365-3 | Peaches Prattlings

{December 2, 2015} It’s amazing where you pick up knowledge

And how!

Today, I got stung by a bee! OUCH! I was on the beach starting to doze off and all of a sudden I felt a very sharp pinch, or sting, as it were and I waved away whatever had attacked me and when I sat up and looked, there was a stinger still in my arm. I promptly pulled it out, jumped in the water to get some cold water on it, then found the first aid station and they gave me an ice pack for it.

I didn’t have an allergic reaction, I’ve been stung by a bee before, it got very puffy around the puncture and eventually the swelling went down. Now it’s slightly raised and red around the area and tender. That’s all. I’m sure it will be fine tomorrow.

Personally, I like bumble bees, they’re cute and fuzzy and convert into really cool cars. Ha ha.

Now, I know you’re sitting there trying to figure out what a bee sting has to do with picking up knowledge. Haven’t you met me before? Now, to tie it all together.

I know it was a bee and not a wasp because of the stinger. Wasps do not have stingers. And the reason I know this is because on one leg of my flight to Hawaii, I watched Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes. In this movie he plays an aging Sherlock Holmes who lives in a farmhouse with the housekeeper and her son and he keeps bees.

One day the boy gets stung and everyone thinks it’s the bees and he says it’s not, there were no stingers and bees leave stingers, wasps do not leave stingers. The boy was trying to figure out what was killing the bees and it was the wasps, so he tried to get rid of the wasps, unsuccessfully, but this I how I found out that I was stung by a bee.

I called my dad to tell him what happened and ask if he remembered that scene in the movie!

There you go wrapped up nicely.

Now, buzz off! Sorry, couldn’t resist! Tee hee hee.

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{December 1, 2015} They say opposites attract…

Boy do they ever! How have we made it this long?

No sense of smell and I smell EVERY-thing! [I have to admit, on occasion, I’m jealous]

Can’t hear and I can hear a pin drop! Taste buds are gone, what good is he for letting me know if something is too spicy?

He LOVES spicy, loves spicy to make him cry, I like to have the ability to taste my food.

He’s a southpaw and I’m a righty.

He likes the woods for hikes, I prefer the beach for…beaching.

I’m a cat person and he’s…allergic.

And the worst thing? I’m a Yankee and he’s a Red Sox fan, what is the world coming to?

But…we’ve been together for almost a year and it seems to be working. Will it last? Ask me in 40 or 50 years, I’ll give you an update.

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{December 1, 2015} I’m in Hawaii, what?

I was in Europe three weeks ago and now I’m in Hawaii? How does that happen? Well, I’ll tell ya…

I couldn’t say anything before, it was very hush-hush, but PSM was looking to shake things up a bit and one of the things he did was interview for new opportunities within his company.

And then we waited.

And we waited.

We got tired of waiting and ran away to Europe. And here’s where the cool part comes in.

It was our first day in Marseille and we were on the Il d’If, the prison I was telling you about that the Count of Monte Cristo was based on. We were in someone’s prison cell when he got the call. Cool, huh? I thought so.

Good thing it was a large prison cell, I had to walk around it for the next twenty minutes while he talked to his new boss! I took a lot of pictures from the same window, great view!

“But, JJ, you still haven’t told us why you’re in Hawaii.” I’m getting to that dear friends. The new position, if you haven’t followed my chaotic train of thought is…in, yup, you guessed it, Hawaii!

It has been a whirlwind! I couldn’t tell you before because I had to tell my family first and I couldn’t tell them until he told his family first and then his first cousin’s wife, AT was waiting so patiently for my sister to find out so she could say something! It was like a sitcom!

Now, I’ve told my immediate family, first reactions were: Dad “I knew that when JJ said PSM was going to Hawaii, she was going with him”, GES “April break, auntie’s house!”. ACS “oh yeah!” then I’ve told some friends and I’m working on telling the world. For PSM, it’s a quick phone call to friends and family, maybe a 15/20 minute call, max. For me…1-2 hours! My mouth went dry!

The plan is that PSM will move in January, he starts work mid-January and I will join him when my lease is up, around August/September. Until then, I will do what I can to visit him as often as possible, hopefully once a month, if not every two months. If I can get a job on the west coast, then it will be a lot easier to come on the weekends.

