TWTW - the one with the college girls

A three day weekend with two girls I spent the most carefree years of my life with in college. The last time the three of us were together in the same place was October 1999 at our alma mater University of Delaware where Jana was still there in grad school and Jody & I were back for a visit. Almost 18 years since we've been together, and it was nice to reminisce and laugh over what we used to do and talk about how our lives are now. And about books and music, of course, because we've always done that. It was really nice to be with these girls for a few days as adults! I see Jana more often as she lives closer, but I haven't seen Jody in quite a few years.

I arrived before 9:30 Thursday night to gifts left by Carol and my Dad, and Jana arrived soon after.

Friday morning we retrieved Jody from the Philly airport, had lunch at Bennie's Bread, and perused the shops on Asbury before hitting the beach for a windy few hours followed by drinks on the porch and dinner from Piccini.

Saturday I was on the beach before dawn. The people who checked out this week were the nicest. They washed the freaking towels we left, no one has ever done that. They also left white board art for new people coming in a really cute chalkboard whale for us (not pictured as their last names are on it). Turnover included changing out pillow shams, throw pillows, and porch cushions. Adulthood is being really excited about new porch cushions that you got for a steal from Pier One (striped) and Target (polka dots).

It was hot as fuck so the afternoon was spent on the beach under umbrellas, then retired to my lair to listen to music, look at old pics, and have some mimosas and snacks before taking a stroll on the boards to people watch and eat crap.

Sunday morning was sleeping in and seeing Jody off to the airport at 10:30. Jana and I walked the boards, had coffee at Drip N' Scoop, and of course visited the amazing library before she left a little after 1. How many Show Us Your Books friends know Jana and I have been friends since college?

I wasn't feeling great and was worried about Geege so I left at the same time as Jana did even though my initial plans were to stay and leave Monday morning like I usually do. I meant to get a massage and pedicure and stop at the store and prep food when I got home at 3:30, but I said fuck it and sat on the couch with my dogs and finished Cocoa Beach. I did manage to get some of the shore laundry done that has piled up since I was there last. MFD ordered dinner so I didn't have to worry about that either.

My first full week in a few weeks. Pray for me.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending

Thursday Thoughts: vacation countdown

1. Allow me to remind you that I once had a Pete Rose haircut, wore short things, and posed with pumpkins. Basic bitch from 1977 on. My mom always posts throwbacks on Instagram. Follow her here.

2. Is there anyone out there who has everything they need before a long trip and has to buy absolutely nothing? If so, I want to meet you. Call me. And by call me I mean text me, of course. Also, is there anyone who has figured out how to beam their dogs wherever they are? I want in on that too.

3. Jana and I saw Jodi Picoult at the library! She has great energy and is very engaging and talked a lot about the conversation on race we desperately need in this country but fear having on a lot of levels. I appreciated her honesty and frankness. I bought a copy of her newest, Small Great Things, and I can't wait to read it...but it's heavy so I'm not hauling it to Ireland and it's signed so even if I did haul it I couldn't leave it behind there which is my M.O. on trips. Local friends, check out Author Events at the Free Library - some are free, some tickets cost $15 or $30. There's usually a book signing to accompany it but not everyone does photos so it was awesome that she did. They have an eclectic and impressive roster of writers in.

4. We walked out of the library and I was enamored by this little urban arty thing affixed to the light pole.

5. Center City has been feeling a little edgier lately, so I took an uber to the train station. My uber driver was old, listened to smooth jazz, and drove a pickup truck. Every time I have to take the train home late, I feel like I'm in the bus station scene from Adventures in Babysitting. As I was sitting there waiting on a train Tuesday night, trying to keep my eye on all the people around me and googling an image to use here, I came upon the perfect one...from my own blog last year. LOL. I guess I am perpetually Brenda in the Bus Station.

6. I did the thing: 10 full days and two half travel days packed into a 21 inch carry on. I'll report back on how this goes.

7. My brother is house and dogsitting for us while we're on vacation. Sorry for the blurriness but Mae is quite pleased.

8. Just in case you were thinking your candidate is going to win so you don't need to vote. Obviously this is skewed the way I like it but the same applies to all elected positions at all times. Tinfoil hat your vote doesn't matter conspiracy theorists, I'm not entertaining you at this time.

