Freezer Burn

Today at the dermatologist I had a little, harmless spot removed from underneath my left eye. The dr. called it a maturity growth (code: something that appears out of nowhere when you reach middle age like extra fat around your stomach and extra hair on your chin.)

So they used liquid nitrogen which is at 320 degrees below zero and they burned it off my face. Technically, it's freezing it but it felt like someone burning my skin. Luckily it was very quick.

Now I am waiting for it to heal. So far it's a blister and it's bigger than it was before ... and more noticeable.

But anyway, the doctor could not believe that I've lived in Arizona for more than 30 years. He said I have very little sun damage especially for someone who has lived here for so long. So, for all of my friends who make fun of my paleness, take that!!!!

Potpourri for $400

Sometimes the idea of San Francisco is nicer than the reality of San Francisco. I like it and appreciate the city but the number of agressive homeless people gives it a layer of sadness. I feel guilty ignoring their pleas for change as I've just paid $30 for a two egg omlette.




It's finally happened. Leah has a life of her own. For the longest time I couldn't wait for time to myself and now that I have it, it's too soon. She just spent an entire day on a play date, then she went to Vacation Bible School (which lasts all week) and now she's in gymnastics camp.



We finally have a pool and this has been the mildest summer in decades. The water is just a bit too cool. In the past when we were pool-less, we were melting by Memorial Day. Not this year! Now that we have our own pool the blasting sun won't show its face.




Up is a good movie. It's not just for kids. In fact some of the subject matter is very mature.




The New Jersey Housewives are scary.

I think Kate from Jon & Kate Plus Eight is getting a bad rap. I like her. So what if she's uber organized and militant about it. I can't imagine how stressful life would be with 8 kids if you were laid back and passive. It would be bedlam. Jon needs to realize that without the show and the attention surrounding them, they would be living in a 1500 square foot condo, eating cereal for dinner. How else could you support 8 kids without an above average income??? He's a big baby.

I kind of like the challenge of living off one income. I wish Lynn was working but I like watching our pennies. Oh, it would be nice to do a little mindless shopping but so far we're doing just fine. I think this will be good for all of us. We rarely go out for lunch or dinner now but when we do, it's a treat.

We've been in our new house since December and we still have about 30 unpacked boxes in the garage. I am tempted to just take all of them to Goodwill. Naaaaaahhhhhh.

Bad Trip

Lynn broke his arm 6-1/2 weeks ago. It was an unfortunate kickball accident. I haven't written about it because it's just so frustrating. I believe it led to him being laid off and the entire episode has multiplied our stress by 1000 percent.

He's just beginning to feel better. He took his brace off today and let his arm support itself. He's been flexing his hand to help strengthen his arm.

Lynn was closing the blinds in Leah's room tonight and he tripped on a jumble of toys and clothes and fell.

On his broken arm. The arm that had no protective brace.

There was crying (Leah) and wincing and finger pointing. There was complete chaos. Lynn was pivoting on one foot doing a psychotic circle dance as he debated whether to sit down or stand up.

Lynn and Leah exchanged words while I nervously paced asking "what should I do? What should I do?" By now, Leah is bawling.

I am not good in a medical emergency. I imagined a bone protruding from his skin so I started to get a bit woozy. I quickly turned my back on my injured husband and I did what I do best: I yelled at everyone to shut up. Yep, I'm the girl you want around in an emergency.

Lucky Girl

When I married Lynn, I got a bonus gift.

Like me, Lynn had lifelong friends from grade school and beyond. (Lynn and Bart have been friends for nearly 50 years.) This group gathers once a year or at least every other year. They allow wives and girlfriends along and also children and soon, grandchildren, I suspect. This group (my friend in-laws) used to bond over hiking, backpacking and camping. Soon backpacks gave way to tents, then car camping and now hotels. They dubbed themselves the Coatimundis after a camping trip where a pack of coatis appeared.

This past weekend the Coatis converged on the J-T Ranch in Cottonwood. It was billed as the passing of the torch to the second generation. Saturday afternoon was filled with bocce ball, horseshoes, naps and many adult beverages.

Saturday night (after the most delicious Porterhouse steak I’ve ever tasted – thank you Chef Bart) we had the torch ceremony. All participants were instructed to wear costumes and at 7:30 the parade began.

