Mourning after

Last Thurs Spouse & I packed up the dogs and several days' worth of clothes and left for VA.  We arrived at Spouse's sister's house just before lunch time so we took her and her older son (nicknamed Baby David) to lunch.  Afterward we stopped at a few stores because Spouse wanted some new pants for the viewings/funeral, and Spouse's sister needed a few things too.  That night we ordered food in and looked through a bunch of old photos collected from Spouse's mom's apartment.  We pulled out about 100 of them to use on the memory boards and in a slide show.  Here are some of my favorites:

Evelyn loved sitting in her back yard

Evelyn was a member of lunch AND dinner Red Hat groups

Glamour Girl in her kitchen

That adorable little boy in the grey suit is Spouse

Memory board #1

Memory board #2

It was fun and somewhat therapeutic to go through all the old photos.  And yes, that's Evelyn riding a camel in Egypt in the center of memory board #2.  The woman got around!

On Fri the family arrived at the funeral home at 1:15 for the private family viewing, then set up the memory boards and slide show.  Next was a viewing for friends at 2:00.  According to the guest book about 75 people came, including many of the residents and staff of the retirement home where Evelyn had lived.  Spouse's boss came from DE with her husband, and several friends of ours came too.  We had a break from 4:00-6:00 during which time the family had a light meal and I picked up my aunt Mary.  Then came the 2nd viewing from 6:00-8:00.  Approximately 125 people attended that one, including our dear friends Mike & Clark, Ron & James, Kerry & Hugh, Kelly, Justine & Liz, and the retired pastor and associate pastor of the church we attended in VA, who are still dear friends. While it was obviously a sad time, I can say that it wasn't overly sad.  Friends shared cherished and often humorous stories about Evelyn and I imagine there were likely as many laughs as there were tears.

The funeral mass was at 11:00 in the Catholic church Evelyn attended for many, many years.  There were likely 150+ people there including our good friends Steven & Thad.  For me, this was sort of the 'finale' and I anticipated having trouble keeping my emotions in check, so I planned my coping mechanism.  When I felt like I may ugly-cry, I would think about a hilarious situation involving Evelyn at a restaurant.  Spouse & I were out to dinner with Evelyn when a familiar looking woman was seated a few tables away.  Evelyn thought it was her old neighbor Pauline who had moved away 20 years prior.  Spouse suggested to his mother than Pauline would now be much older than this woman so it likely wasn't her.  Spouse's mother persisted that the woman was wearing a ring just like Pauline, so she decided to approach the woman at her table.  The brief conversation went like this:
Evelyn:  Excuse me, are you Pauline?
Woman:  No.
Evelyn:  Are you sure??  You look just like her!
Questioning whether the woman was sure of her identity still makes me laugh to this day, so I knew it would help me shift my mood when it became too heavy.  Fortunately it worked.  Immediately after the funeral mass there was a lovely luncheon in the parish hall.  In addition to eating lunch, it was a great opportunity for us to thank our friends for coming and chit-chat.

Afterward Spouse & me, aunt Mary, and Steven & Thad all went to Spouse's sister's house and hung out for a while and visited.  Then I took the dogs and my luggage and rode back to DE with Steven & Thad.  I needed to get back and Spouse was going to stay for the internment on Mon morning.  After feeding/walking the dogs and getting them settled at home, I joined Steven & Thad for a quick dinner and then headed to the Blue Moon to perform in the Legends show.

Sun morning I was up early to hold a moving sale for my clients.  They'd intended to include the furniture/furnishings with the sale of their beach home, but the buyer is going to live there full-time and already had her own stuff, so I offered to hold a moving sale for them on Sat.  Due to the funeral I pushed it to Sun.  I advertised it on several buy/sell facebook groups and had a GREAT turn-out.  I sold nearly everything in the house, including an old ironing board!  After the sale I went into the office to catch up on emails and administrative tasks.

Blank

...since we are at the viewings for Evelyn.

Light

Late Fri night we got a call from Spouse's sister, notifying us that his mom Evelyn was in the hospital.  She was taken there after a fall in her apartment, due to extremely low blood pressure.  She's banged up her face but had not broken any bones.

Sat we got a pretty positive update on Evelyn's condition.  She was talking and laughing and seemed to be doing pretty well.  This news made Spouse & I feel much better.  Evelyn's blood pressure was still very low but they were treating it with medication.  

Late Sun night we got another call from Spouse's sister who was in tears.  Evelyn had taken a turn for the worse and was move to ICU and put on a ventilator.  Despite multiple medications to try and raise her blood pressure they doctors were unsuccessful.  Spouse wondered if he should get in the car immediately and drive to see her, but it was after 11pm and since she was on the ventilator he decided to wait until the morning.

So this morning he drove back to the DC area and met his siblings in the hospital and spoke with the doctors.  Evelyn was not conscious.  The medications were having no effect on her blood pressure.  It seemed the cardiomyopathy she'd been trying to outrun for 6 years had finally caught up with her.  Her weakened heart just couldn't pump enough to keep her blood pressure up.

