Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Tomorrow. You're Only A Day Away...

July 1st will be the 5 month anniversary of the day that my Mom went to be with the Lord. Weird. Most of the time it seems unreal. The rest of the time it seems to be getting increasingly harder to come to terms with the fact that THIS is life now. Life, minus Mom.

For two weeks I am house/dog-sitting in the ghetto of Kenosha. I'm not sure why, but I enjoy saying I'm staying in the ghetto. It sounds dramatic. Not that I'm saying it's funny or anything - after all, I am living just a few blocks from the spot that my good friend Marveard Role was shot and killed when we were 15. Just shy of High School. It's surreal in a way.

Duh, all that to say that I grabbed a journal to bring with me. A really fantastic leather bound, red one, that I used to write in, daily. I picked it up last night and began flipping through the last few entries.... life was so different. At one point I make note of the fact that my Mom wants to see it when I'm halfway through it, because we both are writers but NEVER complete journals! Well...she didn't live long enough to see me get to the middle. It's sort of haunting. Haunting in a way that makes me wonder if I should keep writing - actually finish this one? Or should I close it up and leave it site unfinished?

I miss my Mom.

In other news, I am leaving for Colorado in 11 days! Road trip with my cousin, Lance! We have SO much that we are packing in to our week long trip. Only a few "real" days actually IN Denver, but we are completely looking forward to the WHOLE experience. It should be fun.

In about a half-hour, I will start work on my Zuppa for the night. Freakin' yum.

SOUPS ON!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Things I've Learned from Living with my Dad...

I am counting down the days until I am able to move out of my childhood home. Somehow, "home" is not home without my Mom there. I love my Dad, don't get me wrong, but my Mom knew that I wouldn't be able to stay there for long, nor would she want me to! That is why, shortly before she died, she asked me to please move home for 6 months to a year. And that is why I may turn 30 and be living at home. Are you kidding me?

In the meantime, these are things that I've learned from living at home with my Dad...after over a decade of freedom.

  • Empty cans go on the kitchen counter. Clearly opening the backhall door to drop it in the recycling bag is a ridiculous request.
  • Dirty kitchen towels go on the pencil sharpener in the kitchen. Again, opening the backhall door to drop it in the laundry is proposterous!
  • Never re-use the same glass. It makes the most sense to use at least 8 different glasses a day.
  • Never rinse your dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
  • Naps are taken between the hours of 5pm and 10pm.
  • After folding your laundry, it's best to keep it on couches and chairs in the living room. For weeks if need be.
  • If you are hungry, it's best to wait until someone else in the house is hungry, because then you will not have to get the food out and prepared, or put it away when you're finished.
  • You can never have too many coffee cans, pencils, pens.....
  • Shaving your hair outside is perfectly normal. Not white trash in the least.
  • If you say your back hurts, you won't have to drag the garbage down the street and around the corner - thanks to the fact that you can't leave it in front of your own house because the road will be torn up till Christmas!
  • Ignoring your alarm clock isn't annoying to others at ALL!
  • Slamming doors, at any hour of the day, is completely normal. Others should learn to deal with it, even if they are trying to sleep.
  • It's easier to yell something upstairs (at any hour of the day/night) than actually walking up them, regardless of who may be trying to sleep.
  • Encouraging your cat to walk in front of you and spontaniously laydown - and therefore rewarding her for it - is cute. Especially when she THEN does it to people who are carrying in groceries or something, because surely they'd much rather stop and pet, or look at, a stupid cat, than get to their destination and set down their heavy load.
  • It is easier to call someone at work, to see if they took the clothes out of the dryer, than it is to walk down the stairs and check it for yourself.
  • A can of green beans is a meal.
  • Cheetos are a meal
  • Adding rice, pasta, carrots or peas to a meal is foolish and therefore should not be eaten.
  • Easter baskets can be used to hats, while watching television.
  • If you see two people tying to carry 11 12-packs of soda across the torn up road (so that they get it done in one trip - in the middle of the pouring rain) it's best to laugh at them instead of assisting them, because there is no use in all 3 of you getting wet!
  • Cat treat containers are perfect for sorting nails, bolts and screws into.

....and endlessly more.....

Monday, June 15, 2009

I've Found My Inspiration!

In one month and four days I will be half a year away from turning 30. Yes, 30. Not that I'm threatened by the changing of the first digit of my age - I mean, it's happened what twelve times already? I think the hardest thing about it will be not having my Mom there to celebrate it with me. Anyway, point being, I'm starving for a challenge at the moment. Starving, and poor. Those are the criteria that I'm working with here. And so began my brain...

I have been putting together an incredibly random list of "Things to do Before Turning 30". Had I started this project years ago it would have been incredibly adventurous, but given the fact that I cannot plan a trip to Africa (or something equally as large) in the next 6 months, my list may be a little tame. My list may contain several things that I've actually done before. Who knows? We'll see. I'm just inspired to make it, and blog about the fun of it!

We will have to just wait and see what will happen.