9. Reminder. Anything that's in your life is there until you let it go, and you are responsible for what stays and what goes.

10.  E-card of the week: Right about here right now.

Hit me with yours.

Linking up with Kristin

Summer 2016 by the Numbers

Thursday is the calendar beginning of fall. Thanks to Jana for this post idea, in which I attempt to enumerate summer from Memorial Day - September 20.

Weekends at home - 3.5
Weekends at the shore - 11.5
Weekends at lakes - 2

Concerts attended - 4. Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel & Sting, Counting Crows, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. Missed Dolly Parton but had tickets.

Minutes Bruce Springsteen played - 244. North American record, bitches.

Books read - 51.

Blog posts written - 75. This one is number 75.

Beach sunrises I was present for - 14. 

TV shows watched in their entirety - 2. Stranger Things, Political Animals.

Number of rooms painted - 1. Powder room in the efficiency at the shore.

Cans of paint that went AWOL - 1.

New recipes I tried - 5. (baked pesto chicken, one-ish pan chicken, cilantro lime riced cauliflower, golden turmeric paste, personal portobello pesto pizzas)

Movies seen in a theater - 0. 

Additions to aunt army - 1. Elizabeth J! Michael B. narrowly missed the summer season.

New restaurants I tried at home - 3. (Green Eggs Cafe, Villa di Roma, O Wow Cow ice cream)

New restaurants I tried at the shore - 10. (OC Surf Cafe, Ike's, Cousin's, Ready's, The Crab Trap, Angelo's, Yianni's, Varsity Inn, Frankie's on the Bay, Arlene's on Asbury, Katrina's)

Most blocks biked in one day - 56. 

New appliances - 2. A dryer at home and a dishwasher at the shore

Zumba classes skipped - all. 

Tomato sandwiches eaten - 479. Give or take.

Times I cared if people stared at me while I was pushing a dog stroller - 0. Zero times, zero fucks given.

New loves - 7. (Amazon Fresh delivery, Ellie's Best nutmilk bag for iced coffee making, Yogi Honey Lavender Stress Relief Tea, Kindle Paperwhite, crazy comfortable poplin pants by Lou & Grey (no longer available), crazy comfortable simple pants by the Gap, Sanuk Overboard Loafers)

What does your summer look like by the numbers?

Thursday Thoughts on things

1.  The bastard squirrels have eaten too many of my bulbs. Lori is going to re-plant spring bulbs for me in the fall. The few that remain are crutching along. I've been planning my front flower bed this past week.

2. I've had Like the Weather by 10,000 Maniacs in my head all week, specifically because every day this week I've walked out of my house in inappropriate attire and refused to go back in for a heavier jacket. I feel a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather. It's like the 1990s up in here.

3. Pedicure today. I'm in need.

4. Every April, MFD likes to play the guess how much we owe in taxes game. I do not like to play this game, but I humor him. This year something went terribly awry during said game and his typo had me thinking we owed the federal government $110,000. Never mind that there's no way that could possibly be, I was not thinking clearly and I believed it. He was out with clients and didn't get my frantic WTF texts so basically I nearly died and within minutes had planned to sell everything I own and move into a van down by the river. He had a hoot of a laugh when he got back to me, as has everyone else who has heard this story since Tuesday.

5. Jana and I are super jazzed that Show Us Your Books had 55 posts link up this month, including ours. What a fucking fantastic community of readers. When people ask for book recommendations, I'm just going to send them to this link and say if you can't find one here, I don't know what to tell you. Thank you and good day. I SAID GOOD DAY. Anyhoo Jana and I met up for lunch on Wednesday and even though she drug two old books I lent her with her, I left them in the booth with the romantic notion that someone in need of a book might happen upon them.

6. Happy National Library Week!

7. Jana also bought me this Urban Decay Sheer Revolution lipstick, which I love a) for the name and b) for the color.

8. I cancelled my plans this weekend because I need to slow my roll and re-charge in a major way. I will always say no to things in order to say yes to my sanity.

9. I've been watching Rectify. Have you guys seen it?

10. E-card of the week:

Life Lately...March

What I'm doing lately...

Drinking...one of these every once in a while. I drink water with lemon all day every day and coffee for a lot of the day. I like to sneak in an iced tea or one of these and shake shit up.