Evelyn signed a medical directive years ago stating her wishes for the time when this inevitable situation would occur.  After 12 hours on life support the 4 siblings honored her wishes and allowed the doctors to turn off the machinery keeping her alive.  Within just a few minutes, surrounded by family, Evelyn's light went out.  She was 87.

Christmas recap, part 2

On Fri Spouse & I met up with friends for our annual pizza and hippie roll luncheon.  Typically there are just 8 of us, but unbeknownst to each other, Kerry and Spouse both invited their families to join us so our group nearly doubled to 15.  Spouse's family is Catholic, Spouse & I and our friend Alex are gay, Alex is also Latino, my mother-in-law and Kim's mother-in-law are both in their 80s, Kim's mother-in-law is also Japanese, Lisa is an atheist, and our nephews are 19 & 21 year old college students.  We were quite the diverse group.

What's a hippie roll?  Its probably 1 of the most delicious items you can eat that doesn't contain chocolate!  Take Italian sausage and slice it length-wise.  Lay it on pizza dough and add sauteed peppers and onions.  Roll up and bake until golden brown.  Absolutely delcious!!

For our group of 15 we ordered 30 hippie rolls, 3 large pizzas, 1 salad, 1 pasta dish, and 15 drinks.  This info will be important in a minute.

We had lots of great conversations and laughs as we caught up with each other and really just enjoyed being together. 

My friend Lisa and me.  We've known each other for 40 years.

A woman we didn't know walked into the restaurant, saw us eating/talking/laughing and said "Oh good, I'm not too late for the party!"  We all laughed and someone said "Pull up a chair!"  Then Kelly said "You know the last 1 to arrive has to pay the bill!" and we all laughed even more.  The woman sat in a nearby booth and was joined by 2 men and a woman a few minutes later.  After finishing their meal, the 4 strangers said that it was so nice to see people who truly loved and cared for each other and got along so well.  They admitted to eavesdropping on some of our conversations.  Then they handed each of us a small religious pamphlet and invited us to join them at their church.  We politely thanked them and wished them a Merry Christmas.  After they left we snickered a bit about the invitation and someone said something about hell freezing over before they'd be caught in a church, but it was all very light-hearted. 

Once we'd finished our meal and asked for the check, the waitress informed us that the folks who'd given us the pamphlets had paid our bill.  We were all in shock, and immediately regretted our snarky comments about the pamphlets.  We estimated the bill was over $200 without the tip.  So we left the waitress a generous tip and vowed to send a thank you note to the address on the pamphlet.

After saying our goodbyes we took Spouse's mom back to her place and relaxed at his sister's house for a few hours.  Then for dinner we met up with our friends Liz & Justine.  Spouse & Justine worked together 20+ years ago and were roommates for several years too.  Liz & Justine lived with us for 18 months while they saved to buy a house.  We met at Cantina Mexicana (also known as the Taco House) at 7:30 and left at 11:15.  The time just flew by!  It had been a few years since we'd we seen them so we had a lot of catching up to do.  We also got great hugs from Juan & Gloria, the owners of Cantina Mexicana, whom we've known for 20 years.

We had a fabulous day reconnecting with friends!

Impromptu trip to VA

Spouse & I decided to make an impromptu trip to VA yesterday.

Originally Spouse was going to go by himself, leaving in the morning and returning home the same day.  He wanted to see his mom's new space since she moved into a senior living center.

However, late Sun evening we learned that our dear friend George had passed away that day.  He was 87 and had cancer.  Spouse & I both felt like we should go to see George's daughters so we quickly decided that we'd both go to VA and would see his mom on Tues, stay overnight at his sister's, and visit with George's daughters Kerry, Kelly, and Kimberly on Wed.

We brought the dogs with us since they travel so well and Spouse's sister no longer has a dog.  Spouse & I went to lunch with his sister, then the 3 of us went over to the senior living center.  At first we couldn't find Spouse's mom!  We checked her apartment, the dining area, and the common TV area but she was nowhere to be found.  One of the employees suggested she might be out in the back yard with her dog so we finally found her there.  She had gotten her hair done at the on-site salon and then came outside so her dog Romeo (who has now become the 'house dog') could enjoy some time outdoors.  

Spouse's mom and sister

This is not a very good photo of either of them.  Both are usually smiling but in this photo they aren't.  I couldn't see the photo very well after taking it so I didn't realize it wasn't very good.  While sitting outside we also met Spouse's mom's new friend Betty who has an adorable little long-haired Chihuahua named Dusty.

Dusty

Dusty is a tiny little thing; only about 3 or 4 pounds and as sweet as can be.  He let me pick him up and hold him, and after softly stroking his head and neck he leaned up and gave me 'kisses' on my chin!  Once we'd left the senior living center I said to Spouse "I wonder if I can get Betty to leave Dusty to me in her will".  He told me I was terrible. 

We hung out a Spouse's sister's house for a few hours then went back to see his mom again after she'd had her dinner.  Her space is very nice with a good sized bedroom, private bath, den/TV room, and a kitchenette.  She really likes it there which is a relief.  After our 2nd visit we picked up Spouse's sister and her husband and the 4 of us had delicious Thai food.

