Diner and a Movie

First, no that isn't a typo. Okay...

Saturday I am happy to say I had another lovely evening with F. We decided to see The Simpsons Movie in Manayunk and to grab dinner beforehand at the Manayunk Diner located in the same complex. He called that afternoon to say he thought it was a little silly for both of us to drive, how about he pick me up?

This is when I realized that before I even saw him for date 3 he had made more of an effort than anyone I've dated in the past two years. He ordered tickets ahead of time without needing it suggested, and then there is the whole picking me up thing. F lives in the city and doesn't have a car (he's rather environmentally conscious that way), but he does belong to Philly Car Share. So he picked up a car and came to me. Sorry, I used to say it's the little things that count, lately it seems they've gotten near subatomic. Anyhow...

So the door bell rings and I leave Callie in charge of the household and head out to dinner. Before I got to the car a neighbor stopped me and asked about the new house...after explaining that I was not Jill and was not related to Jill though was good friends with her and promised to pass on a message, we were off! I had been excited about riding in a Prius, but aside from their eco-sexiness and roomy interior they don't have a lot else going for them.

The diner was bigger than I expected...food was fine, company was better. I managed to grab the bill for the first time and we raced across the lot after realizing we had gabbed right up to the movie start time. The movie was sold out so the theater was packed. Finding 2 seats together was looking like an impossible task, and we were considering standing through it, but I managed to spot 2 seats in the second row and it wasn't too bad. The movie was hilarious and I highly recommend the viewing.

It was early as we got back to the car so after discussing options we went back to the diner for coffee and did what seems to be our normal thing: Talk until 2 AM. Okay, it was more like 2:30 this time. As the diner got louder we decided to get on the road. It was yet another really nice night and we could have continued talking until sunrise, but the car had to be back by 5 AM.

And he even understood the flow chart...perhaps they all haven't gone the way of the passenger pigeon...

Stoned in Synagoge

This weekend reminded me I have this amazing ability to complicate my own life. Usually this is because I am a rather soft touch when it comes to people needing me. Fortunately I've gotten good at coping with my own ridiculousness, but I really need to just stop. The weekend was good though, so here are the highlights...

Friday I picked Connie up and took her for her esophageal ultrasound. I read Harry Potter while they prepped her then knocked her butt out. She did not go down easily though. They ended up putting her under full sedation instead of just twilight. That's right, the girl who will fall asleep talking to you wouldn't succumb to anesthesia.

Eventually they called me in to talk to her and once she was alert enough they let me take her home...but we had a few stops to make.

We need yarmulkes for Avenue Q, so a sedated Connie and I stopped at the synagogue in Jenkintown to find out where we could purchase these. They were so nice I started wondering how difficult it is to convert! We came away with 4 blue ones from Melissa Ann Selding's bat mitzvah in 2006.

After this we decided to get some food in Connie since she hadn't eaten in 13 hours. We tried the little Thai restaurant in Abington on 611 just before the overpass up the hill from Trader Joe's. It was to delicious to describe, just so you know. Then I took the snoring Connie home, for she had once again passed out in my car.

Ow

Okay, this is just painful and I can't imagine why someone would want to immortalize this particular grappling move:

And just in case you don't understand why I say "Ow":

Wandering on

So Tuesday was redeemed by Greg, Julia Rose, and Rohm and Haas. How you ask?


Well, ages ago I applied for a job at Rohm & Haas (I've wanted to work there since I got out of college) and figured I was passed over since I didn't hear from them. Turns out they just move glacially slow. Tuesday I got a call to set up a phone interview, which I scheduled for Wednesday morning.


Tuesday night Greg and Julia Rose came over and we had a nice walk followed by water ice. That kid is just too cute. We saw bats, cats and dogs-there was even some singing and I got a wonderful hug from Ms. Julia. All of this eradicated the horribleness that was Tuesday.


Wednesday was uneventful in large measure, but good. The girls did horrible things to a puppet and texted me the picture:



F and I made plans to see The Simpsons on Saturday. And I even got to hang out with Lydia in the evening, who is now glasses and contact free after her surgery. Pretty awesome.

