Bad Ass Bonding

OMG!!! Mother-daugther bonding gone wild!

To infinity and beyond!!

Triskaidekaphobia Fear Factor

Thirteen's always been a lucky number for me. I even look forward to Friday the 13ths. No superstitious fear here. I love black cats, stepping on cracks, walking under ladders and I never, ever forward chain emails no matter how many wrinkles or bad luck is promised. But today, standing in a very tall sans a thirteenth floor building, I wondered if any of those people on the floor above twelve are worried. Do they know that just because it says 14 on the elevator, they're taking their chances on a daily basis? Looking up at the Cityscape glassy wall from the safely positioned, hip new Arrogant Butcher (thanks for lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Old Wildcat), I thought about the at least 13 things I'm afraid of and how maybe I could write them all down right here.

But I don't want to jinx anything...

Ssshhhh

Heard on NPR today a speech given at West Point about leadership. It takes solitude to become a good leader. Think your own thoughts. Spend some time away from the media. Turn off the cell phone. Have one on one conversations. Get to know yourself.

Movie Madness - Bad Teacher

Summer's here - bring on the bad movies. Bad Teacher with the whole gang today - LOL.

Splendid Scottsdale

Happy Birthday to Scottsdale. Sixty years of splendid bliss. Started the party with some old (but way below 60) neighborhood friends at Kitchen 56, which looked like this back in the day,

but now it's a hip new gathering joint

 where we reminisced with some old photos of our own - trips to Disneyland, San Diego, Tijuana, prom shots, pool parties and keg parties in shag carpeted family rooms all over town. Even dug up this seems like 60 years ago wet-haired, bikini-clad gem.

We played the remember whens, the what's his names, the where are they nows and the ones that got aways. Analyzed the gay vs. straight dilemma right as NY was legalizing gay marriage (way to go NY!)

and tried to come up with some regrets - not many.
Kept the celebration going with a trip to SMOCA A Splendid Night at SMOCA and teamed-up to push through the packed partiers at the museum bar to ponder some pretty wild art.

Times are a changing, but hopefully some things never will.

86 cents

It's all about the cup. Circle K got rid of all their wimpy cups and added the "Froster" a few months ago. It's Styrofoam. It's a total environment killer and I whisper a little "I'm sorry" to Al Gore whenever I buy one. Which is often. Like several times a week. I'm addicted. The cup. The caffeine. The better tasting Diet Pepsi out of a fountain. The cool carbonation sounds. The good ice. The community. It costs 86 cents with tax and the thing lasts me all day. I take the change out of my change cup in the cupboard so I can minimize the addiction issue, dropping the coins in my new Circle K friends' hands and running out the door, sometimes cutting in front of others because I am now a regualr, as my car idles with my carpooler outside. I make sure to recycle the cup and have tried to step up my reduce global warming efforts in other areas. The other day I made Shana wait until after 9pm to start the washing machine. She said, "How much money could we possibly be saving?" I explained that it's not about the money, please, it's about being a good citizen of the earth. But then I thought, hopefully it's more than 86 cents.

Wino

A woman was sipping a glass of wine sitting on the patio with her husband.

She said, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could ever live without you ..."

Her husband asks, "Is that you, or the wine talking?"


She replies, "It's me, ... talking to the wine."

KeaNO

Back in the day, we all loved Keanu. He seemed fun in Bill and Ted, the perfect boyfriend in Speed, the is he gay or straight in My Own Private Idaho, then Mr.

Black Ninja in Matrix before he got all sad and homeless-guy looking.

He just wrote a book - Ode To Happiness. A little poetry like this:

 

Happy yet?

Scottsdale Public Art

Great presentation about the art in old Scottsdale. We don't get a lot of history around here, so it's always fun to go back as far as we can, the ghost stories, the gossip, the wild women, the cowboys and Indians of the past, riding up Scottsdale Road, all the way north to Camelback.

Damn Shoe Whore

Last month - the Nine West sandals I got at DSW for under $18 bucks.

This month - the Nine West store next door.

Movie Madness - Submarine

I love Oliver Tate.