Today we met up with our dear friends Kerry, Kelly, and Kimberly for a late breakfast.  It was really good to see them and talk about the recent changes in our lives.  We'd not had a chance to tell them about Spouse's mom's move, and they'd not had a chance to share with us the circumstances around George's decision not to receive cancer treatment.  But the general mood and disposition was upbeat and positive.  We laughed a lot and really, really appreciated our friendship.  I don't know who needed the visit more, them or us.  I can't believe I didn't take a photo of the 5 of us.

Once we said our goodbyes we returned to Spouse's sister's house and visited for a little, then grabbed our overnight bag and the dogs and headed back to DE.

Wonderful weekend recap

Me & Spouse at cocktail hour

Sat evening Spouse & I went to the wedding and reception of Tim & Randy, 2 of the owners of the
Blue Moon where I perform in the Legends show.  After 36 years together they got married, and it was top shelf the whole way.

The ceremony was presided over by the Bishop Gene Robinson, the 1st openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.  Tim & Randy's longtime friend and recording artist Pamala Stanley sang during the ceremony, and Tim's brother shared a poem. After the ceremony the couple received their guests and everyone enjoyed an open bar, passed hors d'ouerves, and a fruit and cheese table while a jazz trio played.  

Huge floral arrangements abound!

An hour or so later everyone was asked to enter the dining room and find their seats.  Spouse & I were seated at a table with several of my fellow Legends and Rehoboth Idol performers and a few others. Again there was an open bar, and servers offered everyone red or white wine at the table.  A longtime friend of the couple spoke, followed by Miss Richfield 1981 who left everyone in stitches!  Then came the spinach salads, followed by the entre: surf and turf with risoto.  Amazing!  The balance of the night was filled with conversations, laughter, wedding cake, and dancing to the 10-piece band.  It was quite a lovely and fun event.

The wedding cake

Me with my good friends Rick & Lisa

My handsome Spouse

The next morning we showered, filled travel mugs with coffee, grabbed the dogs, and headed to VA to spend Mothers Day with Spouse's mom.  We arrived shortly before noon and since it was a nice day, the 3 of us sat outside in her back yard while the dogs ran around off-leash.  

Spouse's sister and her margarita

Then at 2:30 we met up with Spouse's brothers and sister and their spouses and children for an early dinner at Cantina Mexicana (aka: The Taco House).  It was wonderful to see the owners (and our friends) Juan & Gloria again, and they treated our group of 12 like royalty.  From appetizers to entres to drinks and dessert, we were there for 3 hours!  But the time seemed to fly by.

Back and Spouse's mom's house we gave her a gift:  a neckless, earlings, and matching bracelet.  She loves costume jewelry and wears it every time she leaves the house, so we knew she'd enjoy it.  We left at 6:45 and got home at 9:15.  It was a long but fun day.

Share/Cher Sunday

So this was happened in our house:

Me:  Was that your mom on the phone?  What's she up to?
Spouse:  Yeah.  Not much; she's going to the movies tomorrow.
Me:  What's she going to see, Fifty Shades of Grey?

This made us both laugh because Spouse's mother is an 85 year old Italian Catholic woman who calls any movie with an 'R' rating a "dirty movie".  Even if she wanted to see it, she'd be too afraid someone from church would see her there.

Spouse:  No, she's going to see The Theory of Everything with her new friend Beverly.  They met a church on Share Sunday.
Me:  Cher Sunday???  Is that when everyone wears feather headresses and sequined Bob Mackie knock-offs to church???

We both cracked up laughing, picturing THIS woman...

 dressed like THIS woman...

...at church.

Spouse:  You are insane, you know that??  (Still laughing)

Oh, but I wasn't finished.  In my very best Jack McFarland imitating Cher voice I began singing: "Praise Christ from whom all blessings flow..." complete with Cher's signature 'fall off' treatment on the word 'flow'.  I could barely finish this before collapsing into complete hysterics!

When I managed to pull myself together I continued imitating Cher's speech: 
 "Come on Chaz, let's go to church!  Its mother f*ckin' Cher Sunday for Chrissake!!"

More uncontrollable laughter!!

Spouse:  You need professional psychological help.
Me:  Laughter's the best medicine!

Mother's Day weekend

Since I make up the schedule at work, I scheduled myself off this past weekend so Spouse & I could spend the weekend in VA with our family.

We arrived at Spouse's mom's house shortly after noon on Sat to find Spouse's sister and 2 of her kids there.  We sat and visited for a little while before heading out to have lunch together.  We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with them and even took Marvin for a nice long walk.

That evening Spouse, his mother, and I picked up my Aunt Mary and the 4 of us went to dinner.  Since Sun was Mother's Day we mistakenly thought the restaurants that are normally crowded on a Sat night might not be so crowded, as folks would be taking their moms out on Sun instead.  Boy were we WRONG.  There was a 75 minute wait to get a table, and since the parking had been so tricky we decided not to leave and look for another place with a possibly shorter wait.  But we had a wonderful dinner at Coastal Flats, and our waiter was really cute too.  He was slightly flirty but then mentioned his girlfriend later on.  But we had a great meal and plenty of time to visit with my aunt and my mother-in-law.