Thursday is a little anxious for some reason, but not at all bad.

Life marches on...

Mutter...Mutter...Grumble

Tuesday

Someone hit a young doe on Pennlyn Pike this morning...didn't even stop to check for damage...must have been in too much of a hurry...poor thing was just laying there, trying to get up but it's back legs didn't work...half in the road, half out. I called the township and an officer came out to put the creature out of its misery.

This is why I dislike Tuesdays...and in some cases people. How long had it been there in agony, terrified?

And of course there are the little Tuesday grumbles, but really not a big deal in comparison.

At least I have Harry Potter to look forward to tonight...

Reset

You know, I've been joking about moving back to this apartment being like hitting the reset button on my life, but things seem to be going quite well (cue lightning).

So after my oh so wonderful visit with Dr. S on Friday I noodled around the house a bit, then Monie came over and we headed to the bike shop to look for a new helmet. This was also the local for the jacket odyssey, so the guy we were working with on the helmet knew us. And I think he thought we were a couple, which I found fun. Monie found a kick ass helmet and then we headed grocery shopping after a bite at BK (because you can't go to the store hungry, you buy weird things).

Interestingly enough, the salad I had at BK had the same effect on me that their burgers do later that evening-which is why I never do beef at BK. Of course, it could have been the milkshake...

With our pantries stocked once more, Monie headed off to her evening's events and I headed to chez Reisse for some fun with the family. We all caught up, watched the nursing acrobatics of Charlotte (truly amazing) and managed to laugh a good bit. And I ended the evening with way too much time on the phone, but for the most part very good conversation.

Saturday was an impromptu trip to Zerns with Bill and Connie. I managed to find a door knob for the front screen door, something entertaining to put into Monty's care package and a statue of Don Quixote that was too interesting to pass up. And Zerns is always great for people watching, so it proved amusing as well...no where in the universe should a 1' x 1' block of scrapple exist.

Saturday night was the star watching party in Valley Forge Park. F came along and it was really a nice evening. We caught dinner at New Delhi in the city (yummy) then headed to the park. There were some really neat toys out there, one telescope was synced to a laptop so it could be programed with coordinates. The owner was tracking satellites and it even had a laser site on it so you could see the spot the scope was following (or at least it's area). We also got a look at Jupiter, Polaris, moon craters and a few constellations.

As we were contemplating leaving a nice older gentleman came up and asked what we'd seen and if we'd seen the Coat Hanger. He pointed out the Teapot (which was more like its name than some of them) then put his binoculars around my neck and described where the Coat Hanger was...I admit to being geeked that I was able to follow his directions and find it. F had less luck, but enthusiastically told the man that I had seen it when he asked.

We left around 11 and headed back into the city, thinking we would call it an early night...we were unsuccessful. We ended up talking in front of his building until 2 AM...and that is in no way a complaint!

Celebration!

I'm right this very moment watching a Dave the Barbarian marathon. Oh the brain rotting joy!!!! I haven't seen it in ages.

But that is not the only cause for celebration. I had my 7 month follow up with the delectable Dr. S today and got a clean bill of health!!!!

Legs and lungs are clot free!!!

Heart is nicely healed!!!

No more rat poison (cumiden) for me!!!!

Oh there is joy in Mudville today, yes there is!

Short Lived

So it was a date...and a good one.

And this morning I've had not one but 2 cups of coffee.

Harry Potter, as everyone said, was wonderful.

The PB & J at the diner afterward was even better.

And for those who pay attention...he drinks coffee.

A Hummy Day

It is Wednesday, and I just realized I haven't had coffee since Sunday night. Odd for me, but not a bad thing. Aside from a late start this morning the day hums along. Connie has stopped pledging her loyalty to the ladies room and my boss can almost hear again. All good things.

