What I love! | Peaches Prattlings

{June 2, 2017} Bad form JFK and Budget!

The flight was fine, there ended the enjoyment of my trip home to see my dad.

The flight itself was fine, first class, wasn’t even full, I got to sleep for about 20 minutes, that was fabulous!

I ended up talking to a very nice man with fabulous eyelashes who is in the entertainment industry, his mom has fabulous Tina Turner hair, was on his way to Scotland, just broke up with his boyfriend, done with the drama, has the hots for a guy in Belgium, it was quite the flight.

I forgot how big the international terminal at JFK airport is! I got to baggage claim eventually, only had to wait a few minutes for my bag, that was good.

After I got my bag that’s when the adventure began, please read that line dripping with sarcasm. I walked away from the baggage claim area and saw the sign for ground transportation, I haven’t rented a car at JFK before, so this was interesting.

After I walk under the sign that says ground transportation, the only thing I see when I walk outside, after following the arrows, are trains, buses, taxis and passenger pickup, um, where do I go for rental car? No idea.

After literally walking in circles for about 4 minutes I finally go back and ask somebody working at the hotel counter where the rental car place may be and apologize since I know that is not his job. He says ‘Oh just take a left past the lack of signage and go to the Welcome Center’, okay, thanks.

I go to the welcome counter, and ask where to go to get to the rental car center and he says take the train, what train? The the AirTrain, okay great where is that? Go back that way, fantastic. I go back towards baggage claim see the escalator going up and the sign for AirTrain, great. I get on the air-train and get off at the rental car center.

Normally I rent from Avis, and possibly because I’m preferred I get notified of where my car is. Avis was too expensive this weekend so I rented from Budget.

There were at least 40-50 people total including little kids standing in line waiting to get a car. The line was out the door and they only had two people working. What a shock.

I stood on line with everyone else, ended up talking to this lovely woman who used to be from New York City and is now living in Florida for the past two years. She was traveling with her sister who used to work at the Brooklyn Hospital, which is where I was born. She actually asked me if I knew my obstetrician, and I just kind of looked at her and said huh? and we laughed about that, I could tell you my pediatricians name. We got to talk for about an hour! Yes that’s right I said an hour. There were gobs of people and two people working.

I finally got to the counter and the gentleman said do you prefer an SUV or minivan, I said I prefer a compact car because I’m not comfortable in either. He said we don’t have any, minivan or SUV? I said SUV. I got a Kia Sorento. Then I drove to my dad’s house.

I landed in New York City at 10 p.m. I arrived at my dads house at 1:30 a.m. This process should not have taken three hours. Ever

I’m now going to pass out, have a great evening!

{June 2, 2017} He’s FOUR! What?

Happy happy fourth birthday to my first grandson, Baby A!

Ok, so first, I’m going to have to find something different to call him, might get awkward at 16, “Happy 16, Baby A!” Ha ha, we’ll see.

Wow, four years old. I still remember the day his mom, KAB, told her dad and I she was pregnant. She carried LB in front of her and said “hello father” and he knew instantly, I had no idea, but I was thrilled for her!

And nine months later, June 1st, I got to meet him for the first time! He was just a few hours old and oh, he stole my heart! I happened to be in Atlanta and got to go to the hospital and hold that little love muffin in my arms.

He is smart, funny, silly, precocious, stubborn, brave, fearless, loving, a snuggler, possessive and generous all at the same time.

He’s an awesome big brother to his baby sister E, you should see how she looks up at him, there outs so much love there. And love to see him with his parents, oh man.

What an artist! I’ve shown you some of the amazing things he has made me!

He gets excited when he knows I’m coming to visit, sad when I have to leave. How much do I love that?

He’s four, feisty and fabulous. Happy birthday Baby A, big hugs and kisses from JJ! I love you!

{June 1, 2017} Missing you

Why can’t I have multiple posts in a day? I don’t know, its my blog!

June 1st is bittersweet. I have a grandson who turned four and today is also the anniversary of my mom’s passing.

My mom, wow. I’ve told you about her a few times, I’m ok with one more.

She was a force to be reckoned with. Smart, funny, silly on occassion, kind, caring, considerate, stubborn, opinionated, vocal, affectionate, encouraging, multilingual, cultured, well traveled.

She would take on almost any challenge, escslators were a stumbling block. She was one of the smartest people I knew and she would laugh that she couldn’t add any variation of 8 and 5!

She was there to offer advice if needed, sometimes if not, like any good mom. She tried to save us from making mistakes that she made but there to help when we did.

She would kiss the boo-boos when we fell, to this day, I miss that. Hey, I still get my dad to kiss my boo-boos, especially when I bump my keppe, that’s your head for those of you not in the know.

There are things I see in myself and my sister when we interact with her girls, my grandkids, extended family. She would wake us by gently touching our faces and ask “did you take a soft pill today?”