Summer Solstice

It's that time again. A little Labyrinth walk to celebrate the summer solstice. I still don't quite understand what that is, but Cave Creek at sunset is gorgeous. And there's a gong!

Sunday, June 19th
7pm

Happy Father's Day

Happy day to all the dads out there, especially Old Wildcat!

Shawna and Dan

The maj ladies went wild. For over a decade, we've watched the kids grow up from the dining room perches during all of the Mah Jong games, as the cracks and bams were flying around. Tonight the eldest maj daughter, Shawna, 24, married her high school sweetheart, Dan, in a beautiful, moving ceremony, followed by a party we'll all remember for a long time - the cocktail hour, the photos, the Electric Slide, the getting low, low, low, low, the who's leading who here?, the handsome hubbies in suits, the father-daughter dance,  the My Big Fat Greek Wedding similarities - wild vs. white bread, the new friends and especially the old ones, who've got more spunk than I've ever seen. Maj will never be the same.

Baller

Shana was on FIRE tonight!! Called in to help for a double-header on a City of Mesa co-ed softball league, she moved right in and took charge, smacking the ball across the field, sliding, manning first base like nobody's business (not one ball got past her) and blending in to a team full of fun players like she's known them forever. Shawn, Zach and I led the (small) crowd in the peanut gallery, clapping, cheering, even doing a perfectly timed three man wave when Shana nailed a double, bring a couple of teammates home. They won both games! She was awesome. 

TGIF Lipstick Call

Pita Jungle's always the happening place. Cool servers, amazing food, ridiculously low happy hour prices. The gang surrounded the hummus and sangria filled table, snagged the walking by masseuse, Sharon, and tried to figure out how much is too much honesty, why we aren't the loving, fun, zen friends, summer plans, budgeting, how a little peppermint essential oil can kill a migraine, the upcoming slumber party and playing a Where's Waldo game to find where we all can retire, chuck it all and live the good life on a beach somewhere.

The Shawn Parade

Driving to work with Shawn can be downright depressing. He's a grump. While I on the other hand am a sparkling morning delight. Chattering away. Singing. Talking back to Beth and Friends. He's a "let's just get to work and get it over with" kind of guy, but once I get him in the building he kicks it into gear, turning on the charm with the patients, making me think maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm not worth charming anymore. Lately I've had to put on my nurse/receptionist/phone operator elf hat as my usual crew has rotated in and out, getting their kids' new summer schedules in place. It forces me to be bubbly. Positive. Charming. Then I realized maybe that's why Shawn saves his up on the ride in. Saves it for the people who need it. And as I sit there watching and listening to the parade of people flowing by my window, the parade on the phone, the parade of other doctor's notes on the fax, praising Shawn, telling me how wonderful he is, what a life-saver, literally, I start to think that maybe I can do without a little charm every now and then. So on the way home, somehow now with a shiny halo around his head, Mr. Grump quietly listened as I told him what a great job he did today, how everybody truly appreciates the dedication, the extra miles, the brain power and the hard work. I told him that he's making a difference. Then he turned to me and smiled.

:)

Economics 101

A little Economics 101

The Truth About The Economy

Feel better?

J.O.B.

I read that 47% of Americans can't come up with $2,000 within the next 30 days without selling some of their possessions. It's bad out there. Shana has just one more year of school and not many jobs waiting when she's done, so to get her brain in gear (and since the helicopter parent thing doesn't seem to be waning), a couple of weeks ago I piled the following library books on her bed:

You've got an education, now go get a life
The girl's guide to kicking your career into gear
What flavor is your personality?
Careers and occupations: looking to the future
Career GPS: strategies for women navigating the new corporate landscape
Green careers for dummies
What color is your parachute for teens

I got the "due soon" email from the library today, went to Shana's room and saw the books all neatly stacked in the corner looking lonely and a bit dusty.

I may need to bring the helicopter in a little lower.