Cantina Mexicana owners Gloria & Juan

Sun morning Spouse & I had coffee and toast with his mom and relaxed while she got ready and went to church.  While she was gone we showered, got dressed, and walked Marvin.  After church Spouse's sister and her family came over for a quick visit, and then we all went for an early Mother's Day dinner at Cantina Mexicana (aka Taco House).  This has been a Mother's Day tradition for us for many years.  We had terrific food in a fun, lively atmosphere.  Just as we were about to leave, our good friend and part owner Gloria walked in and we received sincere hugs and kisses from her.  We were afraid we were going to miss seeing her.

Afterward we packed up our gear and put Marvin in the car and headed back to DE.  It was a great weekend that passed all too quickly.

Easter redux

Not much "excitement" in our Easter weekend, although a few things were different than usual.

One different thing was that I happened to be scheduled off on Sat, which is unusual for Easter weekend, which often brings spring home buyers/lookers to the beach area in anticipation of summer.  But I wasn't going to argue with having Easter Sat off, and in fact, took advantage of it by leaving town.

Spouse & I left Sat morning (with Marvin Parker in tow, of course) and headed to VA.  Traffic was light and we arrived before lunchtime.  Spouse's mom was expecting a friend to stop over to chat and have coffee, so we left her there and went out to lunch with Spouse's sister (and favorite sibling) and her 2 teenage sons.

Afterward Spouse & I made a stop at Trader Joe's (since we do not have one near to where we live) to stock up on our favorite items.  $119. later we were loading our booty into the car.  

Back at Spouse's mom's house we hung out with her and visited.  She got us all caught up on the goings on of her friends we affectionately refer to as the Hag Brigade, as well as some other gossip.

That evening we went to dinner with Spouse's mom and 1 of his nephews and his neice.  Spouse's mom recognized an old woman, likely older than herself, someone who'd lived in her neighborhood years ago.  She walked over to the woman seated at a table with people who appeared to be her adult children and said to her "Do you remember me?"  The old woman looked at her and said "Why, yes I do" but didn't say her name.  "Then what's my name?" Spouse's mother pressed her.  The woman stammered for a minute and then said "Well, I've can't remember your name at the moment but you're Mary's mother."  Spouse's mother wasn't satisfied with this correct statement but decided to let the poor old woman off the hook by saying "That's right.  My name is Evelyn."

As the 2 continued chatting about 'where do you live now' and such, Spouse & I looked at each other in disbelief and amazement.  His mother was almost antagonistic with the old woman but somehow it registered as funnier than hell to us as we tried to hold back our laughter!

The next morning we had a light breakfast, showered and dressed, and picked up my aunt Mary.  Then we all went to Spouse's brother's house for a very early Easter dinner at 1:30.  (Its nice to do it early, since Spouse & I still have to tidy up our room and get Marvin before driving the 2 1/2 hours back home to DE.)

Typically Spouse's brother and sister-in-law get a honey-baked ham and turkey breast, and several family members bring side dishes to go with them.  But for a change of pace this year, Spouse's brother told everyone not to bring side dishes.  Instead they ordered food from Red Hot & Blue.  We had delicious pulled pork and chicken, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and green beans.  Aunt Mary brought her famous "brown stuff" (sweet potato shuffle) and hummingbird cake, my favorite cake in the whole wide world.

We had a very nice Easter but I ate too much, as usual.  That much stayed the same!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget yet too small to be their own post.

The blogs and facebook were ablaze with reports that VP Biden commented that GLBT people should have full equality in America including marriage.  Then, apparently unplanned, Obama said in an interview with Robin Roberts that he believes GLBT people should have marriage equality!  I am encouraged by this.  It has been my suspicion that Obama has felt this way all along but did not feel it prudent to make such a proclamation earlier, what with the conservative republicans at his throat every minute.  Fortunately he has now put it in the record and I can only hope it will help to smooth out the way for equality in the years to come.

I saw this on facebook and had to laugh.  Just look at his eyes!

I'm starting to really get excited about the upcoming Legends shows, which will start Memorial Day weekend.  I will be performing every other Sat, as I did last year.  I am retaining 1 of my Legends from last year, Neil Sedaka, and adding a new Legend: Elton John.  I had to go for a special costume fitting where they measured practically everything on my body!  Apparently my EJ costume is the most expensive of all the costumes for this year's show and can not be altered, so it has to be custom made to my measurements.  Guess I'd better lay off the Dunkin Donuts so I don't gain any weight!

This sums up my feelings on so many 'controversial' political topics:

Spouse & I will travel to VA this weekend to see his mom (and family) for Mother's Day.  I'm looking forward to having a delicious dinner with them at the Taco House!