Did I ever tell you her let names for us? They were goofy, but we went with it. She would call GES kitty litter, I asked what does that make me, cat litter?! No rhyme or reason and we just went with it.

I’ll leave you with this funny fact. When we were kids and driving with mom, we needed something to call bad drivers on the road. What did we come up with? Pizza head!

I miss you mommy and I love you.

{June 1, 2017} A new vegan place, yum!

Tonight I had a date with WIS, at a new vegan restaurant, Alice & Friends.

Yes, I said date. And yes, PSM knows. Ha ha. I have two very wonderful girlfriends in Chicago, like my wonderful girlfriends in Atlanta and I think I told you, if we all batted for the other team, we’d be dating! Now, back to dinner!

Alice & Friends is another vegan restaurant that I got to try last night. One of the things I noticed as we were sitting there, is that it reminded me of the Luving Hut in Atlanta, which I used to go with TS, and I love it! I don’t remember if you remember telling you that I found a Luving Hut in Hawaii which was awesome.

We’ve been wanting to go to this place for a while, but it was closed and tonight we got to go. It’s very cute, the menus look like playing cards and as you can see the logo is the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.

We had ginger and cinnamon tea, I had mine hot, WIS had hers cold and we started with appetizers of agedashi tofu, which usually in a “normal” Japanese restaurant has fish sauce and this was a vegan fish sauce how awesome is that! Our other appetizer was fried shrimp, now remember this is vegan, and they were absolutely fabulous. You had the texture, the color, not completely the taste, but you also had the firmness of shrimp, great feeling! I can eat one of the foods that I truly miss without getting wigged out!

Main dish WIS was Bim Bom Bop which books fabulous but had a very spicy sauce and she knew I wouldn’t like it! To see her eat and enjoy this and the spice level it was like being with JCT, I miss you.

For me it was Korean barbecue with rice and veggies, the meat was TVP and the sauce was on the sweeter side and let me just say yum! I have never had Korean BBQ, so since this is my only experience I am a fan!

For dessert it was mixed berry cheesecake, very interesting, the crust was made up of crushed dates and the cheese was cashew. Our server did warn us that it was a little bit grittier because it was cashew cheese, and I’m grateful that she told us because it was. It was quite tasty, it was more of a texture thing.

Overall quite enjoyable, the food, the company, the atmosphere. I can’t wait to see where we go next!

{May 31, 2017} Earth Girls Are Easy

I don’t know if that’s completely true.

But it is a great movie! Haha.

I was flipping channels tonight looking for something to distract me and I found Earth Girls Are Easy. This I would say is a classic, it’s from the 80s it’s horrible, it’s funny, it’s goofy, it screams 80s.

You have Julie Brown, Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum in the infancy of their relationship, so it just screams from the screen. You’ve got a very young Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey, they all couldn’t been more than 12! And then you a bit rolls like Michael McKean, as the stoner, Surfer pool guy.

It emphasizes everything goofy about the 80s, well not everything, but there’s big hair, long fingernails, bright neon colors, zoot suits, Valley girls, the Miami Vice Don Johnson look and Julie Brown at the height of her goofiness with her plays on society videos and songs like “I’m a Blonde.”

Then there’s the underlying story, love, betrayal, infidelity, insecurity, discovery exploration they’re Spaceman after all. Of course, bottom line it’s a love story after all.

If you haven’t seen it, you haven’t lived. Check it out it’s goofy it’s funny and it’s for a good laugh.

It’s one of those cult classics either you love it or you won’t. One guess where I stand!

{May 29, 2017} Sunday… what to do?

The sun comes up too early in Hawaii! And it screams at you to get up! Could be why the day seems to last so long. And I’m not complaining by any means!

We got up, breakfast, relaxed, played with Mollie, finished laundry, watched Bad Moms, got PSM to the airport for his trip to Guam. Miss him already.

Off too met a realtor to look at some houses, nothing to report yet, just looking. Saw some great options, look at that view!

Then some domestic stuff at Wal-Mart, I know, you’re jealous, ha ha. Chill out at home with some chips and salsa and relax for the evening.

Tomorrow is laundry, packing, I have to think about clothes for two months and two international trips in between! Maybe throw in a little beach time!

Life is rough!

{May 28, 2017} What to do in paradise on a Saturday…

Why, beach, brunch, beach, game night, of course.

Up early, go to the beach to see the high surf and surfers, beautiful morning. Then breakfast at a new place we’ve been wanting to try.

Grocery store for supplies, home, pack the car, remember the dog, go to the beach. Enjoy beach. ahhh…

Home, shower, change, head to E&D D’s house, MRB and two of his daughters were there when we arrived. We hung out, ate some food, watched MRB’s oldest daughter in a dance competition that was being live streamed, then got down to business.

