Just keep swimming...

I have a pinched nerve in my neck. It is causing me great angst not to mention tingles in my thumb and down my arm.
The physical therapist wants me to swim 3 times a week for 30 minutes and to get my heart rate up to 123 and keep it there. Let me tell you, when you are 14, you can swim for hours and not even feel it. It's actually quite fun...
When you are much older than 14, it really isn't all that pleasant especially when you can't do the breast stroke... Doing 30 minutes of freestyle is almost torture. Fortunately for me, I can flip over and do the back stroke... Oh and I can turn on to my side and do the side stroke...
But really, when you are swimming - even when you go with a friend, it's kinda... boring... you can't swim and chat. I know this. I tried... I almost drowned myself.
So, I'll just keep swimming...
There is one benefit to all of this torture - it makes you skinny... fast!  You use all kinds of muscles and burn all kinds of fat just trying to stay afloat while getting from one end of the pool to the other...

Wow... Think about it...

A friend sent me the following. I think it deserves a read.
 

Let me see if I got this right.
If you cross the North Korean border illegally you get 12 years hard labor.
If you cross the Iranian border illegally you are detained indefinitely.
If you cross the Afghan border illegally, you get shot.
If you cross the Saudi Arabian border illegally you will be jailed.
If you cross the Chinese border illegally you may never be heard from again.
If you cross the Venezuelan border illegally you will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed..
If you cross the Cuban border illegally you will be thrown into political prison to rot.
If you cross the U.S. border illegally you get:
* a job,
* a drivers license,
* social security card,
* welfare,
* food stamps,
* credit cards,
* subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house,
* free education,
* free health care,
* a lobbyist in Washington
* billions of dollars worth of public documents printed in your language
* the right to carry your country’s flag while you protest that you don’t get enough respect
* and, in many instances, you can vote.

I just wanted to make sure I had a firm grasp on the situation…

Behavior still matters...

We were at our favorite chicken place for dinner last night - us, my friend K and her daughter, and R and HP.  When we sat down at a table for 7, there weren't any young kids nearby or we wouldn't have sat there.

Suddenly we were treated to an ear piercing screech and a giggle.

K flinched and said, "Ooh".  I almost covered my ears as the screech was at such a pitch as to shatter glass.
As R sat down, the screecher screeched again.
"Ooh", she said.
(I got it!! "Ooh" is sweetly southern for "OMG! What the heck was that??  Make it stop!")

The screecher turned out to be a spritely 4 year old girl who had just returned to her table from the ball pit. Lucky us.
(Trust me, the child will either become an opera star or a horror flick star. What a set of lungs on that one!)

The screecher had a friend who decided to join her. They stood directly behind me and screeched at the top of their lungs while their mothers did nothing. And I mean NOTHING. They screeched and screamed for what seemed many many minutes. There was no parental response whatsoever.

#1 leaned over and asked (loudly) if he were ever that poorly behaved.
"No, because I wouldn't let you. I would have hauled you out of here at the first sign of behavior like that."
LLB giggled. She knew what I said was true. (Fortunately for me, she was never a screecher. She thought screechers were beneath her...  She used to give them dirty looks for making her ears hurt.)

R and K watched the mothers ignore their cherubs while they screamed, ran rampant around the restaurant, and basically made everyone else miserable.

We discussed their becoming my blog fodder.
It was decided that the topic needs to be addressed. Behavior matters. Period.

Any mother who allows her child to scream/screech at the top of their lungs in a restaurant while people are trying to have a meal needs to take a good hard look at her parenting skills. I don't blame the kids - I blame the parents for not stopping or even attempting to stop the screaming.

This was a teachable moment... they blew it, plain and simple.
This is how it works: The parent says, "We don't scream in restaurants. If you scream again, we will leave." Then follow through... that's it...
Trust me... all it takes is once.

Instead, the parents look like the morons they are and the kids learn nothing.

Kittens

A dear friend sent me this. I couldn't resist putting it out here.

A pretty little girl named Suzy was standing on the sidewalk in front of her home. Next to her was a basket containing a number tiny creatures; in her hand was a sign announcing FREE KITTENS.

Suddenly a line of big black cars pulled up beside her. Out of the lead car stepped a tall, grinning man.

"Hi there, little girl, I'm President Obama. What do you have in the basket?" he asked.

"Kittens," little Suzy said.

"How old are they?" asked Obama.

Suzy replied, "They're so young, their eyes aren't even open yet."

"And what kind of kittens are they?"

"Democrats," answered Suzy with a smile.

Obama was delighted. As soon as he returned to his car, he called his PR chief and told him about the little girl and the kittens.

Recognizing the perfect photo op, the two men agreed that the president should return the next day, and, in front of the assembled media, have the girl talk about her discerning kittens.