Keeping a list...of possible long weekend trip destinations. I always like to travel to new places, and I always like to have a list of possible destinations in my back pocket. Do you have any ideas, Philly area friends? Short/cheap flights or driving distances of under 5 hours?

Still on a high from...Dirty Dancing on stage Tuesday night. Carol and I went with Michelle's mom, two aunts, sisters, and cousins. Thanks to Aunt Cathy for securing the tickets! We had dinner at Bellini Grill before the show. I was super jazzed to see they sold merchandise, and I bought a zillion things because I'm insane. I've had the time of my life indeed. I really enjoyed the show because honestly? I love all things Dirty Dancing. However, I do think it was a hard translation for a much loved movie to go from screen to stage. I thought Baby was awesome and looked and sounded a lot like Jennifer Grey. Johnny was a little off, forced or overacted maybe? Then again, no one comes close to The Swayze. I really liked seeing how they worked around some of the limitations of the stage, and how they incorporated the music without relying solely on the soundtrack. The two main singing cast members were very good. I appreciated how they stuck with the main frame of the story and made sure to include well known dialogue but were a little more interpretive in some scenes. I went into it with no expectations - I knew it couldn't be a replica of the movie I love so much so I liked what they did well and wasn't bothered by what they didn't. Was it a technical masterpiece or an award winning show? Probably not. I think it's a show for true fans so in that regard, I loved it.

Looking forward to...seeing The Breakfast Club on the big screen tonight for the 30th anniversary re-release. Yes, I will be the dork in the John Bender tee-shirt. Look for that on Instagram, I'm sure it'll be up there. It's like a freaking 80s revival in my life this week.

Reading...The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly. Mark your calendar for the next Show Us Your Books link up on April 7.

Finishing...My March Relationship Theme goals for Choose Your Own Adventure. The link up is a week from today on April 2.

Regretting...That not everyone knows this. It's important.

Playing...a lot of Amy Winehouse.

Watching...Very little TV. Phase 1 of Give Comcast Das Boot has commenced.

Loving...being back in touch with my old college friend Jana, who you likely know better as Jana from Jana Says and the lady with whom I peddle the aforementioned Show Us Your Books linkup. She trekked into Philly yesterday and we had lunch at Continental Midtown. We haven't seen each other in 15 years. Can you believe it? We're going to make it a monthly thing. I'm so pleased to have this relationship revived.

Needing...to get my shit in check. Birthday month eating has gone way off the rails as you see from the lunch time dessert above.

Appreciating...My parents.

Nodding at...

What's life like for you lately?


Linking up with Kristin and Joey for Stuff & Things

Random Inclement Weather Thoughts from the School Pick-Up Line with Jana Says

Today I am lounging around on a hammock on Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Other activities include a massage on the beach. Hey ohhh. My long-time friend Jana who blogs over at Jana Says is here to pick up my slack today and will be responding to your comments below. Thanks Jana!

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For those who don’t know me, I’m Jana. I blog at Jana Says and Steph and I go way, WAY back to our years at the University of Delaware. You might have seen me in some of her Throwback Thursday pictures. We had fun.  Unfortunately, my life isn’t as exciting now as it was back then. In fact, a good portion of my week is devoted to time in my car, driving my daughter to and from places. Including school because she’s afraid of the bus. So each day, I
wastespend a fair amount of time waiting in the school pick-up line.  And I think. Which might or might not be a good thing. I've talked before about some of the thoughts that go through my head but now, with the winter and lots of inclement weather swiftly approaching, I have other thoughts.

In the morning
This line is incredibly long and slow moving. Kids need to toughen up and wait for the bus like we had to do.

 I really shouldn't criticize the other kids. My kid is just as bad.

I'm glad I remembered to warm up the car this morning. It's freaking cold out.

Is she wearing a warm enough coat? I hope they don't have outdoor recess.

Hey, why isn't that kid wearing a coat at all? Hoodies are not sufficient!!! His mother should know better.

I hate when people don't brush snow off their car. It's not that hard.

WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE TAKING SO LONG?

Oh, finally. We're moving towards the front door.

Where are all the teachers? Aren't they supposed to be supervising?

I guess I can't blame them. It's way too cold out. They can see the kids from the front door.