Tonight I am singing 1 song in the Blue Moon Divas Show, a drag show that runs every Fri night.  The Rehoboth Idol contest will be starting in a few weeks and they want to promote the competition by talking it up and having me sing during the Divas show sing I won the contest last year.  I'm singing 1 of the songs I sang in last year's competition: Laughter in the Rain.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend highlights

Fri night's buffet for charity at Hobos was great! It was also the restaurant's 2 year anniversary. The buffet was vegetarian and delicious. Unbeknownst to me, my friends Colin & Don from DC were there when I arrived so I joined them at their table. We ate and drank and talked and laughed and had a ball! The owner and chef Gretchen asked us to move from our small table to a large 1 so she could bring some folks over to join us. Although I wasn't crazy about this at 1st (since we were already having so much fun), it turned out to be great. The folks she brought over to join us were young and fun and we continued to have a great time. We closed the place down, then walked across the street to Blue Moon to catch the end of the Divas Show. Once that ended I bid my buddies a good night and headed home. After all, it was a school night for me.

Sat I worked and Spouse went to the gym. That evening we met up with Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs and Joe P for dinner at Conch Island. The food was good and quite reasonably priced compared to most of the restaurants nearby. After dinner, our group walked over to Blue Moon (even Spouse!!!) and hung out for a while, listening to music and talking. I was surprised to not run into anyone I knew but it was likely because it was still rather early for a Sat night. Spouse & I headed home and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Sun morning we got up early and drove to VA for Mother's day. We visited with Spouse's mom, she opened her gift (jewelry) from us, then we made a quick visit to Macy's with my gift card left over from Christmas. I got a red and white gingham shirt. We made a reservation for a late lunch/early dinner at Taco House, and met Spouse's sister and her husband and kids there, as well as Spouse's brother and his wife. We had an excellent meal with the added bonus of getting a short visit with the owners (and our friends) Juan and Gloria. Afterward we all returned to Spouse's mom's house and visited some more before heading back to DE.

Today I am off work, since I'll be working next Sun. I started the day by pulling the weeds from the beds surrounding the house, tossed some laundry in the washer, took a shower, then met a realtor friend for lunch. After lunch I went to Blue Moon for a sound/key check for the songs I'm singing in the upcoming series of shows, then ran a few errands. Once back home I did a little housecleaning and then relaxed a bit before Spouse got home. Of course when he got home he found me watching TV and assumed I'd done nothing but loaf all day! I quickly cleared up that misconception.

Weekend highlights

Wow, what a weekend!

We arrived at Spouse's mom's house in VA about 9:00 Fri night. Shortly thereafter 2 of Spouse's (deadbeat) brothers arrived and stirred up a bunch of family drama. There was plenty I wanted to say but decided to keep my mouth shut since none of the drama directly involved me or Spouse. Sat morning Spouse & I took his mom with us to our favorite store Home Goods, and then we had lunch. Spouse's sister and daughter came over for a brief visit, and then Spouse & I got ready for my cousin's daughter Sarah's wedding.

It was close to 90 degrees and the wedding was outdoor (in my cousin's beautiful back yard) so we were thankful that the ceremony was very short. The reception was in a community center that used to be an old schoolhouse. It was simple but elegant and beautiful. Spouse & I really had a wonderful time, and enjoyed meeting some new people like Eric & Suzanna:

who are friends of my cousin Inez, the mother of the bride, and Steve her husband. What a surprise to find that Eric was raised in a small town in DE! Here is me and my cousin Inez:

Spouse thinks she and I look a lot alike but I don't see it. It was especially nice for me to be able to reconnect with several of my family I haven't seen in many years. Here's me and my cousin April, Inez's sister:

and me with April's daughters Micah and Chelsea:

The last time I saw these young women was 14 years ago when Micah (left) was 9 and Chelsea (right) was 11. And below are my cousin Inez (mother of bride), my aunt Rosie (grandmother of the bride), me & Spouse.

Scattered around the reception room were many framed photos of the bride and groom, which I thought was a nice touch. Also, on the wall near the entrance/exit there were bulletin boards with several copies of a dozen or so photos of the couple, with a sign indicating guests were to take home which ever photos they wanted. And speaking of photos, in the foyer there was a treasure chest full of funky hats, leis, sun glasses and props. A photographer encouraged everyone to put on something crazy and pose for a wacky photo. Spouse put on a shiny red patent leather floppy brim hat and I put on a bright pink fur hat, we posed with our backs to each, giving the photographer our best 'pimp' look! The photographer will place all the photos into a special album for the couple. I loved this idea!!

Here are Sarah and Bryan being toasted, just before cutting the wedding cake:

Since the wedding colors were black and white, I wore off-white pants with a black shirt with white polka dots and Spouse wore the opposite: black pants and a white shirt with black polka dots. It sounds super-gay, I know, but I think we looked really nice. Click to enlarge this photo to get a better look at our polka dots.

Sarah's new husband Bryan got 'welcomed' into the family with a hilarious skit performed by Sarah's parents and siblings to the song "Welcome to the Family".

The lyrics are almost as funny as the skit!

