Ever have a spot that just bothered the crud out of you?
I got a new cell phone case today and it has a back and a cover and there is a spot.
When I saw the spot, I opened the cover, cleaned it and then replaced it…still a spot….or is that a new spot?
Out, out, damn spot..Grrr
Yes, I know you don’t know what an ugamuga is, so let me explain!
You may have gotten a hint by the photo [and you also probably know that’s not a picture of anyone I know] what an ugamuga is, but in my sister’s family, it’s when MGS and GES rub their noses together and then give each other a kiss. It’s really cute.
Today, the house was quiet when I got back and then everyone started to come home. GES and EJS, I got hugs and kisses and…she scored her first goal in soccer yesterday! Go EGS!
Then ACS and MGS got home and I got smooches and hugs and “I love you” and then we were attached. Everywhere I went, she came with me and held my hand. We walked down the street to see the new house being built, she reached for my hand, we got her roller skates from the garage and skated down the block, she held my hand, we went to get a sweatshirt, you come with me! And reached for my hand. We went for a ride in the convertible, that was fun!
We got back and had something to eat and then just before GES went out for girls night, they did “ugamugas” and they announce it too. After ugamugas with her mommy, she looked at me and held up her face and announced “ugamugas” What? For me? Yes! I leaned down rubbed noses with my niece, then got a kiss. It was fantastic!
It’s something I’ve watched them do for a while and tonight, she turned to me as well, it felt so good! Sigh…
I’m abdicating this world for a cartoon.
Wouldn’t that be cool? I’m watching Rise of the Galaxy and enjoying it, as I always do and I started thinking what it would be like to be a cartoon, not just in a cartoon, but be a cartoon.
C’mon, think about it, you could be a super hero, a princess, a caveman, a minion, an ogre and so much more. I know that you could be that in any type of movie or for a costume part, but not for every day. You could jump, bounce, fly, hover, disappear, walk through walls, bounce off walls, what could be better?
I was very inspired to talk about this, but to be honest, that’s all I have to say.
I want to be a cartoon, in a cartoon. Yup, that’s it.
I found a new show I love and loathe all at the same time.
I don’t know if loathe is the right word, but I’ve said it, so I need to explain.
Now, I say love and loathe because it brings up so many emotions. The show has a great cast, it stars Jane Fonda as Grace, Martin Sheen as her husband, Robert, Lily Tomlin as Frankie and Sam Waterston as her husband Sol. Robert and Sol are law partners, divorce lawyers to be exact and they have been law partners for 20 years and the couples have been married for 40 years.
Now, you have the players, let me introduce you to the couples. Robert and Grace are the proverbial upper class couple, perfect house, perfectly decorated, perfectly coiffed people, always dressing the part, with two daughters, both very different, but obviously come from money. Frankie and Sol are complete opposites, down to earth, hippie, dippy, trippy with two adopted sons, one is black and they celebrate “Chanukah Eve” if that tells you anything.
This is not a spoiler alert as the description is quite clear. The first episode opens with the women at a restaurant waiting for the husbands and it is obvious that they do not really care for each other, but tolerate each other. The husbands arrive and they think they are going to tell them something about the beach house they have shared for years.
Instead, when they sit down, Robert turns to Grace and tells her “I’m leaving you”, you could have knocked her over with a feather! But wait, it gets better! “Who is she?” Grace demands. “It’s not a she, it’s a he” What? Sol says “It’s me” Excuse me?
Well, hilarity ensues as there is a bit of a food fight as the women get pissed and of course, the men thought taking them to a restaurant would keep them quiet, nope!
There are 13 episodes in the series, so far anyway, I don’t know if they’ll make a second series, and so on. Now, back to the love and loathe part…
I’m kind of glad that this show is only 13 episodes because watching the show hit a little close to home, I am able to relate to a lot of it. Now, the parts that are funny are really funny, from a comedy perspective and some real life thrown in, the sad and uncomfortable parts are really sad and uncomfortable and I’m not a huge fan of remembering what it was like when the wasband left.
What’s also interesting is the dialog, some of it is exactly what I said to the wasband and about the situation. We even tried to stay friends, that did not work, not working so much for these couples.
You get to see the show from both perspectives, the husbands who are moving on to be together and get married and the wives who are left behind to start over. It seems to be affecting Sol and Frankie more, they were closer and he still loved her, while Grace and Robert seemed to have drifted apart and were just going through the motions.
The men are planning their wedding, while the women are picking up the pieces and having to figure out how to move on, living, getting out of bed every day, dating, rediscovering who they are as people, single people and how other people, their friends and family treat them.