I have to tell you, it was easier getting here than I thought. PSM got a flight yesterday morning, very early as his girlfriend got him to the airport at 4am, what a girlfriend he has! He flew through Texas and got to Hawaii about 2pm yesterday. I flew out at 6pm, after a fabulous time at the Nutcracker with the family, got to LA about 9:30, got a room for the night and was back at the airport for my 8:30am flight, 10 hour layover and then to Hawaii and I got in about 12:15pm.

I have to admit, I think I liked the way I did it, especially if there were kids involved, fly 5/6 hours spend the night in a bed getting decent rest, then fly 5/6 hours the next morning, get in relatively early and have the entire day ahead of you. On the way back, I am flying through LA again, but with a one hour layover, we’ll see how I feel!

So, the reason I am in Hawaii with PSM…he is here looking for a place to live and I was hoping to, based on my schedule, join him so we could look and make decisions together and much to our surprise, things worked out and here I am!

It was a crazy day. I landed, PSM picked me up, we went to the hotel, dropped bags, went out for a bite to eat, then met the agent taking us around about 2pm, looked at about 6 or 7 properties. A few apartments, some houses, some town houses. We went in a few and others, we checked out the neighborhood to decide whether or not we wanted to even go inside.

The last house we looked at, from outside was in a great neighborhood, on a hill, overlooking the island and the farm PSM will be working with and met the neighbors, great people who we ended up talking to for TWO hours! The sun went down!!! It was a very long day, some of the houses started to blend in with each other, but I think we picked the one we want and fingers crossed it’s available!

We are on the island of Oahu, for those of you with inquiring minds. And now you know why I am in Hawaii! Looking for a place to live, can you believe it?

Yes, we’ll have a guest room, all ready for your visit!

{November 30, 2015} A very long standing family tradition continues…The Nutcracker

Today, the family went to see The Nutcracker Ballet at the Boston Opera House.

This is a tradition my parents started when GES and I were little kids. Every Christmas Eve we would all go into Manhatten and go to Lincoln Center and watch the City Ballet Company performance of The Nutcracker.

We would get dressed up, just like little girls do, get to our seats, settle in and wait for the the dings signaling that the lights were about to go out and the curtain go up.

It’s a little different as now, there are announcements instructing the audience to turn off their cellphones.

The lights go down and we sit on the edge of our seats waiting with anticipation…and then the conductor comes out to applause and the first note is played for the opening overture.

We are transported to a different time and place, not sure where, we were wondering that today, maybe Austria who knows, it’s timeless. We see Clara and her brother Fritz waiting for the party guests to arrive.

We did this every year for, we’ll, forever, it seemed, until we left NYC for other parts of the country and now, my sister had picked up where we left off and is making new memories with her children.

Last year was the first year I was able to go with them as that was my first time in Boston for Thanksgiving in a very long time.

I’ve been to and seen different performances over the years, NYC, as you know, Atlanta with my grandmother, once in an imax theater, on TV and now Boston.

I have to say that my favorite is still the NY City Company, is hard when that’s what you know and you’re used to, but I did enjoy the performance today. I was able to look at it as the ballet that was presented, some things felt different and some felt like they were missing, but it was still quite enjoyable and fun and my nieces enjoyed it and that’s all that really matters.

They were so well behaved, it was a pleasure to be with them. I have to say they outshone a lot of other kids!

We all had a wonderful time and another tradition is going strong and I how to be there for many more.

{November 28, 2015} A fine Chanukah party

Today my family and I were invited to a special event.

PSM hosts a Chanukah party every year for his family. It’s a tradition that has been going on for years.

PSM orders a lot of food, I mean a lot! There are platters of bagels, lox, cream cheeses, cheeses and crackers, a whole whitefish, egg salad, tuna salad, whitefish salad, a salad/salad, a kiegel, two quiches and I made a blintz souffle. We had platters of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and capers, all the things that go with bagels, cream cheese and lox. And of course…potato latkes with applesauce or sour cream

Then there were desserts…cookies, cakes and pies, how could you go wrong?

It was PSM, his brother’s family, aunts and uncles, their kids and their kids kids, cousins and then there was us, and PSM’s best friend from college and his family. 39 people total. That’s a good sized crowd, wouldn’t you say?

