It’s about time you got here! I’ve got so much more to teach you about buying a car! Did you miss the first three lessons? Click here. Now, where was I? Oh yes. It was 1990 and we had just gotten screwed, buying our little blue truck. In 1991 we moved to Wisconsin. We still had the Dodge Shadow (the one without the cassette player) and decided that we really wanted to get something else. We weren’t sure what that something else would be, so we just started “doing research” by going around to different dealers and checking out what they had to offer. That brings me to lesson four.Lesson…
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How To Buy A Car (Or, Yet Something ELSE That Took Me Forever To Learn, But Now I Rock At It), Part One
Next to a home purchase, a new vehicle ranks right up there among the biggest purchases of someone’s life. You would think that people would do the proper research–and I’m not talking about research on the car itself; I’m talking about learning how to buy one–but many don’t. Jim and I didn’t, when we first started buying cars. We have been screwed by car dealers* several times, and each time was maddening. However, we have learned many things through those terrible experiences over the last 23 years, and since the car-buying process is now an exciting one for me**, and because so many people walk into that situation with their…
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There’s No Crying in Baseball…Unless It’s At My House.
I’m a pretty sentimental person. Certain things make my eyes tear up almost automatically: –old AT&T commercials —“Lara’s Theme” from the movie “Doctor Zhivago” (each of the 250 times it’s played during the course of the movie)–watching old footage of Ekaterina Gordeeva skate with (the late) Sergei Grinkov–when someone wins on “Wheel of Fortune” (unfortunately, I’m dead serious.)… I’m sappy, what can I say? Yesterday, I was flipping channels and caught the middle of the movie “A League of Their Own”. This movie is to my tearing up as the sound of a crying baby is to the lactating rate of a nursing mother (sorry, men). I don’t have to…
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So Much To Do, So Much Time. And yet…
I can finally fill you in on something major that’s been going on lately. As you read this, I will be picking up Jim and both boys from the train station, as they’ve been gone for fifteen days. FIFTEEN DAYS. In case you’re wondering why I couldn’t blog about that–really???–it’s because it would have been a really stupid breach of family security, get it? Do you understand what that means? Let me translate. I only had to take care of MYSELF for FIFTEEN DAYS. As a busy mom person, I’ve been looking forward to this for a year, since our Boy Scout Troop got selected for this trip. (They went…
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Lady…Or Not?
My recent post about dog poo combined with my mom’s comment on yesterday’s post in which “she always said I’m a lady”, got me thinking. There is no question that I act like a lady, mostly. Alright, sometimes. I would have been a totally awesome Southern Belle. I’m certainly prissy enough. I don’t like to get dirty. I enjoy sweating when I work out but MUST shower immediately or I get grossed out. I’m borderline goody-goody (less these days than in the past, though!). I’m a people-pleaser. I’m NICE. I’m pleasant. I have good manners. I love tiaras, for goodness sakes. I could go on, but really…need I? Anyway, as…
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What’s In A Name?
I am not going to do a “Get To Know All About Me” post for the thing that’s happening this weekend that I said I would only write about once before and once after*, in case you’re wondering. The way I see it, the two people who might be interested in meeting me already sort of know me from reading this blog, and those who don’t read my blog, well, they won’t see that post, will they?I’ve been called many names in my life. I know, I know, you can only imagine. But I’m not talking about nicknames or insult names. I’m talking about celebrity names. The first name I…
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When I Realized There’s Enough To Go Around
This post, about an intense rivalry I’m currently having, is long overdue. I need to give you some background information first, though. Back in my teenaged years, the U.S. was in the middle of what was called “The Second British Invasion” (the first being The Beatles, of course!); we were crazy about all things UK; the big groups were (just to name a few): Wham, Tears for Fears, Pet Shop Boys, Bananarama, Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode, Culture Club…the list goes on. And of course, there was Duran Duran. I, along with my group of friends, would spend hours upon hours watching MTV (when it played nothing but music videos. remember…
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It Was Either Laugh or Cry…
I once wrote a post called “Hurling Was Never So Hilarious”, but I forgot about this other time which came to my mind over the weekend when we were in Tennessee when we were at Kate, Scott, and Bean’s house. Sidenote: I can’t believe how quickly it seems that kids grow. It seems like only yesterday that Bean looked like this, and now she looks like this: So grown up. (Well, sort of. For a kid. You know what I mean.) Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, hilarious hurling. Let me set it up for you. Summer 2006. I had accompanied Kate, Scott, and Bean on a trip to Europe.…
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When Holidays Collide: Happyfather’sbirthday!
Today is a very special day. Yeah, sure, it’s Father’s Day; everyone knows that. In our house, however, we’re celebrating something in addition: The older boy turns 17 today! WOW! Take a moment and absorb that reality with me. How is it even possible that Jim and I, being so youthful (and great-looking) ourselves, could have a son who is 17? No idea? Me neither. Anyway, this is only the third time that Father’s Day has fallen on the boy’s birthday (including his BIRTHday). The last time was in 1998. To be completely honest, though I have photos in the closet of that birthday, I can’t remember it. Instead, I…
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Alright, Alright…Birthdays Aren’t THAT Bad, Especially When They Last A Week.
I have done a lot of bellyaching over the past couple of months about turning F…F…Fo…Forty, and although I am still not thrilled, my chosen new attitude is helping me to settle in, along with the wonderful birthday WEEK I just experienced. My friends and family tossed so much love at me, how could I be anything but warm and fuzzy? Last Sunday evening, Jim surprised me by taking the entire Fab Five (if you’re a newbie here at the Scrawl, the Fab Five is me, Jim, the boys, and my sister Julesie) out to dinner. Everyone knew where we were going except for me, the birthday girl. I was…