Sick

I was just saying I can't remember being "on the couch" sick for years. Well, this week it happened. Ugh. I think I have passed the worst of this one, and things should be getting better. Fingers crossed.

Fun fact: One reason we get dehydrated when we're sick is the gallons of mucus our sinuses are producing. I know I should be very gentle with the kleenex to avoid painful nose blowing down the road. But... there is something about getting every last bit of goo out of your head for one gleeful 20 seconds of free breathing. And it's not a gentle process.

Speaking of breathing... There is always a moment during a coughing fit, where you're pretty sure you're going to die by asphyxiation. I bet if you pass out, that tickle in your throat stops and you can breathe again. Just a theory.

The same Cadbury Cream Egg commercial has been airing for decades now, and I still laugh every time the lion makes that noise. Oh man.

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Surfing Old Music Vids

Lauren and I were talking about LGBTQ the other day, how it used to be LGBT and now they've added a few more letters for LGBTQIA. We were discussing the differences between each identifier and how we weren't sure what the new letters were for. I mentioned that I'd always wondered why they excluded people whose physical sex is ambiguous at birth, when I finally made the connection.

Me: I could be 'Intersex.'
Lauren: U?
Me: I.
Lauren: Right. You. You said, 'I could be intersex.'
Me: No. The I in LGBTQIA. Maybe it stands for Intersex.
Lauren: Ohhhhhh. I was so confused.

Ha! 'Tis confusion!! (Still the best line ever on Impractical Jokers.)

I was thinking about Marty Robbins songs for some reason this morning. Mom was a fan, and we listened to his records a lot. I wanted to look up a few songs on YouTube. Turns out, I still know ALL the words to a bunch of them. Here's one of my faves...



...Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for
One little kiss, then Felina good-bye

(Oops... spoiler alert!)

After video surfing a bit, I ended up finding this completely unrelated set of vids from The Idolmaker, with songs from one of my favorite childhood movie soundtracks, to which I also still know all the words. It's very cheesy-pop.

SO.
GREAT.

It's really Peter Gallagher singing here. He's good. And he looks nice in these pants.

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Complicated Issues, Complicated Solutions

We keep coming back to one comment George made last weekend at the family dinner after Grandpa's funeral... 

From a couple of card-carrying socialists to a few folks from the very conservative Christian right, to most of us in the middle somewhere, we definitely had the full spectrum of political opinions present. Some inevitable arguing ensued about a political issue or two, when George finally said, 

"These are complicated issues with complicated solutions."

That pretty much sums up my feeling on partisan bickering in general. Not only is a problem always more complicated than a three-word sound bite, the solution is more complicated than the single-minded proposals from staunch liberals and conservatives. 

Take any issue. Let's say... illegal immigration. We cannot simply deport every illegal immigrant in the United States, nor can we just let anyone come in and live here who wants to.  If that's all Republicans and Democrats can throw at each other on social media (and at funeral parties), they're going to have to work a lot harder to compromise.

In the meantime, let's meme, y'all!

Sunday Stealing: The Racquet Questions

01 What is the worst nickname that anyone has ever called you?

Amazon Woman. No, that's not what Jeff calls me, because I shop online a lot. That's what KimB's boyfriend, Whatshisname, always called me in 5th grade, when I was the tallest in the class. (IRONIC now, eh?) I hated that guy.

02 Have you got a favorite flower?

tulip

03 Do you add a sauce, ketchup or other artificial flavorings to your food?

Yes. I wouldn't call those things artificial though. They should "enhance" the food.

04 Describe yourself using only words that begin with the letter 'T'.

trustworthy, thoughtful, tolerant

05 What is/was your lover's pet name for you?

Hon'

06 What is your least favorite color?

This:

Be purple or be grey. Don't be purple-ish grey.

07 Who did you vote for in the last election, and did they win?

Evan McMullin- nope

08 What is/was your grandfathers’ names?

Ray and Alfred

09 What is the best present you ever received?

My new wedding ring set.

10 What is 17 1/2% of 97 + 42 x (6 / 2) – 137 ?

5.975 (remember your order of operations!)

11 What would be the best possible way you could die?

while sleeping or during surgery

12 Given the choice of absolutely anything, what would be your dream job?

I would love to be a part of the administrative staff for a major radio station, concert venue or other entertainment-related business. Fun!

13 What position do you sleep in at night?

on my side

14 What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?

I sneezed a HUGE double-handful of drippy snot into my hands in elementary school once, while we were all watching a program in the cafeteria. I got up and walked all the way around to the cafeteria bathroom (which was on the other side, not in the back) with my hands over my face and then had to turn the doorknob with my hand. Ack.

15 Who is your favorite fictional character?

Aragorn from LOTR. Yep.

Yep.