So, there was food, then lighting the menorah, then presents for the kids. The nice thing is that only the kids get presents because all the adults make a donation to the charity of the year. Each year a different family member selects a charity. One of his aunts even gives each adult a check made out to the charity in their name.

This year, I got a check!! Along with a desk calendar like all the other “kids”. I guess I’m now part of the family.

It really was a nice party, a good time with good food, family and friends and I’m touched that we got to share in the day and experience, thank you PSM.

{November 27, 2015} Black Friday

Do you participate?

I am not a “Black Fridayer”, I have participated, but I am not into it. This is all my opinion, not disparaging anyone who’s into it.

Once I went with JCT and her husband, they are serious and hard core. That was my first and last serious Black Friday outing. Last year I went to one local store with my sister and a friend for about 45 minutes, hold yourself back.

Today, there were no plans for Black Friday, then I remembered that I needed something for a party tomorrow, so we went to a mall in the area and it wasn’t awful, we made it out alive!

We went in, found a few things and walked out and then back to the house.

Did you participate? What was your big find? Ready for next year?

{November 26, 2015} Happy Thanksgiving

That’s pretty much it.

Today is a day about giving thanks and sharing love and good wishes with one another.

I’m thankful for my friends and family who love and support me unconditionally, when they would have every right to give me that look and run away screaming, but they haven’t.

I’m thankful I like what I do for a living and I’m getting paid to do what I love. I’m thankful I have all of you who are reading this post and are faithful and read my posts every day or almost every day.

I’m just thankful!

What are you thankful for?

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{November 25, 2015} That was too cool!

This morning, I went to breakfast with my dad and we had a grand time.

We caught up, on work, life, stuff. We shared stories, laughed, got serious…yeah right, laughed, it was a lot of fun.

Then we started talking about the trip PSM and I just took and our stories started to overlap a little, he was just on a river cruise that took them to Budapest, some of the same places that we were when we were there. He even had photos of the same things I did, what are the odds? I guess pretty good since we were in the same place!

We had similar experiences and then we started swapping stories and as he’s looking at my photos he’s exclaiming “I took that picture too!” that happened over and over again! It was a very cool experience to have, I enjoyed every minute of it.

We started talking about some trips we would like to take together, I know it would be a blast, we have similar styles with the way we travel and look at things, I’m ready, where are we going?

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{November 20, 2015} Dogs like car rides…Cats..not so much!

Proof…meowing all the way to the vet. And all the way back. Oh what fun! Imagine that in stereo!

Is it ingrained in them, like from the time they’re born? Or if you put them in the car regularly starting when they’re young, will they like it and eventually love it?

Dogs seem to love it. I can’t think of a dog I’ve met who doesn’t love it. Maybe it’s because they’re excited to go somewhere, thinking is the park or a walk every time, even though sometimes it’s to the vet.

My cats don’t like it. Period. They freak out when I have to put them in the carrier, then in the car. Can you imagine what it was like taking them cross county? That time I let them out and they sat on my lap and it wasn’t as bad, but it wasn’t great. Peanut kept trying to sit under my feet, not good.

I bring this up becaus today, I had to take Jymy to the vet for a shot. Got her in the carrier easily enough, luckily there aren’t many places to hide here, but I got her before she tried. From the moment she was in, the crying started.

I opened the carrier, would have let her out in the car, she used to get on my lap when we went somewhere, then she’s usually quiet, no dice. So, we drove, me petting her in the carrier, if I took my hand away, crying.

It didn’t stop when I got to the vet…it stopped when we got home, thankfully!

Luckily, I shouldn’t have to go through that again for a while! Sigh…

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{November 19, 2015} The end is always bittersweet

Another project has come to an end. Boo.

Some projects go on too long, some too short, some end with notice, others close the doors. Every one is different.

My latest project was supposed to go thru mid January and a few weeks ago we got word that the project is ending sooner than later. At least this time we have the opportunity to say goodbye to each other.

It’s hard when you don’t get to say goodbye, when it ends abruptly, everyone is just gone.

This project at least allowed me a proper send off. We got to say thank you, from JO, we for mugs and key chains. How sweet was that?

I’ve been on quite a roll at my company. Theree have been good times and bad, laughs and some tears. But overall it’s been a great experience.

And now, I say goodbye again, who knows where this path that I’m on will lead.

Another great adventure!

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