I think the cast is fantastic, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston are very convincing, but I am wondering if Martin Sheen has a dental implant to re-shape his mouth. Jane Fond and Lily Tomlin play their parts to a T, I think it would have been odd to see them in the opposite roles and honestly, anyone else play them.
Should you watch it? I think so, it’s pretty funny and there are a lot of things you may be able to relate to on different fronts and if you don’t like it, don’t watch or even if you don’t like it but get hooked, there are only 13 episodes, 30 minutes each, not losing too much of your life.
Let me know what you think.
Today I started a new project, in the great state of Massachusetts!
How cool is that, I am working not far from where my sister lives! I get to be near the family until at least the end of August! I will be traveling on the weekends to parts unknown and known, but there will be plenty of weekends I will spend with the family close by and that is a lot of fun!
The cool part is going to be exploring this great city. We will find new restaurants to eat in, places to explore and…I am going to just say it…as I am in the city working…I am going to possibly…go to a Red Sox Game…there, I said it! Now I’m looking for the lightening strike!
Here’s to a new experience!
This morning, there was a one mile fun run.
If you are panting, huffing and puffing, is it still a fun run? Doesn’t matter, we still had fun! ACS, EJS and I participated in a one mile fun run, proceeds to benefit prostate cancer research. EJS was a champ and let me tell you, she can run, her sprint at the finish line was really impressive!
There were a lot of familiar faces at the run, it seemed like the whole town was there! There was a 5k, a one mile run, then a one mile fun run, which we did, a 26.3…meter run/walk for the 0-3 year olds then there was a 100 meter run for the 4-9 year olds, a few kids running at a time and that’s what MGS did, those little tikes are so cute! Pumping their arms and running for all they are worth!
With t-shirts and medals in hand, we headed back to the house for showers and I headed to PSM’s to head out for a fun night. We hopped on the train and headed into Boston for a tribute to Pete Seeger by a fabulous choir and one of PSM’s physical therapists was part of the choir, even a fabulous mouth harp player. It really was a fabulous performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pZa3KtkVpQ
After the show, we hopped back on the train and headed back to his neck of the woods for dinner. We went to a nice restaurant called Za for pizza, cheese-less for me of course, it was quite tasty. We sat there for a few hours and talked, laughed and learned a lot more about each other, it was really great.
After dinner, walked back to his house, picked up my car and headed to the house where I got to chat with dad, GES and ACS, it was nice, a very good ending to a very good day!
Someone…turned FIVE today!
Little Miss MGS turned 5 on May 16th, how perfect is that to have your birthday on a Saturday so you can have your birthday party on Saturday!
Any guesses to what the theme was? Hmmm…Frozen maybe? That girl LOVES her Frozen…well, everything! We had Frozen streamers, table cloths, table decorations and there were Frozen gifts for miles! Nope, not a Frozen cake, she picked out something very original, a really pretty white sheet cake with blue and yellow flowers and a Jewish star, that’s what she wanted and that’s what she got!
We set up for the party, it rained in the morning and we were worried it might rain all day, but I told someone that Mother Nature knew that Miss MGS would not stand for rain on her birthday and she was right!
People started arriving about 11 and they just kept coming, there might have been about 60 people here throughout the day, adults and kids included. The neighbors came, a few friends from school came, the usual suspects were here and the bouncey house, they love that!
ACS grilled the hot dogs and hamburgers, and a veggie burger or two, we had the 3 side snack that MGS had picked out, pretzel chips, cheese doodles and veggie sticks, pretty good choices, if I do say so myself. We had pickles and three different potato salads and deviled eggs, both made by AS and for dessert, there was cake, waffle cookies, popsicles and watermelon. No one walked away hungry.
I got to love on all the kids, there were some great “Auntie J!” and running and jumping in my arms, which I will tell you is my favorite part! Then there was chasing and tickling and falling down, sometimes not in that order!
Then…it was time for the Frozen piñata!!! MGS went first, she got 5 whacks, because it is her fifth birthday, after all! Then everyone got a turn with the bat and the last thing to happen was MGS pulled the ribbons and the candy came pouring out!
Now, my very clever sister had gotten Frozen treat bags and everyone had stickers and other Frozen goodies in there, but then they got to put candy in their bags, they cleaned up! Literally and figuratively!
By about 3pm, almost everyone was gone, a few stragglers, then Saturday proceeded as normal.
Let’s just say, this was a very successful party, put on by my sister and brother-in-law, but we expect nothing less and when I got back to the house tonight and went to kiss MGS goodnight, she was sleeping sideways, SO cute!
Happy, happy, happy fifth birthday MGS! I love you very much!