Sun after breakfast we took Spouse's mom to Target and then relaxed for a while. At 3:00 we met up with Spouse's sister and her family, Spouse's brother (not a deadbeat) and his wife, and 1 of Spouse's deadbeat brothers at Taco House for an early Mother's Day dinner. (We will not be with his mom on Mother's Day.) Our food was wonderful as always, but it was very warm and humid on Sun and the a/c at Taco House was broken! They had the door open to allow a breeze to come in and set up a fan while someone worked on the a/c unit. We had a nice time despite the heat. We all returned to Spouse's mother's house and visited for a while, then Spouse & I left at 6:00, arriving home at 8:30.

Crush du Jour: Burack Ozcivit

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

We went to see yet another condo on Wed. I was kinda feeling like I needed a day off anyway, so when this condo came available we decided to take the day off and meet our realtor to see it. Its in a great bldg with garage parking, controlled access, pool, and lots of other amenities. However, it is a short sale with a crazy-low asking price so we know there will be multiple offers and that it will take 3-4 months before the seller's lender will approve the short sale. We've been avoiding short sales until now, but because this bldg is very desirable (ie: will be easy to rent) and the unit is so large, we submitted an offer.

I really couldn't care less about American Idol anymore. I haven't watched this season at all. This seems odd to me because I am a singer and I used to be into AI big time. But the show has soured for me for a couple reasons. There's entirely too much talking from judges. This was true even when there were just 3 judges, but now with 4 its even worse. In an hour show there appears to be about 11 minutes worth of singing. Most people I know who still watch the show record it with their DVR so they can fast forward through everything but the singing, which is a good idea. Maybe next season.

Spouse & I are heading back to VA tonight. On Sat we are going to my cousin's daughter's wedding, which will be held outdoors. After a week of unseasonably cool temps, its supposed to be almost 90 degrees on Sat!! But it will be wonderful to see Sarah get married and to reconnect with my aunt and uncle (the bride's grandparents), my 2 cousins (the bride's mother and aunt), and my 2 cousin's children whom I haven't seen in years. I have no idea if any of my immediate family will be there.

We'll be celebrating Mothers Day this Sun, a week early. Since we'll be in town for the wedding, I suggested we celebrate Mother's Day with Spouse's mom and family a week early so we wouldn't have to make the trip back to VA 3 weekends in a row. (We're going back the weekend of the 15th for Spouse's brother's 50th birthday party.) To avoid last year's Mother's Day disaster, Spouse & I made reservations for Mother's Day dinner at the Taco House! This guarantees we'll have delicious food and wonderful service.

My friend Don sent me this video and story about a soldier and his buddies in Afghanistan who have made their own music video to the Lady Gaga/Beyounce song "Telephone". Its great!

Crush du Jour: Daniel Ross

Do over

My weekend was not so good. I want a weekend "do over"!!

There were a number of things that contributed to my not so good weekend. One of them was the fact that I wasn't in the mood to have company, but Spouse's mother and our friend Wendy were already scheduled to come. I really just wanted to hang out at the beach all weekend instead of entertaining people.

Another contributor was Spouse's mother's attitude. I've always known her to have a 'strong sense of self', but this weekend she was in full-on self-admiration mode. Here are some examples of what I heard from her:

• "I hope my little doggie is doing okay. She loves me so much and she hates it when I leave her."
• "I gave my kitty cat extra food and water before I left. She loves me so much she'll probably be looking all over the house for me."
• "Mary called me from her vacation. She said she and the kids miss me so much and can't wait to see me again."
• "Anna will be 17 at the end of the month and doesn't have a boyfriend. When I was her age I had dozens of boyfriends."
• "My husband really spoiled me. He gave me everything I needed and most of what I wanted. He must have really loved me to do all that."
• "I've been to Europe 12 times. My husband and I went everywhere."
• "I hope you feel better from your headache that I gave you."

The weird thing is that she presents to everyone as this gentle, sweet, old lady - which she is - but she's got this other side of her that only comes out around us. I'm sure my friends who have met her in person are aghast at my comments about her. But it was really annoying hear this all weekend long.

Another contributor was that I had a headache on Sun that made me feel cranky.

I feel like my weekend was kind of hijacked, and now its Mon and I am again looking toward the upcoming weekend already. Oh well. No sense in crying over spilled milk.

Crush du Jour: Galen Gering

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Tues evening Spouse & I went for a walk on the boardwalk after work. We both noted a woman walking on boardwalk talking on cell phone about nothing! Its the beach, lady. Why don't you just walk and look at the ocean and have some quiet time, instead of creating 'audio pollution' by blabbering on your cell phone about nothing.

I feel like a bad son-in-law and friend today. Spouse's mother and our friend Wendy are coming tonight and visiting with us this weekend and I really wish they weren't. I love them both and would love to have them here another time, but I am really feeling like I'd just like to have a weekend where I could go to the beach and relax. But instead, I'll be cleaning the house, washing linens, and taking care of people the whole weekend.

In a previous post I mentioned Spouse's gadget collection. This week his newest addition to the collection arrive, courtesy of HSN: a Bissell steam mop. Let's hope he puts it to immediate use and cleans the wood floors before his mom and friend arrive!

