Worth stopping for . . .

A friend told me about these little Red Box machines popping up, so I thought I would stop and try one out. I'm not much of a McDonald's restaurant person so I never really paid much attention to these additions to their businesses. Red Box Movies are $1 day . . period. They carry the very newest released movies and are very easy to select and return movies to. We typically rent from Blockbuster Video where new releases go for $3.99 per day for rental. The On Demand movies via cable are $4.99 per movie. So how can you beat $1 a day?? you can't! We don't really rent enough movies to join Netflix, so this is a great deal! Anyway, there you go, give it a try and I hear they are not just at McDonald's but other various locations too.

Picture this . . . .

OMSI planetarium, Portland, Oregon 1977, midnight show on a Friday night. Hey! what did that guy just pass me?? Nice, this is very nice . . .

Anybody need a tshirt? . . .

Not sure when it happened exactly, I guess it has just occurred over time. My wardrobe for work. Long gone are the days of Ralph Lauren suits, Nine West heels, Obsession perfume and London Fog raincoats. That seems like a lifetime ago. I use to love to shop for nice clothes to go to work in everyday. I'd enjoy spending hours at Meier & Frank, JC Penney's and the Nordstrom Rack looking for bargains on slacks (who uses that word anymore?), pantsuits (before Hilary Clinton ruined them), dresses, matching purses, shoes . . . oh the money I could drop . . wooohooo. BUT, I did have a much better salary in those days (pre-low paying school district job) and dressing professional was an expectation. Oh my! how my wardrobe has changed from those days. In the very back, very dark corner of my closet I have retained 2 nice black dresses from the "old" days. . . that's it. For years I couldn't part with the many outfits I had accumulated, but eventually I saw no need to keep hanging on to them. My clothing attire these days is an eclectic mix of tshirts, polos, hoodie sweatshirts and nylon pullover jackets . . . period. Collected from nearly every sport, musical, activity, playoff or championship event that happens during the school year. "Hey, Mrs. C you want one of our baseball tshirts?" "Sure, why not" "Mrs. C, here is one of our playoff tshirts, aren't they great, the boosters got them for us, you need to wear it on Friday!". "OK". "Nice shirt, Mrs. C thanks for supporting the danceteam!". So that's how it happens. I have gone from a sort of fashion conscience professional to a tshirt/hoodie wearer. I'm not sure why I did this the other day, curious I guess, but I counted how many school related tshirts I have . . . . 48 (short sleeve), 23 (long sleeve), that's not counting ones I have saved for sentimental reasons. Like the old district & state wrestling championship tshirts during the years the boys wrestled (I know, it's pathetic). Uh, hoodie sweatshirts with team logos on them . . . there would be 18 of those, polos and nylon pullovers . . oh there would be 13 of those. So as you see, I have a wide variety of choices of what to wear on any given day. It's just that there are some days that I miss the old professional me. If I did dress as the me in my previous life, this is what I'd hear: "Geezzz, Mrs. C, are you going on a job interview, don't you like it here anymore? (hmmm, let me think about that . . ha!)" "Did you go to a funeral today or something? I'm sorry", "Why are you all dressed up is somebody getting married?" So as I rotate my tshirts at the end of each school year, to make room for the new batch next year, maybe I will try on one of those black dresses and some heels and think about how completely uncomfortable they would be to wear again everyday!!!

Baseball in March? what were we thinking . . .

We attended the OSU vs. U of O baseball game last night. It was the 2nd game of a 3 game series. Our OSU football tailgater friends talked and decided it would be a fun get together, so it was a date! We headed out on the MAX train and met up at Goose Hollow Inn, which we soon learned could not accommodate our group of 10. So we wandered down a couple of blocks to the BullPen Sports Bar right across from PGE park. As with our football get togethers we all thought we should meet for burgers and brews at around 2:00pm (4hours before game time) which was 6:00pm. So that equals 4 hours of brews, burgers, munchies, more brews, more video games (yes! $45 winner!), until we decide to wander over before game time. All along intermittent rain showers are occurring this entire time, so we are thinking the game may be iffy. It's raining pretty hard now (30 minutes before game time), we find our seats (yes! they are under cover) and wait. Announcer says, "We will be delaying the game until 6:30pm", Fine! more $7 beers while we wait, just great our wallets are getting thinner by the minute. Then it just pours!!! really pours, we think the game is for sure going to be cancelled, but it stops and the game begins at 7:00pm and it doesn't rain another drop. Lots of folks there so that was good, we did have to move though because our seats were right in the middle of the most obnoxious Duck fans you could find, even my hubby the Duck fan said we should move. So we moved. We froze (they should not show the temperature on the score board while you are sitting at the game . . arrghh . . we watched it start at 48 degrees and drop to 39 before we left!). It was alot of fun, but by the end of the 8th inning, with the score tied at 2-2 we left, we were cold, tired and something about baseball just not being as exciting as watching football. Didn't see until this mornings newspaper that the Beavs lost 3-2 during the top of the 10th inning.

