Thanksgiving 2008

So much to be thankful for.


Working wifi
Friends that know computers
Venti green iced tea
David Letterman
Bumble and Bumble shampoo
My DVR
Momma Mia, the movie
Migraine medication
Postino
Champagne
Seven year olds with attitude
A satisfying job
Christmas music
Low interest rates
Healthy parents
The Sunday before Thanksgiving
The View (I know!)
Unspent bonuses
Loving husbands
Champagne
Smart doctors
Good realtors
Good mortgage brokers
Childhood friends
Football
Good bosses
Obama
Champagne
Van Morrison
Big brothers
Chips and salsa
Longevity on both sides of my family
Sedona
Pumpkin cream cheese
Thai food
Domino magazine
Golden Retrievers
Mad Men
Chocolate chip cookies
$1.999 gas
Wise friends
Real wooden floors
Online banking
Basil
Spicy bloody Marys
Companies that close for a week at Xmas

For Richer and Poorer

Today is our 24th wedding anniversary.

We met at a dive bar called the Daily Double. Lynn seemed so nice and polite at a time when I preferred bad boys. I have since discovered that he has an edge. Not a bad boy per se, but definitely a side that ventures into breaking the rules a bit.

After 24 years, things can get stale but Lynn continues to surprise me -- often he's annoying but it's far outweighed with the good times.

He still treats me like a queen and he is my rock when times are tough. In a crisis, Lynn is the go-to guy.

When our daughter was born and there was a chance that we might lose her, I fell apart but Lynn never wavered. His strength and heroism brought our girl to us.

And when she came home from the hospital, he would not let go of her. She spent her first night sleeping on his shoulder. He protects both of us in exactly the ways that we need.

So today we celebrated our anniversary. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, accompanied by champagne. The menu tonight defines our life -- pleasantly ordinary layered with sweet, boozy possibilities.

Maybe It's Me

I had another altercation with a customer service person. We had to have termite treatments at our house before we could sell it...to the tune of $1200.
Back in September, I paid the bill in full but we keep receiving statements from Terminix. We've called and they tell us that everything is okay. So today, we received a nasty collection call. I called to tell them they need to update their records.
I started out very polite. Then "Sandy" got a little snippy with me. She said I sent the check to the wrong place and I should have sent it to them, not the corporate headquarters.
I said "Nevertheless, you cashed the check 2 months ago".
Then she started to scold me.

WAIT A MINUTE.

I'm the customer.

The customer who paid her bill in full 2 months ago. I said, "I don't care where I sent the check, you cashed it and there is a zero balance. Please take care of this."

Then she hung up on me.

Eye of the Beholder

We took a road trip over Fall Break. I wanted Leah to see the Grand Canyon and Sedona. I know trips to admire scenery are not at the top of the list for most kids but she seemed fairly excited about going to Northern Arizona. It was a pleasant car trip reminiscent of my childhood complete with singing (Christmas songs), lots of McDonald stops and a few arguments (mostly over the ear drops.)

Here's Sedona.

And here is the breathtaking (I know a cliche) Grand Canyon.

I asked Leah what the best part of the trip was. I was sure she'd say the Grand Canyon (she seemed genuinely interested in it) or she'd at least say the squirrel that we saw at the edge of the canyon, or the beautiful jewelry we saw in some of the shops in Sedona.

Alas, she was most in awe of Bedrock. A crazy little tourist trap just outside the entrance to the Grand Canyon. That's what she mentions when we talk about our trip.

Screw the Recession

There are more important concerns in my life.

I still don't have the Internet.

I'm hoping to get some help with it this weekend. I don't know how much longer I can take this. I have so much to say.

I keep a mental list of things that Leah will need to look for in a husband -- understanding, compassionate man, someone who values family and friends, hard worker, blah, blah, blah. I'm starting to rethink this list.

Look for someone who is technosavvy.

That's all I have to say about that.

I'm Back

Or rather, my Internet connection is back. It finally arrived today. The cable guy came out twice, installed all new cables and a new modem which fixed the cable tv and the pc but it wreaked havoc on my laptop's Internet connection. I actually had to fiddle with some settings all by myself to completely fix it.

But everything's okay now.

Whew. I thought I was going to have to enter Internet rehab. Look for new posts later this week.

Public Service Announcement from AARPMOM

One of the newsletters I subscribe to mentioned this non partisan web site that spells out the differences between the candidates. If you are like me and your head starts to hurt with all of the political posturing and venom, you might want to take a look.


This site lists an issue and then describes each candidate's position in a very simplistic way.


http://www.declareyourself.com/voting_faq/issues_3.html


You can thank me later.


Ciao.