Suit Season With Bananas
2009: Ed Happy Little Trees Friday
2008: Sorry, no post on this day.
2007: Forty Two Days
2006: I Should Have Never Had That Last Drink!
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Good Luck And Prosperity Is On The Way

The first day of the New Year and what are we doing?

Sorting junk.

These are the first two tables of crap we pulled out of our sheds.  I thought we had a lot of stuff to sell but when I started digging around, it didn't seem to be as much as I had remembered.  It was just very unorganized, so looked like more.

We were going to do the Friday, Saturday, Sunday thing but now I think we'll just do a one day junk sale since we don't have enough to sustain three days.  Not that I'd make it that long haggling with people for fifty cents.  Anything that's left over will go to charity.

We'll work on everything a bit more tomorrow and hopefully have everything set up so we can enjoy the rest of the weekend.  Even though the yard sale was my idea, I'm kinda regretting opening my mouth about it.  I don't want to do it anymore.

Our evening ended with my a Southern New Year's Day tradition - Black-Eyed Peas and Cornbread.  Ed's been asking me to make this dish for almost ten years and I never have.  Today he went to the store, bought the black-eyed peas and a ham hock - I've never touched a ham hock in my life, let alone had one in our house - and my mother made him his black-eyed peas and cornbread meal according to Ed's mother's recipe.  He even called his mother to make sure he had it right.

It was pretty good, lots of flavor.  I had a small bowl and some cornbread.

Apparently now that I've eaten them, I'm ensured good luck and prosperity throughout the upcoming year.

I'm just glad I didn't get any loose change in my soup spoon.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: As Pure As The Driven Snow
2012: Quiet On The Set
2011: I’d Rather Get A Little Taste Of Mark Ruffalo Than Eat Swiss Chard
2010: Two Very Different Ideas Of Fun
2009: Caution: New Year Ahead!
2008: Fresh Dreams. Clean Slate. High Hopes. New You.
2007: Two Thousand Seven
2006: Happy New Year!
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!