Life According to Steph: 6/3/12

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Thursday Thoughts

1. Just this week I learned what YOLO means. I thought it was an exuberant HELLO! I feel ancient. Anyway, YOLO (you only live once) is so stupid it's funny. I love what Jack Black has to say about it:

Photo: www.i-am-bored.com

2. My June runneth over with important days for the A+ people in my life so I'll be writing a lot of personal relationship posts. No girl is an island, and the people in my life shape who I am. If you are bored by these posts, only read this blog on Mondays and Thursdays until the week of June 25. And, as always, GOOD DAY.

3. Have you ever felt weather that reminded you of another time and place? This week at a few different points I felt like I was at Wine & Jazz Fest in West Virginia, hosted by the lovely Miss Christy. Oh, the stories from those weekends. I was in a weather induced deja vu reminiscing time travel triangle, probably brought on by the photo below that I included in the Kims blog yesterday. No, I will not wear that white coat that fastens in the back. Thank you though.

I think this is this is the year I lost the purple t-shirt. Still pissed about that.

4. Has anyone ever seen the movie Sing, in which the school punk is forced to work with the goody goody to put on an annual Sing production amid the backdrop of a school in crisis? I used to watch it constantly. It is truly awful, but I adore it. I had it recorded on VHS tape. I got a wild hair up my ass to own it on DVD and did some research. First of all, I don't think you can get it on DVD. Secondly, the MFing VHS tapes are selling for $75 on Amazon. I cannot own it. I am bereft. You can't get Moving Violations on DVD for under $96 either, so I triple voodoo curse whichever bastard stole that from my house. I hope your underwear is constantly caught in your buttcrack for infinity and beyond.

Photo: imdb.com

5. I finally replaced my beat to shit Lilly Bloom commuter purse. My original was a Marshalls buy. If you commute on public transport, you should get one of these. It's a cross body, triple pocket hobo bag. It has a pocket in the front for your train pass and cell phone, then two large inside pockets. I always have my wallet, makeup bag, camera, a leather bound notebook, a paper date book, and a regular size hard back book in there, plus a bottle of water shoved in the side along with hand cream, wet wipes, and a ton of other shit I should not be carrying around daily. It's a pack mule. Do it. Attention Lilly Bloom: is it possible for you to make any of these with black straps and more subdued prints? I love color and pattern, but something quieter might be nice.

6. Around this time of year, it's all aboard the salad train at lunch. This year, I can't get into it. Did I possibly out-salad myself? Maybe I'll do salad week every other week this summer. What's your healthy brown bag lunch? These two are upcoming lunch items: spicy black bean burgers and turkey wrap with cucumber cream cheese with sides of raw veggies. But today, it's going to be something naughty and delicious, or if my husband is in town he could take me to his favorite lunch spot, Parc. MFD, are you out there? Let's do lunch.

Dear salad: I am sick of you.

7. I think my mail man is reading my US Magazine and Entertainment Weekly before he delivers them. Perhaps he's sharing them with his wife too. My inner Buddha wants to share my celebrity trash so that everyone may benefit. My true self says GIVE ME MY MAGAZINES!

8. I might need help with my solitaire problem. I can't stop playing. I am bargaining with myself: you can play until you win, then you have to stop and do something. You won...just play this next game to see if you can win two in a row. Where are the people from Intervention? It might be time.

9. My favorite ecard of the week from pinterest. Thank you Melissa for bringing it to my attention. I've been cackling ever since.

10. Today is my Friday. Holler holler holler for fifty million dollars. I can't wait to pack up and haul ass down to Cape May to spend the weekend with my family. Many thanks in advance to my mother-in-law who is going to watch Gus & Geege this weekend.

See you tomorrow mom-mom!

Happy trails to you, until we meet again...

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

My Two Kims

Photo: luxmillionaire.com

Friendship is one of the greatest luxuries of life.

-Edward Everett Hale

I am fortunate to have wonderful friends from all time periods in my life. But there's something about the friends you grew up with - who know things about you that you've forgotten about yourself, who have watched you react to situations for years, who have seen your face in triumph and despair, who don't need to be brought up to speed on your history because they were there living it with you - that ensures that you're always your truest self in their presence, because that's who they know you to be. They know everything you've been and done.They've seen you at your ugliest and they love you anyway. They've answered your 4 a.m. phone calls. It's a beautiful thing and I am so grateful to have such close friends from my formative years.

Too often we take our friendships for granted. Ask yourself, where would you be without them? When the rest of the world walks out, your friends are walking in.

Two of my best friends are named Kim. They were both born in June. They are both beautiful, kind, smart and funny in their own ways. We've known each other for over 20 years. We've been through the wash together. They are my family. They've taught me about friendship, life, and myself. Although we are all very different, in them I often catch glimpses of a second self.