PS. . . drinking more beer does not "make you warmer when it's cold outside" as quoted by the bartender at the Bullpen sports bar. Now why would he say that? ha!

That's not what I'm looking for . . .

Something I love to do when I'm walking on the beach is to follow the tide line. You know . . . the edge of the waterline where you find all of the treasures that the ocean brings ashore. Someday I know I will be washed out to sea as my head is always down, not paying attention to the incoming waves but just in deep concentration looking at what is mixed in the kelp, seaweed or shells that have been carried in. When I did this on our trip to Mazatlan last summer, there were all kinds of really cool shells I'd find and pick up. I brought a whole bag of them home with me carefully wrapping them so they would not get broken in the luggage. They are displayed proudly in our bathroom (I know weird place) and they bring a smile to my face when I remember the walks along the beach to get them. This week my walks made me mad more than anything. All of the "crap" that gets washed ashore. Thank God! Oregon has a very effective beach cleanup program through the SOLV organization. Which we have gladly taken part in over the years, but it's just truly disgusting some of the things you see. Of course the major culprit is plastic, whether it's bottles, caps, lids you name it, then cigarette butts and Styrofoam. I'm not sure where all of this stuff comes from but geezzz people, it's gross and needs to stop.

All good things must end . . .

I had very good intentions this Spring Break week of getting lots of work done. Like spending some time getting my blog updated (didn't happen), taking all my riff-raff off of the kitchen walls and giving it a fresh coat of paint (didn't happen), to organize a photo album of all my Mom & Dad's old pictures (didn't happen), to contact a couple of bathtub refinishers and get bids for our main bathroom (didn't happen), get our carpets shampooed throughout the house (nope, didn't happen) well . . there I have confessed (it's a Catholic guilt thing). Here it is Sunday afternoon and it's too late to get started on anything new, right?! I feel good about lots of things that DID happen this week though!. . I had a nice lunch out with Dani, Nicole, Lucas & Brayden (who were very good boys at Red Robin), enjoyed a fun afternoon shopping for perennial plants at Al's Garden Center (to the tune of $100 before I knew it! oops), and a relaxing 3 day get away to Cannon Beach with my Mom at a really nice place. Tomorrow it's back to the routine and hopefully not such a crazy month as March. Looking back on the March calendar we had far too many appointments, meetings, trainings, after hours school events, crazy work issues (hirings, resignations, meetings, interviews, budget woes, weather, etc.), just way more than usual. It's nice that I got a little bit of Zen from my favorite location in Oregon, now I just hope it lasts.

None of that sissy stuff . . .

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?

Well, here are a series of promises that actually speak reality, no cutesy little smiley faces, just the stone cold truth about friendship.

1. When you are sad --I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!!!!
2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I definately must be involved in!
4. When you're scared -- we will high tail it out of here.
5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!
6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.
7. When you are sick --Stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.
8. When you fall -- I'll pick you up and dust you off -- After I laugh my butt off!!

This is my oath...I pledge it to the end.

Friendship is like peeing in your pants everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth (not that I would know anything about that).

They have to be my age . . .

There has been a retirement in my family. MY DOCTOR! That's what it feels like anyway. My primary care doctor has decided to retire, big jerk . . how dare he. I have been going to him for 28 years, he has some good years left still and he is going to spend them retired. . . hmmpfff. It's the next worse thing that could happen to my hairdresser moving or retiring. I tell her repeatedly, "If you move, I move with you, anywhere, anytime!" I guess I have trust issues. So I began my search a few months ago for a new doctor. I have a good friend who works for Providence Health System, so I asked her to do some research for me.

Please find me a physician who meets the following criteria:

1. Is female . . nothing against male doctors (I've been seeing them my whole life) but I'm ready to make the switch.
2. Someone that has an office on the westside of Portland.
3. Someone that is close to my age (I want them to understand me at this age now, it's a personal bias)
4. Specializes in Internal Medicine (that way I have one stop shopping, no more OB/GYN office with pregnant women and crying babies, been there . . done that)
5. Positive feedback from her patients.