16 What food do you hate most in the world?

oatmeal

17 When was the last time you were ill?

I haven't been lie-on-the-couch sick in years. It's been a while since I was ill.

18 If you were transformed into a wild creature, what would it be?

a koala, so I could hang around and look cute all day

19 What was your favorite toy as a child, and whatever happened to it?

Lemon Twist. It was like a Skip-It. It probably disintegrated into dust, I played with it so much.

20 What's the most amazing thing you've ever seen?

Volcanoes National Park on the big island in Hawaii. There is absolutely nothing like it. The immenseness of it is jaw dropping. The craggy, black and desolate environment is stunning.  It's like being on another planet.

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Girls' Weekend!

Girls' weekend has been set. Hotel reservations made. Six of us are going so far! I had planned for us to stay in Brenham and spend Saturday in Independence, which is a nearby town with several historical buildings to see and tour. We might be able to fit in a winery or shopping or something else. And of course, we'll hang out at the hotel to chat and drink wine or whatever! Well, the two hotels we would consider in Brenham were full every weekend we could go.

So now we're staying in College Station, which happens to be on the other side of Independence. Far more hotel options were there and tons more restaurants and bars, so it's probably for the best!

Saturday 9: Johnny Angel (1962)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, a girl sings that she'd rather spend a quiet evening at home than go out on a date. How about you? Do you enjoy quiet time? Or do you prefer keeping a busy calendar?

Both. I like having a ton of social activities on my calendar, but I value down time, too.

2) She dreams of how her life with Johnny would be. What did you most recently daydream about?

Retirement and its different scenarios. Twenty or more years down the road, but you can never plan too early!

3) Shelley never considered herself a singer and is more comfortable acting. A costar on The Donna Reed Show, she was pressured to make this record by the show's producer, who wanted extra exposure for the show by having this song on the radio. Tell us about a time you ventured outside your comfort zone. 

One time a couple of years ago, when Crystal, Stephanie and I were hiking, Crystal tore off up a trail to the top of a huge ridge. It was a fairly steep incline and not a short jaunt up and back to the main trail below, so I was very hesitant. At first, I didn't say anything, I just went along. A short time later, I said I would go back down and meet them back at the car, whenever they were done. Stephanie said she wasn't sure about the steep trail either, but she wanted to go and thought I should, too. Crystal gave me the Crystal rah rah- "You can do this! Come on!" Then they took off again and I followed. They had to slow down for me to catch up now and then, but we made it to the ridge, and it was very cool!

4) Elvis said she was his favorite leading lady, and she appeared with him in three films. What qualities do you appreciate in a coworker?

confidence, competency, enthusiasm

5) She met her close friend and fellow teen star Annette Funicello when they were 12 and attended the same Catechism class. What do you recall from your middle-school years? 

The first thing I remember about middle school is being on the basketball and volleyball teams. A lot of my time was spent doing that. I was also in choir, which was super fun. I met CJ in middle school. I moved the summer before 8th grade, which is a terrible time to move to a new school. Of course, it ended up being great.

6) After The Donna Reed Show, Shelly went on to a recurring role on One Day at a Time and was twice nominated for an Emmy for her work on Coach. Her husband is Mike Farrell, who played BJ on M*A*S*H. Which of those four sitcoms would you enjoy binge watching?

M*A*S*H

7) In 1962, the year this song was popular, is also the year Jack Nicklaus began his successful pro golf career. Do you enjoy playing golf? Watching it on TV?

No and no.

8) A 2013 study said most Americans will have 12 romantic relationships in their lifetime. Does this mean you've had more or less than your share?

Less

9) It's closing time at the mall and you find yourself accidentally locked in a toy store. You call the police and they say someone will be there in about half an hour to rescue you. While you wait, will you play with any toys? (If so, which ones?)

I would probably play a game on my phone. If I were to play with any toys, I would probably ride a bike up and down the aisles, because it's something I would never be able to do again!

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Immigrants

Not sure what this Day Without Immigrants is supposed to prove. The overwhelming majority of Americans don't have an issue with immigration. The US has more liberal immigration rules than most western countries.

The issue is with illegal immigration. Follow the rules. Very simple really. Millions do it. My father became a US citizen as an adult. I have a friend who works in telecomm, while retaining his Mexican citizenship. Many of my pharma colleagues from Eastern and Western Europe and Asia are here on visas or have become US citizens. A large percentage of Jeff's legal status coworkers in the computer industry are from India, Pakistan, and other places across the globe.  Universities across the country continue to have large numbers of foreign students. Somehow they all manage to complete the paperwork and live within the law.

I would enthusiastically support work programs, to give illegal immigrants work visas and keep them working and get them to pay taxes, if they are currently doing jobs not otherwise fillable by Americans. That would bring a whole lot of illegal immigrants and companies/individuals who employ them on to the right side of the law. Perhaps the number of legal immigrants allowed annually should be increased as well. I don't know a lot about those numbers. Maybe they are already at the maximum we can handle.