We've still not heard any news regarding the investment condo on which we put an offer. Our realtor informed us there were 2 other offers submitted the day before ours, but since the place is a foreclosure, the bank is taking its sweet time reviewing the offers. Oh well, we're in no hurry.

I saw in this article that a man died after falling into a vat of melted chocolate. Kind of gives new meaning to the dessert called "death by chocolate", huh?

There's been LOTS of visual progress on the addition this week. Look for new photos in tomorrow's post. Its curious to me that no one has asked if the construction guys were hot. I totally expected it from at least some of you!

Have a great weekend!

Crush du Jour: Christian Meier

Mother's Day madness

Spouse decided to minimize the potential frustration of having to interact with this deadbeat brothers by spending just Mother's Day, instead of the entire weekend, at his mom's. This made me happy, and allowed us to enjoy a great Sat together at home.

We left Sun morning about 9:30 and arrived at Spouse's mom's shortly after noon. Moments after we got there, Spouse's sister Mary and her husband and 3 kids walked in the door, having just come from church. We sat around and talked for awhile, then Spouse, Mary, her daughter Anna, and I went shopping for last minute Mother's Day gifts. We were successful at the first store, then dropped Mary and Anna off at their house.

We met at the restaurant at 3:00. When we told the hostess we had a 3:00 reservation for 11, she was unable to find any record of it. I was still not feeling well (sinus trouble) and could feel myself getting irritated much sooner than I normally would. Fortunately the hostess was able to a push together the necessary tables in a relatively short amount of time, and we were all seated.

Just my luck, I wound up at the end of the table, next to the wall, with Spouse's chain-smoking alcoholic brother directly across from me, and his soft-spoken sister-in-law next to me. I began to dread the entire event and tried to think of escape methods that wouldn't seem rude. Coming up with none, I resolved to keep my seat and just 'get through it'.

About 10 minutes later a waiter appeared and introduced himself as Carlos and said he's be taking care of us today. He took for our drink requests, then said we could help ourselves to the brunch buffet. This struck me as odd since the sign out front indicated the buffet ended at 2:30 and it was now after 3:00. Spouse's sister Mary told Carlos the waiter that we weren't getting the buffet, but would be ordering off the menu. Carlos said that since it was Mother's Day, they were only serving the buffet, and that we could not order from the menu. I reminded him the sign out front indicated the buffet was over at 2:30, but he insisted that was our only choice. This kind of inconsistency ticks me off even when I'm feeling well, so you can imagine how I felt that day.

Mary had called on Fri and was told we could order from the menu if we came after 2:30 when the buffet closed. In fact, she specifically did not want to pay the $28. per person (for her family of 5) for the buffet; hence the reason for her being so specific when she called and made the reservation, which was apparently in vain.

As the kids and a few adults headed toward the buffet, Mary caught the attention of the manager and explained the situation. A few waiters/waitresses apparently stopped to find out what was going on, and by the time I got there Spouse's mother and a few others stopped to listen and lend support. Other diners barely had room to squeeze by so I decided to return to the table.

A few minutes later Mary and the others returned to the table and said that the manager confirmed that the buffet was over and that we should be ordering from the menu. He said he would straighten it out with Carlos the waiter. Meanwhile, the kids and a few of the adults returned to the table with their plates of food from the buffet! (The manager had said there would be no charge for the buffet food, since the waiter had incorrectly sent them there.)

So 5 out of 11 people at our table had plates full of food and began eating it so as not to waste it. I was not one of them, but wished I was, since it was well after 3:00 and I had nothing to eat all day and was starving. Fortunately, a few minutes later a young woman came with several baskets of bread, but no bread plates! Grrrr... Doesn't everyone who works in a restaurant know you shouldn't serve bread without a bread plate? I was trying to hold my bread and open the little pat of butter without dropping either of them. I finally laid the bread on my napkin while I opened the pat of butter.

After a few nibbles of bread to calm my barren stomach I wanted a sip of that water I'd ordered nearly a 1/2 hour ago. We still didn't have our drinks yet! It was exactly then that I decided I was never returning to this stupid restaurant ever again in my entire life, even if it was the last restaurant on earth. Maybe I was a little cranky from being sick and/or hungry. We'd been in the restaurant for 3o minutes when our drinks finally arrived and Carlos the waiter finally took our orders. Then Spouse's mother opened her gifts.

After the bread was gone Carlos the waiter returned with olive oil and small saucers. At a nearby table he filled the saucers up with olive oil, presumably for us to dunk our bread, which we had already eaten. But he filled the saucers so full that he began dribbling oil on the floor as he tried to transport the overflowing saucers to our table. I just rolled my eyes and wondered what ELSE could make this meal an even greater fiasco. I didn't have to wonder for long.

A large party that included an infant and a toddler was seated at tables very close to ours. Before long the infant started crying. Then the crying turned into screaming. It was hard to believe a child that small could make so much noise. We could barely hear each other speak above the noise. But do you think the parents took the infant out of the dining area until the infant could be quieted? No. They just added to the noise by making "ssshhhh" sounds.

