Archive for February, 2009

When you go to New Orleans…

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

While you stroll in New Orleans
You ought to go see the Mardi Gras
If you go to New Orleans
You ought to go see the Mardi Gras
When you see the Mardi Gras
Somebody’ll tell you what’s Carnival for

Get your ticket in your hand
If you wanna go through New Orleans
Get your ticket in your hand
If you wanna go through New Orleans
You know when you get to New Orleans
Somebody’ll show you the Zulu King

You will see the Zulu King
Down on St. Claude and Dumaire
You know, you’ll see the Zulu King
Down on St. Claude and Dumaire
An if you stay right there
I’m sure you’ll see the Zulu Queen.

Lundi Gras

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

A friend stopped by looking for a headband. We are preparing to costume tomorrow – it’s a new year and every year you make a new suit.

The hardest lesson to learn

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Goes in the category of it is what it is but I was thinking about the things that are what they are and yet are so unsatisfactory – like knowing someone screwed you over and yet they got off scott free, or watching a friend ebb and flow through a self-induced depression, or being in your ebb when just minutes ago you were in flow, and trying to understand how to make it all better but realizing you can’t, all you can do is be.

That has been the hardest lesson I’ve learned in life.

On Facebook, everyone keeps tagging me to write the 25 random things but I think I might instead compile 50 lessons I’ve learned for my upcoming 50th birthday. This would definitely be one of the top ones.

Lesson #1 – We are helpless to change some of the things that matter to us, and the best thing we can do is to just accept that our power lies in letting some things be.

Talk to the animals

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

My mom kept insisting that the animals spoke to her while she was here watching them. Arlene told her she wanted to go in the backyard and wanted her to pick up the poo. Mom said she even scooted the dog bags over to her. Loca told her she was going to be alright when she fell in the bathroom.

Well, we’re starting to think my mom isn’t so crazy. I was telling T that we can’t keep Wolfie because she was tilting the scale of domestic harmony and we have a baby on the way and so we need to be downsizing. Then Wolfie started acting shy around me, and then she ran into a trailer hitch on the back of our neighbor’s car and got a cut above her eye and looked really pathetic. So then I felt like a heel and I told her, what the heck, okay, alright, already, you can stay.

Then we were speaking in the kitchen about maybe trying to get Loca to graduate out of her kennel and letting Arlene sleep in there because she is pacing so much and despite having isolated her to the bathroom at night she gets trapped behind the toilet. But I didn’t want her to get in the kennel and get weirded out. As if she heard us, she went and got in Loca’s kennel and laid down. She’s never been in there before. So last night, she slept there and Loca slept on a little round rug in the corner of the bedroom.

Just goes to show you that every being is aware – you think they aren’t – you think you are not overheard, understood, being watched – but animals hear you.

A better Oscars by a stretch

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

I read a headline this morning that said the Oscars suffered from bad jokes and pairings. I disagree. I thought this was one of the best Oscar shows I’ve seen and I feel the advertisers who defected were probably sorry when they actually watched the show. Hugh Jackman was a great entertainer and having the veteran actors come out in groups and present the nominees by offering accolades made for a richer presentation all the way around.

The show was zippier and I especially loved that the President of the Academy DID NOT present – that was indeed a special moment.

T made us Indian beef and noodles … what a prescient menu considering Slumdog took best picture.

Mother ate an egg and toast today, or was it yesterday?

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Mom said she was up till five o’clock in the morning. She said, “I remember because I ate a piece of toast and an egg. Or was it yesterday?”

There is nothing that prepares us as children to care for our aging parents. My aunt took care of my grandparents and my other aunt took care of my other grandparents. I only saw this in passing as I didn’t live with either aunt.

Aging parents are our responsibility but oh, couldn’t they just be a little more cooperative?

My new do

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

I went to get my haircut late Friday and chopped off a lot of it and got some spiky bangs – everyone loves it – so thanks Scott!

Save the postman

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

After Katrina, we lost our favorite postman Cliff. His sister insisted he move closer to her in one of the Carolina states. I cried when he told me he was leaving. Then through a series of nonmail, a rotating door of postal carriers, we lucked upon Rudy. For a couple of years, Rudy has warmed his way into being a good replacement for Cliff.

Then yesterday we learned that Rudy was reassigned without consent to a new route. So we’re filing a protest letter with the post office. Why fix what ain’t broke?

Featherbeds and featherheads

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Stopped in to see mom on Friday and had to wake her from a dead sleep, which scared the hell out of me. The alarm went off and I spoke to the alarm company and she still hadn’t woken up. I noticed she had a beautiful gold bedspread and pillowcases and asked her if they were new. She said no, but her featherbed was new. She said, “I thought I could get it on myself but I ended up having to have Yanni and one of the boys from downstairs help me.”

Then she showed me where Yanni had burned a hole in her dining room chair cushion and had knocked over the scale and busted the glass.

What goes on? I thought to myself. And later, I told T, it’s like the Assisted Living thru Alcohol home over there. Lord today!

To Croatia with Love

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

The boys left and we miss them even though they forced us to eat and drink and have fun 24/7 for 10 days straight!