In my experience and observation, this country continues to be the amazing melting pot is has been since people began immigrating hundreds of years ago. I have never personally heard a single American-born person say that a foreign-born citizen or legal resident should go back to his or her country of origin.

And while we're sort of on the subject, stop calling it a Muslim Ban. If someone wanted to ban Muslims from entering the US, several other solidly Muslim countries would have to be added to the list, along with millions of Muslims living in every other country on Earth, who would have to indicate their religion upon entry. It's straight up ridiculous to call it that. Gah.

I don't support a complete "ban" of visitors/immigrants from any country, so whatever it is, I'm glad it's not in place. Obama (yep) and Congress already put into place extra vetting for people from the listed countries, which is appropriate to protect against terrorism. Just keep doing that, as it seems to be working just fine.

Oh, and just for another side of this immigration discussion, my brother (born in the US to German parents, grew up in Germany and never visited the US until he was an adult) came to the US in the late 80s,  planning on moving here permanently. He hated it. Ha! We're not everyone's cup of tea!

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Funeral Party

Ha. Laura and I call the gatherings around a funeral the "funeral party." It's a thing.

Grandpa's funeral was this past weekend. It was really great to see the family, both our side and Christine's side.

Christine's brother, George, was part-owner of Spoetzl Brewery in the 80's, and he runs a beverage distributorship now. He and his wife Teresa are SO funny and were the hit of Saturday night dinner., back at Kerstin's place. George told us some entertaining stories about Shiner, and clued us in to the reason Bock is everyone's favorite beer- its IBU (measure of hoppiness/bitterness) is about 11, while most beer, especially German bocks, are much higher. In other words, Shiner Bock is very smooth, and "Americans like their beer smooth."

So true!

The line of the night went to Teresa though. My aunt was talking about webcam security. Remember, Teresa is 80-something...

Aunt T: I always turn my webcam around when I finish a work meeting, because I've seen those stories on TV about hackers turning on your webcam when you're not even aware of it.
Teresa: What?! I hadn't heard that!
Me: Yeah, I used to have a webcam with a cover I closed. Now it's integrated with my computer, so I put tape over it.
Teresa: Well, I guess I better stop reading my email in my bra and panties.

Ahaha! Love it. That'll be me in my 80's.

(Oh. And let me just add this to the count of people mentioning it as an issue.)

#NotParanoid  #IToldYaToCoverYourWebcam

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Luling/Seguin Day Trip

Jeff, Scott and I went on a day trip to Luling and Seguin last week. We had lunch at City Market. It was DELICIOUS. I really have liked a lot of places on our ongoing search for the best barbecue in Texas, but Salt Lick still rules them all. City Market was fabulous though.

Next, we headed to the Sebastopol House in Seguin for a tour. It's one of several remaining "limecrete" constructed homes in the area from the early 1800's. Many parts of the house are original, including slave quarters downstairs. There is a lot of original furniture as well. The tour also includes information about and pieces from the H. Wilson & Co. pottery business, owned by freed slaves in the town.

The house is a must see, if you're in the area. One cool thing-- here's what the house looks like:

Think it has a flat roof? Think again.

Why the heck does it look like this? Well, the W-shaped roof collects rainwater, which supplies the cistern. HMM! Pretty weird, but very cool. And yes, the roof is VERY strong to support the weight of all that water. Or no water, as much of the time, we are in a drought in central Texas.

The haunted Magnolia Hotel (visited by the Ghost Adventures crew a couple of years ago) is in Seguin. I took a photo from the outside for our ghost hunting aficionado, Lauren. It looks pretty creepy. One particularly creepy thing about it, to me, is the door to nowhere on the second story, since the original balcony is gone. Maybe it's just me...

We also stopped into the fancy Park Plaza Hotel on the square to take a look around. It reminds me of the beautiful, historic Tremont House hotel on The Strand in Galveston, with its white marble floors and black wooden banisters. Park Plaza would be a great place to stay for a romantic weekend getaway. Even the luxury suite won't break the budget!

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Grandpa

My grandpa passed away yesterday. He was 97, and a great man. He was an Army colonel in his younger years, a teacher and continuing world traveler in his older years. I lived with him and his wife (after my grandma died) through four years of college, in the garage apartment of their house. He was a stern father, but a soft grandfather and great-grandfather (and dad to his grown kids). He had a delightfully wry wit and a sweet smile. He enjoyed life and survived losses and struggles with dignity, sense of humor and perseverance.

He's been weak and frail for a few years now, but especially so since his hip break a few months ago. He said he'd been seeing his mom and his late wife "around" lately, and that he was ready to go, so I know that he is truly in a better place- hopefully with all of our family who have passed, and friends he's missed as well.

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