Carnival/Hospital

Weekend before last, Jeff and I went to see Summer Stock Austin's Carnival at the Long Center. He didn't really want to see it, but I got the tickets so late that no one else I asked was able to go. How he slept through half a musical in the second row, I'll never know. Ha!

Carnival was my senior musical. I played one of the Bluebird Girls, a can-can quartet in the carnival. I still remember all the lyrics to our Bluebird Girls' song, "Tanz Mit Mir,", and to most of the others in the show!

One of my all-time favorite musical duets, "I Hate Him / Her Face," is in this show. Paul, the angry, bitter puppeteer, has just suddenly kissed Lili, the naive, sweet young girl who joined his show in the carnival. She sings about how much she hates him, while he blathers on about how much he's in love with her. (This clip isn't my high school, just a good sample...)



When we came out of the show, I found that my aunt had left me a message that my grandpa, who is 96, had fallen and broken his hip. They were going to do surgery the next morning, and he wasn't expected to make it through the surgery. I drove up to Arlington right away and ended up spending the week there.

Grandpa didn't have surgery until Tuesday, but he made it through with flying colors! He was taking steps this past Saturday morning, and is now at a rehab facility. Whew. He is a tough cookie! And still sharp as a tack. I have so many stories through the week. Once, a nurse asked him his name and birthdate, as they do every time they give meds or perform procedures. When he gave them the information, the nurse said, "That's right!" Then Grandpa said, "Well, that's been my birthday for 96 years."

During one of his bouts with hospital delirium, common in seniors and due to pain meds and unfamiliar surroundings, he told us the Germans were running a brothel on the ship we were on, with pretty young ladies everywhere (nurses). He said it was okay to participate, "but only if you aren't married and don't have a girl back home."

The Germans had taken the men prisoner and were drawing blood from them to sell on the black market. He said he was secretly communicating with the US base via the hospital bed control pad on the side rail.

Have some more morphine, Grandpa.

It reminded me of when my mom was once hospitalized with a severe lung infection. She became hypoxic and thought she had joined the carnival. And so we come full circle on this blog post. :)


Sunday Stealing: The Gal's Meme, Parts One and Two

What’s your favorite word or phrase?
"on point"

Tell us about a person who made you smile today.
three young children were helping their mom in the produce department at HEB this morning

What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
watching GMA

What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
writing a thank you note to the friend of my aunt's who let me stay with her in Arlington one night last weekend

What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Christmas- there is a whole month (no, I don't acknowledge it until after Thanksgiving) of celebration and excitement and beautiful lights and family traditions.

Tell us about a visit to another country.
Berlin
I wish I could take Jeff and Lauren there. Maybe someday.

What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Is this your rat?" to Maya, laying next to her rat toy

What was the last thing you had to drink?
water

What are you wearing right now?
denim capris and a red/white/blue patterned top

What was the last thing you ate?
Honey Bunches of Oats with strawberries

Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Nope. I did buy a lot of Starbucks though.

When was the last time you ran?
Tuesday, the first night I stayed at my in-laws. They were on vacation and my mother-in-law had given me the wrong security system code. When the alarm started going off, I ran like lightning to the neighbors', who had the correct code. We managed to shut it down. The police still showed up.

What’s the last sporting event you watched?
Olympic men's 100m track

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Hawaii

Who is the last person you sent a comment/message to on Facebook?
Jen

Ever go camping? If yes, tell us about one time.
Only with Brownies and Girl Scouts as a kid. One memorable camping trip, I was on cooking duty with a group of girls. One of the moms taught us to throw spaghetti against the wall to see if it's done. When the rest of the troop returned from their activity, we had covered the posts of the patio kitchen area with spaghetti. Hilarious!

Do you think a tan improves your looks?
nah

Have you ever lost anything down a toilet?
I don't think so.

What is your guilty pleasure?
TMZ

What did your last text message say?
"There is pasta with meat sauce in the fridge and olive oil bread on the island."

What are you doing tomorrow?
nothing on the calendar yet

What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Sydney Opera House

Last person you talked to on the phone? What about?
Jeff- last Friday, telling him I was at home

Any plans today? Do tell.
catching up on EVERYTHING, after being unexpectedly gone for a week

What’s your favorite room where you live?
Living room. I'm exceedingly happy with the decor and colors, and the arrangement of furniture.

Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
My toe is hurting for some reason. Probably because I wore the same not-so-comfortable shoes for days in Arlington.

Last movie you saw? Review, please.
It's been a while, sadly. The Conjuring 2- it was pretty good. Creepy.

If you are jealous of anyone, tell us about it.
William and Kristin. You would all be jealous, too, if you knew them. They're always traveling, biking in France, having a drink in Norway, that sort of thing.

What is the most serious relationship you’ve had?
My relationship with Jeff is pretty serious. Dated 2 years, engaged 1 year, married 26 years.

Should anyone be jealous of you?
The one person left behind in our department at work, who didn't make it out. Yet.

What do you usually do during the work day?
sit at the computer, working on various clinical trial documents

Tell us about someone that you really don’t care for.
I have had a couple of acquaintances over the years who are like this. They sound great on paper, but hopefully you know what I mean. She is always, always friendly and smiley and pleasant. She is polite and generous and sweet. I just always wonder what the heck is under all that pleasantness. There's no real substance. She never has an interesting story. She never belly-laughs. She just seems a little robotic. In a way, I think I don't trust her, even though she's really one of the nicest people.

Do you use the phrase “Have a good one” daily?
nope

How old do you wish you’d be turning on your next birthday? Why?
40. I think I'd just like to be forty forever. Lots of world experience and confidence, but no twisting your ankle getting out of bed.

Do you still like amusement parks? Tell us about your last trip to one.
I do, but my family does not. We haven't been to a lot of amusement parks over the years. The last serious coaster I rode at a cheer competition at Six Flags in Arlington scared the crap out of me, so I would probably avoid those these days. I'm glad I went to Astroworld about a gajillion times growing up!

How did you get one of your scars?
I have a scratch scar on my hand from our old bad kitty- Ernie.

Will you still love me tomorrow?
Yep