So the next day, Suzy was again standing on the sidewalk with her basket of "FREE KITTENS" when another motorcade pulled up, this time followed by vans from ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN & Fox News.

Cameras and audio equipment were quickly set up, then Obama got out of his limo and walked over to little Suzy.

"Hello, again," he said, "I'd love it if you would tell all my friends out there what kind of kittens you're giving away."

"Yes sir," Suzy said. "They're Republicans."

Taken by surprise, the president stammered, "But... but... yesterday, you told me they were DEMOCRATS."

Little Suzy smiled and said, "I know. But today, they have their eyes open."

Splish Splash

I got a shower at the Olive Garden.

We went to dinner with friends before we went to the movies the other night. We were seated after quite a long wait.  As we sat down, the waitress asked what we'd like to drink. We gave our orders and perused the menu.

She brought out everyone's beverage and proceeded to place each glass on the bitter edge of the table. I have no idea why she did that, but the whole thing made me nervous.  She made her way around the table and when she got to my dear friend seated next to me, she put hers so close to the edge that we were sure it would tip.  The next and final beverage was for my dear friend's husband. He ordered a very large glass of ice water with lemon.

In a split second, I was soaked. I'm not sure what happened or how. I just know that one moment I was dry, and the next,  I had a whole glass of water all over me - as in shoulder to bum and everything in between. Now - it's not summer. It's winter and it's just down right cold. The wind was blowing so hard that you could feel the cold coming through the windows at the restaurant and we were on the wall side away from the windows. Ice water in any form is not what I had in mind for a shower.

I took it all in stride as it wasn't anything sticky or hot. It was water. I did not make a stink. I did not fuss. I did not even flinch. I salvaged my purse and my jacket and requested another napkin.  My rear end and lap were soaked - as in even my undies were wet.  But, it was just water... no biggie.  It will dry.  The waitress apologized, brought me another napkin, and then disappeared.

The waitress then proceeded to ignore our table. THAT is a big fat no-no. 

If we have to chase you down for more salad,  another breadstick, or even the check, we are not impressed.  I've never had bad our lousy service at the Olive Garden before, so I'm sure she was simply mortified. Unfortunately her behavior cost her part of her tip.  I am a very good tipper, but not last night. She got the 15% she was entitled to and not one penny more. I considered giving her 10%, but I'm not totally nasty. Personally, I think she should have given me a discount because of my shower, but... whatever.

So - if you go to the Olive Garden, bring a towel - the showers are mighty cold!

Hang on Toto!!

The wind is whipping! I feel like we might be blown away! It sounded like a freight train all night... and all day yesterday - which was when I was out driving in it.

LLB and I went shopping and to the movies yesterday instead of staying home and taking those pictures I promised you. We had a great day - I may have found the drapes - which I purchased for a song - but I need to wait to see the bedding before I get too excited.  LLB got some bargains and spent her Kohls' gift card that was burning a hole in her pocket. I got some goodies for some of LLB's friends for next Christmas - yes, I've already started.  I also picked up some frames so I can get all of the school pictures from years past up on the wall. (I have the current year's pix up in the family room, but the rest are sitting in a drawer and that, my friends, is totally unacceptable.)

So this morning, I am up and dressed and ready to start my day. I even made the bed so I could take that picture you've been wanting to see.  I have a before and an after...  Here is the before:

It doesn't give you the whole sense of how bad it really was, so you can use your imagination. Mr. is steaming off that hideous blue paper. I told you it was attractive... imagine a whole room with bows and flowers... it was exactly of what nightmares are made...

Here is the "somewhat" after... The painting is done. The crown is up. The loveseat needs a slip cover, but you can ignore that and the curtains and rods aren't up yet...

Soon that ugly 1986 carpet will be hardwood flooring - stay tuned.  But anyway, now you can see what we've been doing with our free time.

Happy New Year!

It's 2010!!
We had a lovely time party hopping last night! We just wish we could have hit all of the parties to which we were invited, but... time flew and the roads were icy.  It was fun to see and reconnect with a few good friends over a drink and a snack. The fireworks up at K's were terrific!! That was such a nice way to start the new year!

Today Mr. finished up the last of the crown molding - it is up and caulked. All I have to do is paint it - I may take a couple of pictures so you can all see what we've been doing. Check back tomorrow. I'll have to take the pix in the daylight.

The new bedding is due in on Monday - hopefully it will "work".  If not, I'll be looking at the old faithful Martha Washington bedspread for a while until I find something I like. We've waited 5 years for this, so what's another couple of days, right?  I'm also on the hunt for drapes and rods... I think I may have found some at Penney's - LLB and I will hit there tomorrow to check them out before we go to the movies. 

The more things change, the more things stay the same...  And we like it like that.