It's lame of me to group them together just because their names are Kim and they're both June babies. When I am a full time writer I will rectify this oversight. We've had so many experiences together, I could write a book. And maybe I will.

My Kims are my cotton - they're woven into the fabric of my life. They are integral parts of my story. Although we don't live close anymore, and we don't often speak on the phone because we all hate talking on the phone, there isn't distance in our hearts. When we get together, we revert back to what we've always been together - friends who talk and talk and drink wine and talk and talk and pull shenanigans. And that's how it should be with your true people.

KVS is creative, introspective, independent. She loves to travel, has a weakness for jeans and dogs, is famous for her sangria and witch's brew, and together we survived an angry ocean incident in Puerto Rico. We saved our bucket of beer, too. She makes jewelry. She excels at karaoke.

Kim S is adventurous, goal-oriented, independent. She loves to shake her money maker on the dance floor, has a weakness for boots, and is a fellow cackler and Ocean City lover. She is a fan of the nap, the velour jumpsuit, the Flyers and the Eagles (that can be a sad and mad thing). She was my maid of honor and we email daily.

I know my two Kims will always be there, whenever, for whatever I need. They are my adolescent, college, and adult friends all rolled into one. They have lifetime seats in my front row.

I love you both and wish you the happiest birthday month!

xoxo

Monday, June 4, 2012

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

My brother was born when I was 6. I was totally fine as an only child, but there was no sending him back.

My brother comes home June 4, 1983

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.

We live outside the touch of time.

~Clara Ortega

My brother used to wear superman and batman capes pinned to his clothes. He watched the Batman with Adam West over and over on VCR tapes. He also watched Police "Macademy," Moving Violations, and Revenge of the Nerds, on a loop. I wonder if my parents knew it said HAIR PIE.

1984

My brother used to say "funda funda funda TATS" for Thundercats and "oh FANKS" for thank you. He used to say "You know better - n- dat" when you did something he thought you shouldn't do. He used to subsist on poptarts and peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. He could sleep anywhere, anytime - he used to lay down on the ground at the Ground Round restaurant and fall asleep while everyone ate dinner.

Stephen's first day of kindergarten - 1988

My brother was big for his age. He was a gentle giant who was always nice to everyone. He had a good heart from the time he came into being. He always had friends over and collectively they made our house smell like outside and boy.

Being a savage with Patrick Dillon in 1992, and again in 2006 in college

My brother has helped me balance myself without knowing it. When our parents split up during my junior year in high school, we were plunged into a world where everything we knew was different overnight. Our relationship with each other was the only thing that remained the same. Being six years older than him, I looked out for him and in doing that, righted and steadied myself. As the Hindu proverb says, "Help your brother's boat across, and your own will reach the shore." My protective instinct for him is still fierce and probably always will be. At life's small and big moments, we will be there for each other, and that's a comfort not everyone has. At my college graduation, my stepmom snapped a photo of us walking around campus, and we've recreated the same walk at his high school and college graduation, and at my wedding. It's our thing that we do now in life's big moments.

My brother was only 12 when I went away to college. Every time I came home he was different and taller. He excelled in soccer, and received many accolades, including Gatorade Player of the Year, NSCAA High School All-American, and Courier Times Player of the Year. He continued playing in college on a full scholarship, followed by a short stint playing for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. He went on to coach men's soccer at UCF in Florida before moving back home and getting his masters from Holy Family. He's made us proud and still does today as a history teacher and soccer coach.

Weirdly blond at Duquesne, signing autographs at the Riverhounds, NHS Alumni game w/Sean in 2008

My brother has a lovely long-time girlfriend that I love. He is a pincher. He sends funny text messages. He yells "Not today, Lance," at serious bikers on the roadways. He mumbles and then gets annoyed when you ask him to repeat himself. He knows the fat man walks below. He let me ply him with my music and my movies when he was growing up and still likes a lot of them today.

Stephen & Aub

Happy birthday to my brother Stephen, one of my favorite people on earth.

Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn

of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk.

~Susan Scarf Merrell

Sunday, June 3, 2012

the weekend that was

Amazed by my brother Sean at the Neshaminy High School Improv Night -

so funny and comfortable up on stage - where does he get this?

+

Friday I let myself into the house, and promptly lost my keys. We looked everywhere.
I dumped my purse three times, and searched it five times.
Sunday afternoon I found my keys. In my purse.
Thank you to whatever angel put them there.
When I told MFD to call off the search and where I found them,
he said, "That's why I don't like to go in that purse. Ever."

+

So much rain on Friday I woke up to floating candles on Saturday. Sort of.

Kitchen mishaps on Saturday - burned the F out of my finger and broke one of my serving bowls

Doesn't the reflection in the bowl make this look like an optical illusion?

Spinach/mushroom/onion/swiss crustless quiche, homemade BBQ sauce and comeback sauce
The bbq sauce was just ok - I will keep working on it.
The comeback sauce (recipe from pinterest) was gross.