My 19-year-old daughter was quite excited to pick up Disney’s
“Peter Pan” on DVD last weekend.She
reminded me it was her favorite childhood movie.I so recall her wanting to watch it over and
over again on VHS, as toddlers seem obliged to do.And I remembered that she also had the abridged
version on a cassette tape that read along with its companion story book. Without skipping a beat, she could recite
every word along with the story cassette, despite not being able to read a word
yet at age 3…
I laughed and pointed out to her that her 20-year-old
boyfriend looked a lot like a bearded Peter Pan. She blushed and said “I know.”
One of my earliest movie memories was of Mom and Dad loading
up the four kids (aged 9, 8, 5 [me], and 1) in the old navy blue Pontiac
station wagon and heading to the Drive-In movie theater few miles down our dirt
road, on the other side of Potter’s cornfields.
Do they even have Drive-Ins any more?
Wow!We put our jammies
on when the summer sun was just barely going down, and we each got to bring our
own bed pillow and a blanket in the car with us! Mom had spent the previous half-hour shaking
her monstrously heavy covered skillet back and forth over the stove, as the
combination of Crisco oil and popcorn seeds heated to the prescribed degree and
popped to perfection, pinging delightfully against the heavy cover.She emptied the popcorn into two brown paper grocery
bags, and poured a ton of melted butter over top each, whilst salting the heck
out of it.One greasy paper bag o’ corn
for the front seat, and one for the kids in the back seat. Mom would bring cups and a jug of Koolaid for
our drinking pleasure.I didn’t think
life could get any better than this.
It was getting dark, and traffic moved slowly across the
gravel as each car jockeyed for position next to a speaker pole.Dad hung the big, silvery metal speaker on
the window, and adjusted it just right. It
was like magic when he turned the black knob and we were connected to our
Drive-In experience at last!Some kids
were out playing on the swing sets up in front of the Big Screen.Finally, it was dark enough to start the
movie!Or so we thought.The minutes passed, and nothing.Soon cars started honking their horns.A cacophony of Chevys and Fords beeping out
various ditties trying to convince Mr. Manager that time was a-wastin’.
I remember seeing Bambi and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.I tried to keep awake during a movie called “Spencer’s
Mountain” cause there was KISSING in it, and obviously tailored to the grown-ups…
alas, I fell asleep.Mom and Dad always
carried our sleepy selves into the house, in the starlit damp summer air, and
tucked us into our soft beds.
Of course, my teenaged memories of the Drive-In are quite another story... but one thought remains the same: life just seemed so much simpler then.
Just got home from the hospital it's true
My reproductive days are now thru
My surgery went well But I'm sorer than hell
Now I've got two weeks of resting to do
*This lame limerick is brought to you by Percocet!
just 1-2 tablets every 4-6 hrs and you'll feel like Shakespeare, too!
1. This winter is the healthiest I’ve ever been… an amazing feat considering I began moonlighting at an UrgentCareCenter since last fall and I’m exposed to strep, flu, and other nasty contagions hovering about on a regular basis.Dare I say aloud… I haven’t even so much as had a cold (touch wood!) when normally I would have had two colds by now.What’s my secret??Hand Sanitizer, baby!I have become a firm believer in this product, I tell you!Okay, so I concede I’ve become a bit OCD with cleansing my hands every half hour while at work, and they’ve nicknamed me “Lady MacBeth” around the clinic… but whooooo’s the healthy one, huh?
2. I’m really digging working at the UrgentCareCenter over the last four months.There’s rarely a dull moment.Mind you, we’re there for “minor emergencies”… but for some, this definition is apparently quite subjective.Last night, a man stopped by in the midst of a full-blown heart attack. Said he didn’t want to be bothered with the hospital emergency room. Well, we ended up calling the rescue squad to transport him to the, uh, emergency room for proper treatment.On the other hand, so to speak, another man came in, becoming all embarrassed when I asked him what he wanted to see the doctor about.I handed him a piece of paper to write it down.“ED”, he wrote.Oh, gotcha.While I’m not making light of his erectile dysfunction, I smiled to myself thinking his decision to come to the “minor emergency” clinic must mean he had a big weekend planned.You go ‘head, boy! And here’s some Cialis to go!
3. Update on my Mom:the lymphoma appears to be in remission, and she finished her last chemo treatment two weeks ago. The CT scan in January showed her lungs to be free and clear of tumors, which was the oncologist’s biggest concern.A full body CT will follow soon.While lymphoma is something she will never get rid of, keeping it in remission as long as possible is the goal.Thank you to everyone who has sent their thoughts and prayers and inquired after her.It really means a lot to me!
4. Friday is my favorite day of the week. In fact, I was born on a Friday at 1:01 a.m.However, you won’t find me among the ranks of those who bemoan Monday mornings, asking “is it Friday yet?” before it’s even 10:30 a.m. To me, that is wishing your life away when you live for the weekend. Those other five days are wonderful gifts, too.Even if ya gotta make lemonade from the lemons you get all week long! :)
5. Being HUGE fans of “Chappelle’s Show”, three friends and I are going to see Charlie Murphy at the comedy club tomorrow night. (Okay, say it with me, “I’m Rick James, bitch!”) Yes, it’s a girl’s night out and we’re gonna do it up right. We hope they’ll seat us down front… but that sorta leaves us wimminz fair game for being singled out, doesn’t it?Hopefully, I can get some pictures.
For a long time I was in love
Not only in love, I was obsessed
With a friendship that no one else could touch
It didn't work out, I'm covered in shells
And all I wanted was the simple things
A simple kind of life
And all I needed was a simple man
So I could be a wife
I'm so ashamed, I've been so mean
I don't know how it got to this point
I always was the one with all the love
You came along, I'm hunting you down
Like a sick domestic abuser looking for a fight
And all I wanted was the simple things
A simple kind of life
If we met tomorrow for the very first time
Would it start all over again?
Would I try to make you mine?
I always thought I'd be a mom
Sometimes I wish for a mistake
The longer that I wait the more selfish that I get
You seem like you'd be a good dad
Now all those simple things are simply too complicated for my life
How'd I get so faithful to my freedom?
A selfish kind of life
When all I ever wanted was the simple things
A simple kind of life
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