Our food finally arrived and I found it ironic that those who had already eaten a plate of buffet food were the first ones to get their entrees. But the rest of the food soon followed and we began to eat. My food was barely room temperature so I checked with a few others who also said their food was not hot either. I decided against reporting this to Carlos the waiter since he wasn't nearby, it would likely take forever to get the food back, and I was starving.

Then the toddler from the table behind us starting getting restless. She wanted to get down and run about the restaurant, despite her parents' stern requests that she behave. As little children often do, the girl threw a temper tantrum and began screaming/shrieking, so much so that I involuntarily turned around to see if something terrible had happened to the child. Do you think the parents took the toddler out of the dining area until she could be subdued? No. Instead, one of the parents proceeded to spank the child while seated at the table! Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for spanking children. But take that child outside to spank her, so as not to disturb everyone else's meal! The spanking caused the toddler's temper tantrum to turn into waves and waves of desperate sobbing. I was just inches from scolding the parents for ruining my meal, but decided against it. That day I simply didn't have the fight in me.

After we'd finished eating, Carlos the waiter came back to see if we were interested in coffee and/or dessert. I almost couldn't believe my ears when I heard my own voice say "No, thank you. Just the check" without even consulting the others at our table. But I was so 'over' it all that I made an 'executive decision' and everyone agreed.

We returned to Spouse's mom's house and talked for about 1/2 hour before saying our goodbyes and getting back on the highway to head home. Spouse & I agreed that we would be in charge of selecting the Mother's Day restaurant next year. Fortunately the drive home was uneventful and went by quickly.

Crush du Jour: Bryan Cid

Friday fragments

I'm sorry if it seems like I've been 'phoning in' my posts this week. One of my colleagues was out for 2 days, so of course that is when other depts decided they absolutely need something from this absent colleague, so its 'Mark to the rescue'.

Additionally I have not felt well this week. It started out as sinus drainage and a sore throat. No congestion. So I asked the pharmacist for an over-the-counter suggestion. She suggested Claritan or Zyrtec since I had no congestion, so that's what I bought. I even remembered a commercial that recommended not taking medicine designed for symptoms you don't have. I've taken in for 3 days now and its really helped. Of course, today I am all about the congestion, so now I wish I'd gotten something else.

My friend Jared sent me this bumper sticker, which made me laugh out loud. Where can I buy one?
He also sent me this t-shirt recommendation, which I also found funny, but a little sad too.

But since funny always trumps sad, I'm sharing it with you guys.

Speaking of the gays, it was a big week for marriage equality! ME became the 5th state to adopt marriage equality legislation. And check out the Governor's comments on the topic. Gotta respect him! Also this week DC voted to recognize same sex marriages performed elsewhere. It looks like they will also be gearing up for marriage equality for residents there, too. Keep your eyes on NH, NY, and NJ too.

I watched the premier of "The Fashion Show" last night, and I gotta say, I was kind of disappointed with the 'talent' of the designers. Maybe its too soon to say, but it doesn't appear this show has drawn the same calibre of designtestants as its inspiration "Project Runway". I would like to make 2 predictions regarding TFS catchphrases. You know how Tim Gunn has 'Make it work' and Heidi Klum has 'One day you're in, the next day you're out'. Well, I predict that Isaac Mizrahi's weekly catchphrase said to the eliminated designtestant will be "I'm sorry, but we're just not buying your design." Kelly Rowland's weekly catchphrase said to the surviving designtestant in the bottom 2 will be "You're still in the competition, but you're hanging by a thread." I recommend you watch and see what happens. God, I watch too much TV.

We're in a bit of a Mother's day dilemma this year. Typically we'd spend the entire Mother's Day weekend with Spouse's mother and family. But this year several of the circumstances are different. Spouse's oldest brother has been unemployed since his 5-day jail sentence for DUI, and basically has been living with/mooching off of his mother. Again. This makes for an uncomfortable and stressful visit for us. Spouse's 2nd oldest brother claimed he and his family would be evicted 2 days ago if he didn't pay his back rent. Again. This is one of many lies he's told before and will tell again to get money to support his drug habit. Although he works, it is apparently not enough money to pay his modest rent, utilities, buy food, and drugs. His wife does not work, nor has she ever, although she is physically capable of doing so. This makes for an uncomfortable and stressful visit for us. Spouse's sister will be tied up with her family since her husband is returning from an overseas work trip tomorrow, so she and the kids will not be available on Sat to hang out with us. This makes for an uncomfortable and stressful visit for us. So, we are considering simply driving the 2 1/2 hours and having a Mother's Day meal with Spouse's mom, and then driving the 2 1/2 hours back home the same day. That is my preference. But if I know Spouse, he will feel guilty about doing this and will try to figure out how we can go tomorrow without being bothered with his siblings, which is impossible. No matter how you slice it, this is not going to be a great Mother's Day weekend.

My friend Tony sent me this delicious little ditty. Keep in mind as you read this that this 'genius' probably drives, votes, and may have reproduced.

Spouse came home from work at noon today and we went out to lunch together. One of the local spots was having a $5. lunch special so we took advantage of it. It was a nice change of pace.

Happy Friday, and have a great weekend!

Crush du Jour: Sergio Garcia