So she searched for me and one name came to the top. Dr. Rebekah Trochmann, MD. Her office is located in The Portland Clinic Beaverton office, she is an Internist AND she's 52! yeah! Lots of positive feedback from patients about her. So I call to make a new patient appointment (back in November). She is so popular I wasn't able to get in for my appt. until March. I can appreciate that she likes to keep most of her appointment slots open for her established patients, I respect that. We meet, we chat, I love her, we completely connected! She totally understands me (that's huge). I decided at the beginning of the new year to start taking better care of myself. I haven't been really, seems my busy life gets in the way and I want/need to change that. First, I started to do some things with my diet on my own, to help me lose a few pounds and now with a new doctor I had some questions about some issues. I've been hearing alot about bone density testing. I asked her if all the chatter about being tested around this age is true, and she said yes, especially with my mom's history with osteoporosis. I'm trying to be proactive, that's very different from the former me. So next month it's a bone density test, a mammogram, a fasting lab blood workup, a tetanus shot with the whooping cough vaccine and pap. I also learned on my visit that the Pacific Northwest has the highest percentage of people deficient in Vitamin D in the country. This is largely due to our lack of sun (why I need to go to Mexico every year!!ha!!) and our high use of sunscreen to block the few suns rays we do get. So on my new morning routine I will pop a daily Vitamin D tab (my only daily pill so far). Kind of feels like I have been to the mechanics shop, I'm sure it will feel even more like that next month after all my testing . It's important though, and I'm glad I have finally made it a priority.

Books for everything . . that too!

This weekend we stopped by for a quick hello at our son and daughter-in-laws house. They were babysitting our other grandson for the evening so we thought great!! visit 2 grandbabies in a single visit. Nicole started telling me about a book her sister sent her for Lucas, it's called "Everyone Poops". It's a children's book about you got it . . poop. I thumbed through it and oh my gawd . . it cracked me up, it explains that animals poop (shows the pile size in relation to the animal) and adults and kids poop too! Food goes in and poop comes out. It was hilarious actually. Apparently, there is a whole market of children's books about poop. "Where's the Poop?", "Who Pooped in the Park?" "The Truth about Poop", "Who Pooped in the Zoo". . . oh there are many more!! I'm sure the intent is that if children read about poop, they won't be scared and will want to do it to!! I mentioned that the first signs of them knowing that they are pooping in their pants and they shouldn't be is they begin to hide someplace to do it. And almost at that very moment who should appear from behind the vertical blinds with a big smile and loaded diaper!!! Lucas Clifford!!!!!!

You want me to be your Facebook friend?. . .

I'm not quite there yet. Facebook. I know alot of people are all the buzz about it, but I try to blog and if I add one more thing to my technology advancements, like trying to keep up on a Facebook account I will never have time for anything other than sitting at my computer in whatever spare time I do have. There are cookies to bake, projects to paint, gardening to do, friends to hangout with and grandbabies to snuggle. Bad enough that lately I have been having blogger block, bouts of meltdown about what to even write about. Like who cares what I have to say about anything anyway? Then when I am online writing I feel like I really should be doing something else. Then every so often I hear from somebody that really enjoyed reading my rantings, so I continue. Anyway, back to Facebook. So it's been interesting lately when I receive an email out of nowhere at home or school from somebody asking me to join their Facebook world. I have to laugh because the majority of them have been my son's EX girlfriends! They don't want to talk to them, but I guess they will still talk to me!! haha!! So be assured, there won't be any returns of yes I will be your Facebook or MySpace friend, just don't take it personally ;)

Oh sheesh, Am I on "The Office"? . .

At the high school staff meeting this last week, I was called to the front of the auditorium. "We would like to congratulate you on being nominated Classified Employee of the Month". For the non-union people out there, the school's consist of certified (teachers) and classified (everybody else) staff that are employed by the district. A monthly selection is made based on nominations entered into boxes placed around school with the kids and staff submitting names. So embarrassingly I walk to the front and nod to the crowd (I hate this stuff) and head back to my seat, with a certificate to use the reserved parking space for one month (that parts nice) and a "Viking" pride pin. Why do I feel like I am in an episode of "The Office" while this is happening? it could be the animated way (Michael Scott way) in which our principal makes the presentation . . that is exactly it I'm sure. Another part of the accolade is to hang up personal items in a wall mounted display case that is near the entrance of the school.