I slept through the night last night, finally. Sunday and Monday nights were fitful and more like napping off and on. There were a variety of reasons. Once up and moving this morning it was slow going, and as I reached my car there was a black and white kitten sitting in front of it. The little thing looked young, but not too young to be away from Mom. It seemed well cared for, though not particularly friendly so I decided it must be some one's and left it be. After all, what would I do with it?

So last night was dinner and a shoe hunt with Monie. We came back empty handed so we shall form another party and try again later in the week. Tonight is a movie in the city that may loosely be termed a date. I'll know more if I survive...maybe. I'm finding these things less easy to recognize lately.

Monie and I were discussing how just about everyone in our dating pools seem to have "issues". A few years ago this would mean a bad break up, bad relationship with parents, fear of flying...now it's PTSD, anger, emotional unavailability, wrong number of body parts, codependency and mental illness (no, this isn't true of everyone I've met, just a disturbing chunk of them). Is it a factor of damage collected over time, or are just the bent and dent folks left? And does that mean we too are this damaged? I like to think not. I may not be objective about me, but I'm relatively solid that Monie and Connie are in pretty good shape.

At least I've had my marriage inoculation. Worst case scenario I'm retiring in Montana with the vicious dog, shotgun and a horse. I can live with being the cranky old lady on the hill. There's also the offer to be the crazy cat lady with Monie if she's available. See? I have options!

Interestingly someone was just lamenting that all his friends were married, and he was single and out of the loop. I gave this some thought and realized that yes, most of my friends are attached, but that doesn't mean they've put barbed wire around their homes and refuse to come out. We still see each other, perhaps not as frequently as we once did, but we are in touch and we manage to have a good bit of fun. It comes down to effort. Those of us who are unattached have an easier time making plans, as our schedules are more flexible. The key is making that effort to touch base and find time to see people. No, we aren't generally heading to a bar or going dancing (did we ever do that?), but there is a lot to be said for game night or sitting around with pizza and watching a movie. It may not be thrilling, but it is fun and I'll take it.

And next week my life may just be normal enough to practice what I'm preaching!

Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars

Okay, if you can't place the title of this one it is a Bon Jovi song, and a fun one at that. It's about a guy whose a little nutty but rides a bus a few hours to see a woman who is likewise...different. But together they are quite the couple and sound rather happy, so all good.

This morning I think I saw the inspiration for these folks. A man and a woman, probably in their forties but perhaps younger, they looked like life wasn't easy. I'd put them in the next to homeless category. Both had that special look to them. She was wearing a sea foam green sweat suit with red socks, he was wearing shorts and a purple T-shirt and carrying her shoes. They were just walking down the street, holding hands and crossing against the light, very obviously thrilled to be with each other.

Just cute and not a bad way to start a day.

Dressed up for a big date
Like halloween day but it was fourth of july now
A car crash with a suitcase and a painted face
She was one of a kind
She wears a plastic crown like cinderella
And roller skates in bed
Crash rides the greyhound from his hometown
When he comes around cause they dont let him drive now
Mixed up as a milkshake
But make no mistake
Theyre shooting for the stars

Chorus:
You and meWere invincible together
We can be so tragical, whatever
Dressed up just like ziggy but he couldnt play guitar
Captain crash and the beauty queen from mars

Share a toothpick, trading lipstick
Watching traffic for days at the diner
Holding hands, making big plans
Playing superman, he was wearing eyeliner
Another local legend and his longtime lucky charm

Theyre drunk on love as you can get
Getting high on lust and cigarettes
Living life with no regrets
At least theyre gonna try to fly
We're Sid and Nancy
Fred and Ginger
Clyde and Bonnie
Liz and Richard
Kurt and Courtney
Bacall and Bogie
Joltin Joe and Ms. Monroe
Heres captain crash and the beauty queen from mars

Medical Update

Wow, now that is a serious blog title! And yet, accurate.

Friday was my echo cardiogram and leg ultrasound to follow up on the clot issue. I'll get the result of the echo on Friday when I see Dr. S, but the ultrasound looked clear...whoo hoo! The tech that did it was the same one I'd had in the hospital so I got some insider info. Plus I can read a vascular ultrasound thanks to my years at KGL. Ah the hidden skills you didn't know you'd use!

