OKC Here I Come

I am off to Oklahoma on Saturday.   My niece Erin wrote a nice blog post about my dad.  See you all soon!

Airlines + Bereavement Rate = Heartless

I don't claim to be a seasoned traveler.  As a matter of fact, I hardly go anywhere.  The last three times I've been on an airplane have been to visit my parents in Oklahoma.   So, maybe someone can  tell me . . . when did it get so *$)@#^ expensive to fly??!   A few months ago when my husband and I flew to Oklahoma, our tix were less than $400, roundtrip (you know, cuz we wanted to go home).    Now that I will have to go back any day, I've been checking out flights and prices.   I wanted to cry!   Seriously.  I wanted to cry.  Nearly double the price it was last time we went!  

"Sorry, mom, I can't come to dad's funeral because we can't afford the *$^#& airfare.  But, we ARE thinking about you."

So my husband called one of the airlines to ask about their bereavement rate.  I thought maybe half price . . . what a joke!   The rate is the same.  Yes, the same.   Except, they are generous enough to let you change flights without charge if you need to.  Oh, thank you so much generous and compassionate airlines!   We appreciate your thoughtfulness in our time of grief.  

But, of course, I WILL get there, even if I have to walk (which, if I'm going to do that, I should start right now - - I might get as far as Pendleton, Oregon before my mom calls to tell me that it's time). 

So, enough of my pity party.  Thank you for letting me vent.  I promise never to do it again . . . well, not soon anyway :)

All will be well.  

Still Here Making Lists

Still here . . .

We are hoping that Damian - I mean, Little Boy - gets to move to Arizona soon (hopefully 2-3 weeks).   So, I am writing a list for his new family.    I hate lists.   But this list is necessary.   It's a list of his behavior problems.   Lying, manipulating, anger problems.  Triangulating (I learned that term from his social worker) - he tries to pit me and my husband against each other.  And to be honest, when I have to leave for Oklahoma, I am kind of dreading leaving LB alone with my husband.  I don't want him (Little Boy) to feel like he's won . . . me gone, him alone with Mr. Wonderful.  I know that's childish of me, but I can't help it.  

Anyway, we are going to send this list with the social worker when he drops off Little Boy.   No way are we sending it to AZ family before - - we don't want them to change their minds!!  Ha. 

Dear Blogging Family

Alright, my blogging family.   I told you all about the haunted hotel in Oklahoma City.  I may get to visit it sooner than I had anticipated.   My father is very ill and not expected to live much longer.   He and my mother live in Oklahoma.  I expect a phone call any time.  Could be  today, could be tomorrow, or next week.  Even next month.  

But, my point is twofold:  if there comes a time when you don't hear from me for a week or so, it is because I have flown to Oklahoma to be with my mother.   And, if that happens, I will have to spend a night in Oklahoma City, so if I'm up to it, I may be looking for Effie on the 10th floor :)

(Please don't unfollow me if you don't see me here for a few days at some point :)   I will come back.)  

Back To Normal ??

Okay, time to get back to normal.   PARAnormal, that is.  I was reading about a hotel in Oklahoma City . . . the Skirvin Hilton (formerly Skirvin Hotel).  It first opened in 1911.    It's haunted.   For real.   Honest.   A spirit told me so.  The Chicago Bulls stayed there and reported doors slamming shut on their own and strange sounds outside their rooms.  The New York Knicks stayed there, too.   In January of 2010 they even blamed a loss to the Thunder on the haunted hotel.   Yes, indeed, they did.  They weren't outplayed by the Thunder, they were freaked out . . . by the ghosts.   A couple of their key players were so freaked by the stories they had heard about the haunted hotel  that they couldn't even sleep.   One of the big guys stayed in his teammate's room curled up in a corner on the floor, shaking in fear . . . all night long.   So the story goes.   Just because you're big doesn't mean you're brave.   So, of course, the Knicks didn't play their best game the next day.    Hard to play, I guess, when you've been up all night quivering like a baby.

The story goes like this . . .

