I was going to wait until Thursday, Dec. 6th, to post an entry, making it an entire month since my last post, but I just didn't want to keep you all waiting that long. November seemed to whiz by, partly because I was in my aforementioned drug induced haze for the first two weeks. I am now of sound mind & body (well, as sound as it's gonna get) and ready to write.
Molly wanted to know about my trip to Cali. While the travel itself was harrowing, the stay was wonderful. My parents fed me until I busted my buttons. They took me out for lobster for my birthday (which is next week). I was just going to get a lobster tail but my dad insisted, no, demanded, that I get an entire lobster. The waitress looked very worried & kept saying "It's a lot of work to eat a whole lobster" over & over. My dad said, "Awww, she can handle it!!" I was on the waitresses side but lost to the persuasive powers of my dad.
I have never worked so hard for so little food in my life! It was, however, the most hilarious dining experience ever. I couldn't get the hang of the little lobster/nut cracker thingy, mainly because my hands were so slippery from butter. I would try to crack a claw & pieces would go flying all over the restaurant. My mom & I were laughing so hard, my dad was looking at other diners saying, "I don't really know these women!" He threatened to order a bottle of wine just so there'd be some visible excuse for our hilarity. It was fun and exhausting and I regret that my hubby wasn't there to share in it.
We also watched "Evan Almighty". I laughed so hard during the scene where he comes to work all hairy that I literally fell off the couch & begged for the movie to be put on hold so I could catch my breath. Gotta love Wanda Sykes in that movie!
I did get to see part of the area that was devastated by the fires in October. It was very surreal to drive down the freeway and see many, many places where the fire jumped from one side of the freeway to the other. It was also oddly emotional to see an entire hillside burnt except for where a house stood, still surrounded by green lawns & trees. You knew that someone had worked really hard to save that home. It was as if God had just cupped his hand over the house & kept it safe. The smell of smoke was still in the air. I kept thinking about the fact that I was just seeing a really tiny part of the destruction. I am very thankful that my parents neighborhood was spared.
Now about the travel. I had very short layovers going both ways, which I was very nervous about. On the trip out I made it to my connecting flight with 10 minutes to spare. I flew into Houston both times & had to take a tram to a different concourses both times. On my way home, my flight left San Diego 30 minutes late, which was not good because I only had a 40 minute layover in Houston. I got off the plane in Houston, found out I had to go 3 concourses over, took the tram convinced I was going to miss the flight, got off the tram, found a person driving one of those people carts who drove me at full tilt to my gate which was as far away as could be. I never would have made it on foot. I was the last person on that plane! They were getting ready to close the doors. Oddly enough, my luggage actually made it on the plane, thank heavens!
We had a great Thanksgiving with our friends the Hanley's. Two turkeys, 10 pies, lots of veggies, etc. Yummy! It really is my favorite holiday.
One last story before I wind up (are you still with me?). I had a tough morning Tuesday. First, Evan's aide was 15 minutes late, which makes me 15 minutes late for work. Harold was out of town so had taken the "good" car, leaving me (unintentionally) with the van which had less than no gas in it. I stopped to get gas, couldn't figure out how to open the gas tank door, couldn't reach Harold on the phone, & gave up in frustration, praying I'd make it to work so Roger could help me find the thing. Decided to go to Micky D's next door to the gas station to get coffee since I was frozen solid. At the drive-through, the lady who works that window, who graduated from high school with my husband, asked me if I was eligible for the Senior Discount. I asked what age you had to be, hoping it was low enough so I would qualify. "55," she replied cheerfully. To say I was insulted wouldn't be quite the right word but close. (I'll be 50 next week.) I thought I looked pretty good when I left the house that morning, but apparently I look 5 years older than my husband!! I took my coffee and drove dejectedly to work....maybe I need to switch moisturizers!