The “elders” arrived in caveman/wizard/Greek god attire. They had scripted a program including an intermission. First up, initiate the second generation into the “tribe”. Bob’s son, Logan was first. He’s 18 and has only been with our group a handful of times so I thought he might wince at the ceremony. But he bounced out of his chair and eagerly answered the questions 1) why do you want to be a coati? 2) what special talent do you possess? Down the line with a lone drum beat in the background, the ceremony continued: Reilly (Dennis and Annette’s beautiful 25 year old daughter), Lisa (Bobb and Joyce’s gorgeous progeny). Lionel, Lisa’s boyfriend (A Marine just back from Iraq! He wholeheartedly participated.) Reilly’s friend - Ashley, Shari’s daughter - Daphne, then Shari and finally Leah.

At 8 years old, Leah is the youngest. She wasn’t quite sure what was happening but she knew she wanted to be part of it.

My brave little girl stood in the middle of the room in her pirate costume and said she wanted to be a coati because it’s “fun” and as to her special talent, she replied “my daddy can take a coin out of my ear.”

All second generation candidates were accepted. Also girlfriends and Bianca, Hal’s new bride.

The grand finale was an epic poem penned by our Bob McCraley. With multiple verses, he managed to name all the coatis and include an anecdote about each one.

I kept thinking how lucky I am to be part of this group. When I looked around the room and saw the smiles and tears and thoughtful faces, I knew that our initiation ceremony had done more than playfully welcome the next generation. We had recognized the significance of our group.

With only a decade separating us from social security, many in the room no longer have living parents. Many do not have children and never will. Some lucky people like me have wonderful parents AND a great daughter AND layers of friendship outside this group. I thought, how am I so blessed? What did I do to deserve a life brimming with family and so many great friends?

I think the initiation ceremony passed the torch on two levels. The adult children now join us as peers and our friends have evolved into our family. Our chosen family. This is the family that will see us through the next adventures in life.

Thank you my dear friends. Thank you for a great Memorial Day weekend. Bobb, Joyce, Lisa, Lionel, Dennis, Annette, Reilly, Ashley, Bart, Nancy, Mike, Deny, Gretchen, Hal, Bianca, Rob, Bird, Pat, Helene, Dennis, Bob, Logan, Shari, Daphne and Leah. And thanks to my Lynn for giving me the gift of these wonderful people.

Sexual Confusion

Am I the only one who thought Ricky Gervais was gay? To me he was like Nathan Lane, except that I was attracted to Ricky Gervais. I couldn't figure it out. I thought I was turning into Liza Minnelli.

It was very disturbing.

Things were cleared up the other night when Ricky Gervais was on Late Night with David Letterman and mentioned his girlfriend.

Whew. Everything is as it should be.

Second Grade Curse

Leah, my second grader, announced that she knows the F word. "Hmmmm", I said, wondering if she really knew what she was saying. "I can even spell it."

"Really?" I asked, hoping she was mistaken. "Well, it's a grown up word that is inappropriate for you and I don't want you ever talking about it again."

She insisted she could spell it. I said "Okay, go ahead."

"F U C A"

I was equal parts appalled and amused.

The Devil Is In the Details

When I graduated from Arizona State University, I had no idea I was getting my bachelors degree from a place with such high standards. I thought I had a solid education from a state university. It’s not like graduating from an Ivy League institution or a prestigious private university where students are held more accountable for their education but nevertheless a good education. Well, I am definitely rethinking my feelings about my degree.

Little did I know, the Sun Devils have raised the bar on success. You see, President Obama is scheduled to give the commencement address at ASU this year. I guess in this situation it is typical to award the speaker with an honorary doctoral degree. But it seems ASU has decided that because President Obama is relatively young and his body of work is still ahead of him, they will not give our new president an honorary degree. (A few days after announcing this, they did say they are naming their highest scholarship after him. So his best work may be ahead of him and not worthy of an honorary Ph.D., but his degree from Harvard, his teaching experience at Harvard, his experience as a community organizer, his years in the Senate and finally his job as President of the U.S. are worthy of a scholarship program.)

Wow.

I have been holding my head up a little higher lately. I did not realize that I hold a Bachelors Degree from a university with these lofty standards. Standards that view the position of president of the United States as an entry level job.

Go Devils.