The original owner had an affair with a maid (Effie) and she got pregnant.  The dirtbag owner wanted to protect his reputation so he locked her up on the 10th floor.  Her entire pregnancy.  See, I told you he was a dirtbag.   Needless to say, Effie got a little depressed.   DB owner still kept her locked up even after she had her baby.   Effie couldn't handle it anymore and jumped out the window - with her baby - killing them both.   In some versions of the same story, the maid is described as "loose" and some men who have stayed in the hotel have reported being propositioned by a female voice.  Others have claimed to have seen a naked woman with them while taking a shower (yeah, they wish).   Another man even claimed that he was sexually assaulted by an invisible entity while staying at the hotel.  Hmmm.   Wonder exactly how that works? 

Anyway, Effie is said to hang out at the hotel.   And hotel workers say they see objects moving by themselves and have heard weird noises at night.

Next time I'm in OKC, I think I may stay at the Skirvin :)  I may not be as big as a NY Knick, but I think I may be a little braver.   We shall see.

Coincidence???

Hmmm.   Interesting.   Since I posted my "I Am Mormon" post yesterday, I have lost two followers.  Coincidental?   I hope so.   I am not the most prolific writer, and I am kind of boring some times.  I certainly am not funny and thoughtful like most of you are.    So many of you make me think and feel and laugh and sometimes cry when I read your blogs.  I love that.   

I don't really care about how many followers I have, but I do care about being judged for silly reasons.  So, I really hope that I lost two followers today because I am not worth reading, not because I Am Mormon.  That would make me sad. 

I Am Mormon

Okay, I was never going to do this, but I feel a need.   I feel like I just have to get this out there.    LDS stands for Latter-Day Saints, which is what we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, are called.   We are more commonly known as Mormons (because of the Book of Mormon, I suppose).  

We are normal people.  Some of you, after reading my blog for a while, may dispute that - - I know.  I know.  I am a bit weird and random.  But we are people, just like you.  And you.  And you.   We are unique individuals with a common set of beliefs.  

And yes.   We do believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.  Thus, we are Christians. 

I would just ask that, instead of listening to people who are NOT Mormons say things ABOUT Mormons, that you would do your own research, do some reading, find out who we REALLY are.   Not what someone has told you that we are. 

Visit us at lds.org, or mormon.org, or mormonnewsroom.org.   You'll find real answers there. 

Wensday

It is Wednesday.  Yes, I know.  You already knew that.   Wednesday is the hardest day of the week to spell.  Why is there a 'd' in Wednesday?  I mean the first 'd', not the second 'd.'  It's all so confusing.  I am so glad that I grew up speaking English and learning to spell in English.  I admire people who learn English as a second language.   I'm not that smart.  I don't think I could learn English if it wasn't my native language.  But I do think that if you live in the United States, permanently, that you should learn English, even if it's hard.   I lived in Venezuela for a year and a half and I spoke Spanish.  I think it would have been rude of me not to, seeing as how Spanish is the language of Venezuela.

Anyway, it's still Wednesday.  And tomorrow is Thursday, the spelling of which makes much more sense.  

Life Gets In The Way Sometimes

Life calls me.   My mind is being beckoned to many different places, and Disneyland is not one of them.   These are not happy places.   My ill father,  my weary/sad mother/hero, Little Boy, MRI/tonsilectomy, vet visit for the dog, imminent trip to Oklahoma, college tuition, how to pay for it all.   If money were never an issue, life would be much much easier.   I would hop on a plane and be with my mother while she goes through this difficult time.   I would write a check for several thousand dollars to pay for MRI/tonsilectomy and the vet, and I would pay college tuition so daugher does not have to get a student loan.  I would not worry/care if I'm getting a bonus this month.   

But life does not work that way.   At least not for us.  

But, fortunately my blessings far outweigh my "unblessings" and I will count those instead of my dismal checking account balance :)

Hang Ten, Dude

I think I had way too much time on my hands at work yesterday.  I love this video!!  Brought back a ton of fun memories of growing up in Southern California!!

So, if you have a spare 6:22, click on this - -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fviwc3YeG8&feature=related

Have a groovy weekend everybody!