Here's a funny essay that started the whole job worry thing for me last year.
Your New College Graduate: A Parent's Guide

Dbacks Wednesday

Semi-retirement half-day Wednesday excitement - let's go Diamondbacks! Good job Giants! The boys of summer, the broken bats, the beer buzz on a perfectly air-conditioned Arizona night.

Summer's Here

A few tips from a native:

Get out early
Get out late
Swim in the middle
And for God's sake, no matter what, under any circumstances - DON'T BITCH

...it's unbecoming

Movie Madness - Tree of Life

I didn't get it. Maybe it's because I'm so doped up on allergy meds due to the smokey air around here these days and all of the coughing and blowing and dosing off I did in the dark that I missed something. All I know is if it wasn't for my hilarious movie madness mavens next to me, I wouldn't have made it through. Was it a movie about a family? Was it a National Geographic documentary? There were moments I felt like I was at an IMAX or on the Soaring Over California ride at Disneyland. Yes, the photography was amazing. The other parts, the non-oceanic, non-wilderness, non-big bang, beginning of time illustrations were good, too. Brad Pitt, come on. Perfect. His lovely wife and kids. Ditto. Sean Penn. Great, great. But we were supposed to decipher the difference between following nature or following God but instead of getting the answer, all we could think about what when it would be over.

Weddings

Last year it was Sophie.

This week it's Shawna.

The friend's kids are starting to get hitched. Makes me wonder - when will it be Shana? Not for a long time, I hope. Hoping she gets through college first. Finds herself. Has some more Charlie's Angels time. 

Last week, decades after I freaked out my parents at nineteen and ran off and got married, I was sitting around with these ladies at the beach (I know, I know, boo hoo).

I watched each one of them walk down the aisle. We reminisced about all of their weddings. The bachelorette parties, the bridesmaid dresses, the Brick House song. Those were all beautiful days and someone asked why we're all still married. Why this crowd has stuck it out so long when so many of our friends have long since parted.

Probably has something to do with having friends like these.

Man Up

The weekend - from high brow - The Music Man - to get low, low, low brow - Eating Raoul.

I saw a preview of The Music Man a few months ago while down in Mesa to see Man of La Mancha (Don Quixote) and knew right away I'd be back.  Next year, they will be celebrating their 75th year, the oldest community theatre in Arizona, and these people know what they're doing. So last night, the cast, the singing, the acting, the costumes, the sets - all perfect - made me want to start playing the trombone.

Then today it was Eating Raoul. The Nearly Naked Theatre crowd is mostly gay, gay, gay so I need to hold on tight to Shawn as the actors crack us up with their always over-the-top, original, hilarious plays. So much fun!

Gabby

It was nice to wake up and see Gabby's smiling face. Then I opened my email (thanks Mrs. Old Wildcat) and saw U2 singing to her - from one spaceship to another.

Twitter Treatment

Weiner's going to rehab. Maybe they'll cut off his Blackberry.

Birthday Bash

Wow - what a crowd! Itching for any excuse to go out and play, book clubbers, Tesseract moms and a few from the high school gang blended together to make a happy, happy, happy birthday party at Taberna, making getting older a lot more fun.

Getting a bit agey

What's one more balloon????

Sandy Shana

From one generation to three. Next shift - bring on the mom, daughter, grandma gang.

Pacific Beach

One, big, bad Maamajaama girls' trip. Sun, surf, sand, sunscreen, smiles, secrets, sunburns, happy hours, jingle bell ankle bracelets,

crystal stones, tripel, tripel, tripels on the patio, to-gos on the beach, liquor pig awards, reason, season or lifetime, Jersey Girl Arm Wrestling Contest, too old for bad alcohol, coffee (scoops and a click, click), check in on the kids, notes to the husbands, circles, new bar friends, ups and downs, Mad Dog's Brenda,

 making our own rules, breaking our own rules, Lenny Kravitz, Morgan Freeman and Yul Brenner and this guy,

bacon and eggs, the blondes are goin' down, so are the high-maintenance girls,

CVS, missing Yuma, Candy Ass turned Bad Ass, Pansies, only one broken bottle, car in garage, a couple of scrapes for proof and can't forget the Red Baron and Red Vines.