Unfortunately I've no clue on the echo. It's a heart, it's beating, sounds kinda cool. Other than that I'm lost. To be honest I'm not worried about my heart so much, which I realize is kind of odd. I look at it this way: A clot will kill me and I'll need to be on blood thinners forever; A stretched out heart valve is just something to live with and be aware of.

Jill was sweet and came with me for the appointments, and it was nice to have the company. We even managed a walk in between tests. I passed Dr. Star (my back surgeon) in the hallway at one point. Funny how you can recognize someone in a poofy blue shower cap. Anyhow, I said hi, he looked vaguely confused as he said hello back, then perked up as he recognized me. I have this horrible feeling that I've traumatized that man with my clottiness. Ah well.

Jill and I did a little shopping after all was said and done. Then Dan collected her for Harry Potter and I went to pick up the recurring house guest for the weekend. We grabbed dinner then he did some shopping at Old Navy where I found Jill the black flip flops she'd been needing. Entertainingly, he tried to buy them, thinking they were for me. I told him there was no need for him to purchase flip flops for my friends. We watched Team America: World Police (no comment) and called it a night.

Saturday was finding him a rental car then I pretty much had the day to myself. Got some odds and ends done and then did some shopping for the apartment and myself. Sunday was returning the car and meandering around Skippack. Neat little town, found the best shop for opal and amber jewelry, so that's dangerous. We got lunch then I took him back to base. I caught up with Connie for dinner, met the infamous George and called it a weekend.

Tonight I have Dan, Jill and Adam coming over for games and what not...my first little gathering in the new place!

Word of the Day

Ecosexy:

Being ecologically friendly because it's trendy.

Example:
My new hybrid lexus SUV is so ecosexy.

It just sounds cool....

Another Great Quote

This one came after a suggestion for improvement was given. And yes, it was said in a playful voice, just someone being goofy...

"Let me fuck this chicken. You just sit back and watch the feathers fly!"

Vivid, is it not?

Booger Snot

I was almost broadsided this morning by a man who was so concerned about picking his nose that he almost ran a stop sign.

You know, he looked pretty engrossed in the act as well.

Ick

House Guest

I have a house guest for the next 3 months. His name is Lem. I've decided that Lem needs his own blog, so here's the link: http://www.lemmy-ade.blogspot.com/


He may seem like a bit of a sourpuss at first, but I think he'll be interesting.

Under Pressure

Though I am sure this isn't what Freddie and David were singing about, I am happy to report that my new shower head has resolved the water pressure issue.

It no longer feels like I am being peed on...

Tuesday

A sleepy day, but not a bad one.

Last night I picked up C. ( who's been around a lot for someone who was supposed to be gone for 3 months, but that's a whole other story) and headed for Jill and Dan's to play Call of Cuthulu with Adam and Andi. He sketched while we tried to make some headway on the mystery. Sadly we came away with little but me losing a bit of sanity.

We grabbed a quick dinner on the way home then settled in for the night. Up early this morning to meet his ride back to base, then I popped home for a 20 minute power nap before heading to work. Ardia wasn't feeling well yesterday and today...well she sounds terrible so I am glad she decided to stay home.

Tonight I selfishly booked to stay home and watch the season premier of Eureka! There really isn't much I follow on TV these days, but I've been waiting for this since February. I may even turn off the phone.

Fireworks!

Here is a peek at some of Don's pictures from Friday....

Whirlwind

Tuesday night was an outing to see "Live Free or Die Hard" which was quite good. After was another night of lounging on the couch and chatting, which I have to say was very nice.


The 4th itself was a lazy day summed up by one word: Breakfast. I got up and made eggs, bacon and toast. After a bit of house puttering we went out to run a few errands and decided to stop at a diner for lunch...but they were only serving breakfast that day. So we had breakfast again!