Good News Bad News

Six year old Little Boy's placement with family in Arizona has been approved!  That's the good news.  Yea!  The bad news . . . with paperwork and bureaucracy it could be the middle of July before he's gone.   Sigh.  If he were staying within the state, it would be much quicker, but going interstate, I guess, makes it twice as long and twice as papier.  

A couple of weeks ago I had had enough and was ready to sell him to the gypsies.  The wonderful social worker (said sincerely) knew this and made arrangements for him to spend his last month with another foster home and go to Arizona from there.   He was to leave this Monday.   As much as he annoys me and makes me crazy, the thought of him going into another foster home just to wait to be reunited with his family broke our hearts.  His druggie mother abandoned him - foster home.  Then they placed him with his alcoholic dad - his dad was arrested - foster home.   His father was released and then promptly died on a street corner.  Foster home.  My husband (his counselor at school), with his huge heart, wanted to take him into our home short term.   We knew he had never had a "normal" house to live in and never had a "normal" family to live with.    So, we invited him into our home.  It didn't take long for me to be sorry.   But he is trying.   So, I will be a grown up and try too.

I hope I survive.

I Puck You Not

Many years ago, before I was married, I had season tickets to the Los Angeles Kings.  This was when they were still playing at the Forum.   "Back in the day" I was a die hard fan of all teams Southern California - the Lakers, the Dodgers, the Angels , the Rams (yes, they used to have an NFL team) and, of course, the Kings.  The Kings are now one game away from winning the Stanley Cup for the very first time, and I got to thinking about the good old days.   Of driving to the Forum in Inglewood for every single home game (some might not think driving through Inglewood late at night was especially smart, but there were lots of us, so it was okay).  Getting there 2 hours early just to watch pregame stuff - - and watching the zamboni get the ice perfectly smooth and glossy!  Heaven!

And the time I almost got my head taken off by a puck.   Ah, yes.  The good old days.  My seats were behind the goal.  Up about 15 rows.  If you've never held a puck before, then maybe you don't know that it is solid rubber.  And it is hard.   Very very hard.   Before the game the players line up and practice their shots into the goal.   If you've never seen a slapshot before, then you probably don't know that the puck travels at about 100 mph.    If you've never seen a puck coming straight toward your forehead with no time to duck, then you are lucky. 

All I can say is thank you to the thin metal bar that went across our row, at just about the right height, to deflect that solid rubber puck coming at me at 100 mph.  Otherwise, I'd either be dead or have a puck halfway through my forehead.  

Ah, yes.   The good old days.

Relapse Averted

I nearly reverted back to Grumpy yesterday.   Nearly.   I took my 21 year old son to get his tonsils out yesterday.   Yes, I know.  We are terrible parents.  We should have done it years ago.   He has been sick with colds, strep, etc. off and on for years and it should have been taken care of when he was much younger.   But it wasn't.   So there.     Anyway . . .

My plan was to see him checked in, talk to the Doc (ha!  get it?  "Doc") and then go back to work until they called me to pick him up.   The nurse called him back to change into his beautiful flowing gown and then called me back to sit with him until Doc came and talked to us.  Okay, no problem.   A few minutes and then I'd be back at my job where they absolutely can't get along without me.  

So, I'm sitting in the chair next to my son, who is lying down with an IV and other stuff hooked up to him, on him and around him.   He watched ESPN and didn't feel much like talking, so I played Yahtzee on my phone.  I thought I might have time for at least one game.   Half hour, 45 minutes, one hour, one hour fifteen minutes, 30 games later . . . I'm starting to wonder if I should start getting grumpy.   I don't really like to be grumpy without cause . . . (except for the other day) . . . so I wanted to make sure that I had a reason.   I started thinking, "Well!  My time is just as valuable as Doc's!  How dare him keep ME waiting all this time!!   I'm going to deduct my time away from work from his bill!"    Well, of course, I knew that things happen and sometimes Docs have to deal with other things.   (like lunch or golf).   So, I decided to give him the benefit of my doubt and not get grumpy.  Not yet, anyway.   One hour thirty minutes.   One hour forty-five minutes.   By now I thought I had cause to be grumpy.   Two hours.   Yes, I was grumpy.   Finally Doc came into the room.   I had never met him.   As soon as I saw him my grumpy melted away.   He actually  looked like dwarf Doc, but not so short.   AND . . . he had the disposition of Happy.  He was extremely sweet and there was no way I could be grumpy at him.