At least it's not raining/snowing.

I should check the weather to see if it's supposed to rain/snow today.

Oh, look at that. It's supposed to rain/snow.

I hate winter. I need to move somewhere warm.

In the afternoon

I think it's colder out now than it was this morning. I blame the snow.

I'm going to blame the snow for everything bad that happens during the months of December-March because it's really the worst thing ever.

That puddle is way bigger than it was this morning. I hope whichever teacher is walking around with the sign out clipboard doesn't step in it.

I'm glad this parking lot doesn't have huge potholes like the gym parking lot. My wheels would probably fall off. That would suck.

I should learn how to change a tire. But not until the weather is warmer. It's too cold for that shit. 

Why do I have 16 pairs of gloves and no scarves? If I could knit, I'd have 86 scarves. I should try knitting again.

Who am I kidding? Knitting is not a skill I will ever possess. I should surrender that fantasy.

What does one do with skeins of yarn? Is that what it's even called? I feel like it needs to be called "big knotted balls of yarn that serve no purpose".

I'm horrible at naming things.

That teacher has a pom pom on top of his hat! I bet someone knitted that for him.

I really need to stop thinking about knitting.

I should probably lower my music before that teacher gets to my car.

Why does Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch" always play while I'm waiting for the child?

Let's go ahead and skip it today. I don't need these teachers thinking I'm a terrible and inappropriate parent.

WOOHOO! We're moving again!

Why is that teacher waving violently at my car? I'm aware that I have to move up.

Maybe she's doing it to keep warm. If that's the case, I can't fault her.

Okay, she needs to calm down now. My child is buckling her seat belt. Safety first.

OMG, I hate how people drive in the snow/rain.

I hate winter.

I need to move somewhere warm.

 Thanks so much to Steph for having me guest post again and Steph, if you're reading, I hope you're enjoying your vacation! Also, if you guys like intermittent posting, you can like Jana Says on Facebook; if you like pictures of dogs, books, and random stuff, you can follow me on Instagram; if you like nonsensical conversations, connect with me on Twitter; and if you like pins relating to food, snarky memes and pictures, and kids' crafts, find me on Pinterest.

 

Show Us Your Books! What I read in October

Link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with Jana of Jana Says and me!

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I was in a bit of a reading rut at the beginning of the month so I'm a little light overall here. I've been reading at a steady clip and my mind just needed a break from it. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I know I need to let it take its course. I was also beset by some bad books. I hate when that happens, don't you? Anyway, on with it.

Once is Not Enough by Jacqueline Susann - I had high hopes for this because I liked Valley of the Dolls when I read it a few years back. This book was AWFUL. I read halfway through then returned it.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo - I had very high hopes for this book. The prologue nearly killed me with boredom, but I soldiered on. This is one of those books where everyone loves it and I just...don't. I found it really tedious. It reminded me of how I felt when I read most John Irving novels. Like I know I'm supposed to find this compelling and excellent but I do not. 

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley - I loved this book so hard. I was intent on reading it and adored everything about it. Such a hard, hard subject - actually a few hard ones tucked into this book - written and expressed really beautifully. It gave me all the feels so be prepared. Add it to your list. 

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty - Some parts of this book made it a total page turner. Others made me pause and think. Overall, I was left a little unsatisfied. I think it had a lot more potential and petered out on some fronts. Yvonne annoyed me. The depiction of X  felt a little like a tinny characterization.

Some Luck by Jane Smiley - Way back when, I read A Thousand Acres. I thought it was smashing. I kept waiting for this book to smash me over the head with wonder. It never came. I really liked a lot of things about this, including seeing the changes that came across the country and the world over the 33 years this first novel in a trilogy spans. Some things peaked my interest, but if the other two novels of this trilogy are 419 pages each of middling story at best, I'm not sure if I can hang in there. I feel like this skimmed the surface of what really went on in this family over the years, and surface doesn't typically cut it for me in a book of this length. I slogged through this at best. 

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Haikuesday

Four day week for me...

So Tuesday is not as bad.

Just kidding. It is. 

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Link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with  Jana of Jana Says and me!

This link up will happen the second Tuesday of every month. 

The next one is Tuesday, December 9.

And of course, thank you to all Veterans not only today on Veterans Day, but every other day as well.