Once home Julie called to see if she and Charlotte could come by for a visit. Of course! So they both met Charles, with Lotte playing the "here you can have it/no you can't" game with him by the time the visit drew to an end. For some reason it proved to be a very nappy day after that. In the evening I transferred my guest into the care of his ride back to base and took the long way home. Then the true work on the apartment began. Lots to do.


Thursday I worked on the house then Jill came over in the afternoon. We made a raid on Target for book shelves then in what can only be described as an act of comedy got them home and up the stairs. WW was a minor success. I lost 1.4 lbs, which was actually just losing the 1.2 I gained last week, for a real loss of .2 lbs. But it was a loss! We got a decidedly un-ww friendly dinner to celebrate Jill's turning 33 then called it a night.


Friday was my follow up CAT Scan. My lungs are clear! Whoo hoo! That hairball of a blood clot is gone. Now I just need to pass my echo cardiogram and ultrasound this Friday and I am golden! One piece of info though. The stuff they inject you with for the IV contrast makes you flush a bit, and the tech warned me it might make me feel like I had a full bladder. I beg to differ. It makes you feel like you peed. FYI.


After my test I picked up Connie and we headed for lunch followed by Home Depot for some supplies. That was an expensive trip for both of us. Next off to the thrift store for cheap curtains...and of course I found a cute purse. Then there was a trip to the shoe store where I triumphantly managed to not buy anything.


Once home I had time to tidy a bit and get cleaned up before Don arrived. He has been trying to get his annual fireworks photos but has been thwarted by the rain, so I invited him to the Ambler ones. He got some great shots, even if we were both a little closer to the action than we really wanted to be. It took us 10 minutes to get there, and an hour to get home. Gotta love traffic.


Saturday was dedicated to the apartment. I even got things up on the walls and most of the little repairs done. In celebration Monie and I went out to dinner to catch up on life in general. It's funny. At one point my house guest commented that he hoped he wasn't taking me away from my friends. That is when I realized that for the most part they were occupied. Lydia and Monie were both on vacation and clan Wentzel was still tied up with the house. And those are the ones I see most often.


Sunday was just a lazy day. The apartment was done and so was I. I lounged on the couch enjoying cable and internet once again, delaying getting dressed as long as possible. One quick trip to the store to pick up cat and pig food, then I was back on the couch! Of course late in the evening I found out my house guest may be coming for an over night visit tonight, so I managed to change the sheets on the bed, vacuum and get the trash out (which insures he won't be able to make it after all).


And now I am back at work and doing a mountain of laundry.


But you know, life is pretty darned good.

Stasis

No progress on the unpacking. It's looking like it will be Thursday before things are settled in. I'm not complaining though, I'm enjoying my guest. It has been a very long time since I've come home to someone. It was very odd to call yesterday and see if I needed to pick up anything on the way home. My guest made the same comment. And even better, I look forward to it. He's been there since Saturday and it still doesn't feel like an intrusion. It's going to be quiet when he leaves tomorrow. It's nice having a friend around.

So of course in my quest to be a good hostess I've not wanted to ignore my company. Last night he helped Will get a desk upstairs. I introduced them and then they silently moved the thing. Typical boys. Will was funny, once he realized how beat up the piece was he offered to make me a nicer one for my birthday. It was a very sweet offer, but I'm just using it as a dry sink (what it was originally) in the kitchen and it happens to match a piece Dan and Jill left me nicely.

Much to my surprise my guest not only made the bed, but did a little cleaning as well. I've offered to give him the house boy position in all seriousness now, but he still feels his skills are needed in the military. Go figure.

So later in the evening there was mini golf and the hilarity that follows. And now it is Tuesday, and it seems all the snags of the morning have been fixed. Whoo hoo!

And a belated happy birthday to Miss Jill!

Huh?

It is a bleary Monday morning...even coffee isn't doing much to keep my eyes open. I went to bed/passed out around 9:30 last night so in theory I should have gotten some good sleep. Perhaps there was just too much activity the past few days.