This weekend I gathered my collection of where I've come from and a bit of who I am . . some things are:

• A picture of my mom and dad, brothers, a baby picture, picture of when I was on Romper room (we are talking ancient history now), pictures of Dale & I in high school, our wedding picture, picture of the boys when they were small, their high school wrestling pictures, Chad & Josh's family wedding picture, and pictures of my cutie pie grandsons.
• Yearbook photo of Peggy & I in FEAST class (they still have that class, thought the kids would enjoy seeing our old fashion aprons!)
• My Neil Armstrong Titans pep rally uniform (don't ask me to try and fit into it . . hmmfff)
• Some tole painting books, paints, brushes and a completed project.
• My FGHS diploma, a copy of the Viking Connection Newspaper from 1974.
• A Varsity FG letter, some ribbons from my prom corsages.
• The following DVD's: The Office, Cool Hand Luke, Animal House, Barbra Streisand One Voice, Ocean's Eleven, Shawshank Redemption, Curly Top - Shirley Temple
• The following Album covers (no CD's, humbug) - Elton John Yellow Brick Road, Beatle's Abby Road, Bachman Turner Overdrive (I know these are sooooo old, but hey! what can i say)
• Some snapshots of camping, Mexico, and weekends with the paint ladies.

I decided that was enough of me in a nutshell! I did have to reconsider some favorite pictures from being displayed, can't let those kids see me with umbrella drinks in my hand!

Teriyaki food find . . .

Speaking of Hawaii . . .time once again to introduce a food find. This time it's a really good marinade "Soy Vay brand Island Teriyaki sauce. I have used this sauce on beef, chicken and pork. In all cases it was really good. My favorite is to marinade thinly sliced beef overnight, then grill both sides approximately 3 minutes (or more depending on cut) over the highest heat. Serve with steamed white rice and stir fried vegetables. Try it you'll like it ;)

Daydreaming of vacation . . .

This week I received some pictures that made me long for a relaxing vacation. A couple are from the former Athletic Trainer at our high school who a couple of years ago accepted a position at King Kekaulike High School in Pukalani, Hawaii. When she left I told her to make sure she sends me pictures, and she has of lots of beautiful sunsets over their football field, pictures of her training room that remind me of very fancy outdoor concession stands next to stadium fields. She is also a certified scuba dive master so she is really getting into underwater photography of fish, coral and all the other cool things you see in those blue waters. Here are a couple recent photos she sent me. She wrote in her email: "The photo with the flowers was taken in Molokai, where we traveled for a wrestling tournament, sure beats the old days of traveling to Newberg!" . . arrghh, she's right about that.

This next photo was sent to us from our good friends in Germany. They are on a ski vacation in Italy and sent this photo of the ski village they are staying at. Gotta love the extreme weather and exquisite beauty of both locations. Where do I buy my ticket?

5 Questions Men Fear . . .

This is what they are thinking ladies . . . .

Question 1: What are you thinking about?
The proper answer to this, of course, is: "I'm sorry if I've been pensive, dear. I was just reflecting on what a warm, wonderful, thoughtful, caring, intelligent woman you are, and how lucky I am to have met you."
This response obviously bears no resemblance to the true answer, which most likely is one of the following:
a. Football.
b. Golf.
c. How fat you are.
d. How much prettier she is than you
Perhaps the best response to this question was offered by Al Bundy, who once told Peg, "If I wanted you to know what I was thinking, I would be talking to you!"

Question 2: Do you love me?
The proper response is: "YES!" or, if you feel a more detailed answer is in order, "Yes, dear." Inappropriate responses include:
a. Oh Yeah, shit-loads.
b. Would it make you feel better if I said yes?
c. That depends on what you mean by love.
d. Does it matter?
e. Who, me?

Question 3: Do I look fat?
The correct answer is an emphatic: "Of course not!" Among the incorrect answers are:
a. Compared to what?
b. I wouldn't call you fat, but you're not exactly thin.
c. A little extra weight looks good on you.
d. I've seen fatter.

Question 4: Do you think she's prettier than me?
Once again, the proper response is an emphatic: "Of course not!" Incorrect responses include:
a. Yes, but you have a better personality.
b. Not prettier, but definitely thinner.
c. Not as pretty as you when you were her age.
d. Define pretty.

Question 5: What would you do if I died?
A definite no-win question. No matter how you answer this, be prepared for at least an hour of follow-up questions, usually along the these lines:
WOMAN: Would you get married again?
MAN: Definitely not!
WOMAN: Why not - don't you like being married?
MAN: Of course I do.
WOMAN: Then why wouldn't you remarry?
MAN: Okay, I'd get married again.
WOMAN: You would? (with a hurtful look on her face)
MAN: (makes audible groan)
WOMAN: Would you sleep with her in our bed?
MAN: Where else would we sleep?
WOMAN: Would you put away my pictures, and replace them with pictures of her?
MAN: That would seem like the proper thing to do.
WOMAN: And would you let her use my golf clubs?
MAN: She can't use them; she's left-handed.
WOMAN: - - - silence - - -
MAN: shit.