A pretty good day, crossed a few state lines, drag raced with my dad, had cake and lit some stuff on fire, sounds good to me!
Ok, now, you know some of that statement is not true, but what parts? I’m not telling!
The day started pretty well enough, got up on my own, before 8am, on your own is always preferable, even if it’s early, am I right? Got up, showered, dressed, then dad and I stopped at MickyD’s for breakfast. [I totally derailed my post for tonight, I was going to wax on the wonders of a McGriddle! I guess it will have to wait for another day]. Then on the road for Boston.
We kept up with each other pretty well, except for at the tolls, he had an EZ Pass and I didn’t, oh well. We stopped at a few rest stops, gas and potty breaks, then lunch, when he informed me that some guy had been following me all the way from NY, ha ha! We were making good time until we got to I95 and then it was a parking lot, great…
The cool discovery…at the Starbucks I stopped at they had coconut milk! Is that a sign of things to come? Wahoo!
But…despite the traffic and the two of us getting off the highway early and kind of blindly finding our way to GES’ house, we made it in time to pick up EJS for karate and be a few minutes late, I was getting EJS and dad was getting her outfit from the house. “I don’t wanna go, I want to stay and play” What? All that craziness for nothing! Oh well…
We get to the house and do a quick straighten up, the cleaners were supposed to come today, but their allergies kicked their butts and they had to cancel, we both know I don’t know what that’s like at all! Then turn around, pick up EJS, head out and get GES at the train,
Once we had everyone in the car, off to the Cheesecake Factory for a birthday dinner! Who’s dinner? I’ll keep you in suspense, but if you wanted to hazard a guess…she’s short, cute and is about to be the five! More tomorrow! It was the usual suspects, GES, ACS, EJS and MGS, then there was B&S S and myself and PSM, a good time was had by all.
PSM was very sweet, he wanted to cheer me up after the parking lot that should have been a moving highway and went to Tevana and bought me some tea, thank you!
After dinner, we went back to the house, got some things ready for tomorrow’s birthday celebration, then ACS lit a fire in the fire pit in the backyard, it was quite nice and relaxing. It was also funny that we were all outside enjoying mother nature and we were on our phones, go figure.
See…a good day, started with a drive, had some cake, then a fire, what more could you want?
Today I had a very enjoyable and exciting experience.
Today, I attended the college graduation of a very dear friend! SERH or SRH as you’ve heard me talk about before, but today, all her initials were in the program, started college oh so many years ago and for her own reasons did not finish, but…a few years ago I remember talking to her about going back to school to get her degree and I thought it was a fabulous idea and encouraged her any way I could that she needed.
And that’s just what she did, enrolled in Rider College in New Jersey to finish what she started and get her degree, Bachelor of Arts.
I loved seeing her posts on Facebook about her highs and successes in school with her classes, her excitement about the upcoming semesters, her nervousness at a new class, an exam, a new chapter in her life.
Today was the day she was working towards, what it was all for, graduation!
SERH had asked me when she found out when the graduation date was if I could come and I told her that depending on my work schedule, I would do my best and it worked out! As you know, I ended my last project on Friday and I’ve been in Boston this week, so yesterday, I got in the beetle bug and drove to dad’s, we had a great day yesterday and then this afternoon, I headed to Rider University to watch my friend cross the stage to receive her diploma.
It was fantastic! After graduation, we went to dinner with EL, his brother and sister-in-law at a vey nice restaurant, we talked, caught up, laughed and had a great time celebrating a wonderful girl and accomplishment!
Way to go SERH! You did it!
Today was a pretty easy day.
Got up leisurely about 6:30am, always nice to wake up on your own, both cats were with me, which is always a treat. Made a great breakfast sandwich, yum, then hung out with EJS while she waited for the school bus, took a shower, packed up the rest of the stuff I would need and headed downstairs.
Before I headed out, I made the most fabulous shake [frozen cherries, frozen pineapple and almond milk, oh my! YUM!] it kept me going on the trip. Got into my previously clean car, had it washed yesterday and the pollen found it last night, oh well, it’s Spring.
I hit the road for NYC to go to dad’s, I’m in a convertible and due to my allergies, top up, boo. The trip was uneventful, I only stopped once to fill up the tank and two more times for relief. Got to dad’s in about 4.5 hours, just like Google Maps said I would.
We went out for a late lunch, then went down to the boardwalk to sit by the water and talk, then off to Verizon because, go figure, something was wrong with my phone, but it was a nice drive around the Island of Staten, then we decided instead of going to the movies, we found some stuff on Netflix, made some popcorn and chilled out.
A perfect end to a good day.
Peaches Prattlings 