Game night. We played a game that pitted weird wizards against each other. There were cards, points, dice, strategy, dead wizard cards, treasure cards, confusion and fun. Looking forward to the next time!

Home, chill, sleep.

Tomorrow’s a new day inn paradise.

{May 27, 2017} Just another day…

Its Friday here in Hawaii and I’m home. Sigh.

The day started too early, as it does when I come home. Asleep at 1am, up at 4am, nope, back to sleep, up at 5am, snuggle and catch up, then reality.

I made a quick breakfast, then PSM left for work and I opened my laptop. I worked for a few hours and then had to reboot my pc, so that was a good excuse to sit in the hammock and take some pics. I posted on Facebook a few photos and that I came up with a title for a book “My Life Doesn’t Suck!”

Then it was back to work for a few hours, PSM came home, we chilled out, then mani/pedis for two and dinner at a new place, Eating House, the food was good. Grilled Brussel Sprouts and cauliflower with pine nuts, the raisins cut the bitterness of the brussel sprouts, PSM had tomato bisque.

Dinner was grilled tofu rice bowl with bok choy, onions and mushrooms for me and fried chicken on goat cheese polenta with asparagus. The asparagus and goat cheese polenta, wow!

We ended the meal with malasadas with caramel sauce and a bite of frozen yogurt for PSM.

Home for a movie… let’s see how long we last!

{May 25, 2017} 40 years? Not possible! May the Force Be with You

How did this happen? Where did the time go?

Today I posted on FaceBook about remembering who I was with and where when I saw Star Wars for the first time. I was with AS at the New Dorp Theather on Staten Island. Her response? “How can it be 40 years, I’m only 26!” Feels that way, doesn’t it?

Star Wars meant so much to so many of us. For some it’s Star Wars vs Star Trek, some feel it’s one or the other, like Beatles vs Stones. For someone like me, it’s both Star Wars and Star Trek. I have vivid memories of both.

Star Wars was revolutionary, inspirational, opened a whole new generation up to the world of science fiction and what could be possible. We had action figures, parties, costumes, games, stories, stars in our eyes. I’m sorry folks, I had a crush on Luke Skywalker, yes, I know he was whiny, but he was fabulous and I was crushing! I am definitely not discounting Han Solo, by any means and how much did Princess Leia make us realize women could be that bad-a$$ and how many of us strapped donuts to the sides of our heads or hoped our braids could be long enough to put into those buns on the sides of our heads!

We wanted more, couldn’t wait until V and VI. We introduce our kids to it when they’re young, have to raise ’em right! We own them and still feel compelled to watch them when they come on tv. I protected my little sister when we saw Return of the Jedi, Darth Vadar scared her, we were at the movie theater at the Staten Island Mall, I don’t know if she remembers, but I do. Same sister said, when I got divorced, I couldn’t date anyone younger than 25, I was 36 at the time, I said they had to have been born the same year or before Star Wars!

This was such an impact on my life, and so many others, many of my friends, we still get giddy when we think and talk about it and who doesn’t make the sound when pretending to fight with light sabers? A whole new generation is discovering, think about all we can share with them?

40 years? It’s been 40 years and it feels like yesterday. Hmmm…wonder what I’ll watch on my flights tonight!

Happy 40 years Star Wars and my fellow Star Wars fan family!

fb_img_1495813033806

{May 25, 2017} It’s, so wasteful

This is a bit of a rant, sorry. My opinion, if you agree, great, if not, ok.

I walked into my hotel tonight and saw something that bothered me and its happened before at other hotels. Just a pet peeve.

I’m not a wasteful person, anyone that knows me knows that. I give my leftovers to the homeless, sometimes hungry valets at the hotels I’m staying in [if I can’t find any folks more in need], I give my hotel toiletries to shelters. It’s a great feeling. I’m just telling you this, not to boast, to give you insight.

I hang up my towels, don’t request the sheets or towels changed every day. Some SPG hotels will give you points for not having your room serviced.

When I get to a hotel, I usually have my own shampoo and conditioner, so I take theirs. The soap I will open, put in the shower and put the rest of the toiletries in the donation bag. I use the soap, pack it in a soap holder, move on to the next hotel, take it out and use it again. Wash, rinse, repeat, literally!

I got to my hotel Monday, set up as usual and used my soap. Tuesday, the soap was still in the shower. I got in tonight and the soap is gone. Why? And… usually I hang up my towel, they still fold it.

I called the housekeeping staff to ask. Some people do, some don’t. I mentioned the soap and was told if I want the soap left, let them know. Ok… but why in the first place?

I’m in a fancy-schmancy hotel, they want everyone to feel special. I guess some people want that. I want a made bed and a clean toilet, that makes me happy!

Here was the kicker… they took the soap and didn’t fold my towel. What?

Ok, rant over.

Email Subscription

What was I thinking?