That was a close one!!

(P.S.  All went well and my son's devil tonsils were successfully exorcised from his angel throat.)

Hi Ho! Hi Ho!

I hope you all had a nice day yesterday (in spite of my rather grumpy blog and even grumpier wish for you all).

So, this past weekend I took the $20 that I saved by not getting free donuts on National Donut Day and went to the movies instead with my husband.   He let me pick, which was only right since I was the one who saved $20 (well, hypothetically speaking - but still).   I picked Snow White and the Huntsman, even though I wasn't sure if my husband would like it.   I know, selfish.  But I wanted to see it, so didn't care if he liked it or not.   That's not true.  I did care.   But I decided to take that risk.   And, ta da . . . drum roll . . . .

He liked it!  As a matter of fact, he loved it.  He even said "We need to buy that movie when it comes out on DVD."   I wasn't surprised.   It was an awesome movie with lots of action and fighting (no blood or gore).  I even liked Kristen Stewart, which is really saying something for me.  She was not a horrible Snow White.   And not only was she not horrible, she was kind of believable.   But one of the best parts of the movie (besides the Huntsman, who was rather gorgeous) were the dwarfs.   And after my post yesterday, I'm sure that surprises nobody.

All in all, it was a good $20 spent - - and not a single calorie ingested. 

And, no more grumpy.  Yes, in Jewel's words of yesterday, today is a much "dopey-er" day!

Grumpy Isn't Just A Dwarf

I like to think of myself as a pretty upbeat, optimistic person.   I definitely have my moments and get a little grumpy (or even a lot grumpy).    But I think I prefer to be happy rather than grumpy. 

However, today I think I will be a bit self-indulgent and let myself feel grumpy, or depressed, or sad, or all of the above.   Just for today.   Maybe even just for this morning, I don't know.   But I am not going to force myself to be happy . . . not yet, anyway.   I think I need to feel this way, even if just for a bit.  After all, you really can't appreciate being happy unless you've felt notsohappy.  (I was going to make a smiley face, but decided that would be too upbeat and optimisic and I'm trying not to feel that right now.)

So, I shall sit in my notsohappy for a while and be back later with my normal, upbeat, happy self!

Until then, don't have a nice day - grrrrrrrrr.    (Is that believable????)

$20 High

Okay, I saw something on the internet this morning that made me very happy.  And then very sad.   It's National Donut Day!   That's the happy part (if you like donuts).   And you can get a FREE donut at Krispy Kreme today!   That's the sad part.   We don't have Krispy Kreme.  The closest Krispy Kreme to us is about 45 minutes away.   As much as I would like a free Krispy Kreme donut, I will not drive 45 minutes to get one.  It would probably take three gallons of gas, round-trip.  At $4.25 (that's what I paid this morning), my free donut would cost me $12.75.  That's probably not worth it.  Right?  And if I drove all that way to get a free Krispy Kreme donut, I certainly wouldn't want to waste my trip so I would more than likely buy an extra dozen to bring home.   I'm not sure what that would cost me, but I imagine about $7-$8 -- does that sound right?   So, my free donut would actually cost me more like $20.  

I could do a lot with $20.   I could go to a movie.  Twice.  I could buy four boxes of cereal.  Or I could buy three boxes of cereal and two gallons of milk (cuz you can't have cereal without milk).   I could rent about 15 movies for a day from Redbox.  I could pay for one-third of a haircut.   I could buy 26 rolls of toilet paper.  

So, I won't get my free Krispy Kreme donut today.    But that's okay.   I'll get a psychological high from saving $20!

Happy National Donut Day (which really sounds stupid).