Friday I was up early and met Jill for WW. Then Jill was nice enough to wait at my place for the carpet people. She called after they left and seemed less then excited about the new carpet. I was curious, but didn't think too much of it. Connie joked that I'd get home and find they'd installed bright orange shag.

So I putter through my day and get word that my friend who was activated to Ft. Indiantown Gap is going to have 4 days off for Independence Day...can he stay with me? There is a long story here, so I'll just say that it was a good thing for me to say yes. He was heading back on Sunday which put a bit of a crunch on getting the apartment together, but I figured I could get the place in decent shape by then.

Once the work day was done I headed to Ambler, stopped to grab something for lunch and bounded into the apartment to see the new carpet in place...

There was what looked like a pale peach Eggo waffle in my living room. This was not the carpet I ordered. But as I was hungry and had about 1 hour's sleep I called Lydia to verify that indeed I did not purchase this color or texture. She agreed...and proceeded to advocate exuberantly for me to have this corrected. I decided to eat first, then called the company to see what had happened. They'd written down the wrong item, could come out Monday to make the correction. But now I was tired, had furniture coming the next day, didn't want to take another day off of work, and was beginning not to care. I decided to think on it until the next day. And then I called Connie.

You see, I cannot distinguish shades of pink and orange well and the carpet was starting to not look so bad to me. I knew it was either okay, or god-awful. Connie is amazing at color, so I trust her opinion and she was nice enough to come over and take a look. She agreed that it worked okay after all, looked a bit Mediterranean, but once the furniture was in would probably look pretty darned good. So I took the lazy route and decided to leave things be.

We chatted for a bit and once she left the only thing I wanted to accomplish was putting the bed together. It was interesting, but it worked out fine. I say interesting because I cut the knuckle on my thumb, and since I needed to use that thumb for the assembly I had to keep bending it. Add my non-clottiness and you have a small cut that produces an impressive amount of blood. I ended up constantly wiping it on my pants. By the time I left I looked like something horrible had happened. But the bed was together!

I went back to North Wales, finished packing and passed out. Up early Saturday for the donut run and then my incredible moving team arrived. I am now committed to moving Amanda to Maine sometime in the next 8 years, Julia Rose and Charlotte into college and help with any moving Greg, Chuck, Andrew, Connie, Bill or Jen need. They were amazing! We got everything done in 2 1/2 hours. By 10:30 we were sitting on the porch having a drink and kibitzing.

And of course around 9 my phone had rung and my house guest told me they were leaving Saturday, so he'd be available around noon. I told him I'd get back to him since I was in the middle of MOVING!

After the troops went home Steve was nice enough to stay behind and set up the TV, then we loaded some trash into the back of his truck and took it to the apartment dumpster and I treated him to lunch. He filled me in on his poor luck of late. Still no job, considering moving back in with his mom, girlfriend pretty much wanting to end the relationship but not quite cutting the cord...among other news.

Once home I made the bed, got a shower and retrieved my guest. We got him a spare key which he was rather excited about until I told him that he'd have to return it when he left and then we got dinner. I will admit he was handy to have around, sometimes you need someone else to move the boxes.

Sunday he unpacked movies while I unpacked the kitchen. At one point as I wandered through the living room he grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the couch...I woke up and hour later. Guess I was tired. After the impromptu nap we went off to be domestic and get groceries. He offered to make dinner so I let him, and have to say I am impressed. We had seasoned potatoes, fillet mignon stuffed with cheddar cheese, scallions and portabella mushrooms, green beans with bacon, shrimp and pan fried portabellas. I offered to hire him as a house boy. As I kept him company in the kitchen I called Bill to see if he could bring over the last piece of furniture on Monday. While we were talking I refereed to my resident chef as "the boy" which got a snort. I think that's when I started calling him my cabana boy.

After dinner we sat and talked for a long time, then finished watching Kinsey. I'd fallen asleep for the last 30 minutes, so we called it a night.

So a busy, exhausting, but good weekend.