We haven't been traveling as much lately as we usually do, so it was nice last week to finally get back down to Orlando again. I've missed everything about the area - the sights, the sounds, the people - so I really enjoyed being able to experience all of those things again. And this trip, we had some new things to enjoy as well.
After putting the trip off several times, we finally managed to lock in our dates and make all the arrangements. We stayed on premises at the Universal Resort for the first time, and really liked it. We were at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, which reminded me a bit of the Polynesian at Disney World. It was relaxing and the room was nice. We definitely plan to stay there again. From our room, it was a short walk over to Citywalk, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The walk was very pleasant, along a winding path by the water. There was a pair of Red Shouldered Hawks living along the path and it was fun to watch them (and listen to them) as we walked along.
Caradorn and I had visited Universal before, but this was The Kidd's first visit. We all liked Citywalk, and The Kidd especially enjoyed Margaritaville. After we planned the trip, we discovered that Weird Al Yankovic was going to be performing at Citywalk at Hard Rock Live while we were there. We are big Weird Al fans but hadn't yet managed to see him in person so we decided to go and I'm so glad we did! His show was great, especially at the end when the 501st joined him onstage for "The Saga Begins" and "Yoda". I knew he had a very versatile voice, but I hadn't really realized how good he actually is. He does have a very nice voice, and he has a surprisingly large range.
Though Caradorn and I had visited the parks before, we had not ridden most of the rides. This time we rode almost everything. Spiderman was one of our favorites. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was also great - I especially love that you choose what song to hear during your ride, and I'm anxious to ride again to choose different songs. For my first ride I chose "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys. Knowing how much I love Rock Band you might assume that's why I chose the song, but you'd be wrong. I actually just chose it because I always want to drive a car over a cliff when I hear that song thanks to "Star Trek", and I figured hearing it on the rollercoaster was the next best thing, and probably safer.
One of The Kidd's favorite rides turned out to be Men in Black: Alien Attack. We ended up spending a huge chunk of our last day there riding that over and over and over again just so he could try to get a higher score. We did take a short break to see one of our favorite performers, Blondie, in a show about movie makeup (We were a little disappointed by that - we had hoped he'd be the over-the-top character who is stabbed and sadly he was the "normal" guy instead. He was still very funny, though, and since he doesn't appear there often we were just glad to catch him there at all!), but after that we trooped right back over to MiB again.
Of course the main reason for our trip was so we could experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and we weren't disappointed. The theming in that area is amazing. It is small, and a bit cramped, but then that fits the despcriptions from the books. The books were fresh on my mind because I started rereading them just before the trip, and I couldn't find anything that didn't look the way the books said it should. The details were great. Honeydukes (the candy store in Hogsmeade), Zonkos (the joke shop) and the Three Broomsticks carried lots of things mentioned in the books. Plus there were other neat shops and so much merchandise that I just couldn't decide what to buy. . . though I did end up choosing a few things. :) We tried Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Tarts, Pumpkin Juice, Butterbeer (normal and frozen), Peppermint Humbugs, Hogshead Ale, Honeydukes chocolate, Trifle, Strawberry Peanutbutter ice cream and so many other things . . . and loved it all. The new ride, "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Jouney", was amazing. Walking through Hogwarts castle to get to the ride was the first time I ever wished a line would move more slowly - there was so much to see! "Flight of the Hippogriff" was cute, and Buckbeak was impressive. I wasn't quite as impressed by the show at Ollivander's as I thought I would be, but that could be because I wasn't a huge fan of the Wand Keeper that day. The show was very short but cute. I'm sure I would enjoy Ollivander's much more if a former Adventurer had been our Wizard. Face it, I'd be enthralled by a dramatic reading of the phone book if Snoopy was the one doing the reading, so if he'd been our Wizard I would never have wanted to leave Ollivander's! ;)
And I discovered a new love of rollercoasters. I've always enjoyed them before, but this trip I just couldn't get enough of them. We rode the Dragon Challenge (formerly Dueling Dragons) and it think it was my favorite thing we did on the whole trip. The Ice side (which I think is now the Hungarian Horntail) is my second favorite rollercoaster, after the Manta at Seaworld. We rode it many times, and went back in on our last morning to ride one last time, and I was so sorry to leave. I just wanted to keep riding! Swooping around on the Dragon was the best- and happiest - I've felt in a long time. Maybe I've turned into an adrenaline junkie!
We did manage to carve out a little time to go over the Disney World. We wanted to get in one last ride on Star Tours since it will be closed for renovations during our next few trips. We also caught the Main Street Electrical Parade and Summer Nightastic Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, and (of course) rushed through Epcot as well. No trip would be complete without a visit to Japan! And as always, we had to swing through Innoventions, Italy and the UK to catch shows by some of our favorite former Adventurers. We bought a few Vinymations and got almost all the ones we wanted, including the Colonel from the Adventurers Club. And on our last night we went back to Pirates Cove for a quick round of miniature golf, as we do on almost every trip.
The trip was almost perfect, except that it was too short. It always surprises me how quickly the time flies by when we're on vacation. There were several things we didn't have time to get to this trip, and I had several friends in town I had intended to see but somehow our paths never crossed. (Even when we were in the same park, in one case. Sorry I missed you, J!). But we are already planning our next trip, so we have that to look forward to. We have WDW and Universal annual passes, and we'll be getting Seaworld ones in a couple of months, so I imagine we'll be back several times over the next year. Our family trips are always very different than the ones Caradorn and I take together, so I'm also anxious to plan an adults-only visit before too long. But for now, with school starting back again and so much going on here, we'll have our hands full for a bit. I'm sure the time will fly by and we'll be heading to points Southward (and to Congaloosh) in no time. I can't wait!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Life Goes On
As some of you know, my father did not win his battle with pancreatic cancer. We lost him a week and a half ago. I've been intending to write a post about the events of the last couple of weeks but somehow I just haven't been able to. Every time I pull up this blog and try to write, I just can't think of any words.
So many people who have been important to me and to my family over the years have reached out to us during this difficult time. And somehow it seemed that any time I was just overcome with the grief and stress of the situation, I would hear from someone who would say just the right thing to pull me through. I heard from all sorts of people who had good things to say about my father, or had stories about him to share. We reconnected with family members we haven't seen in years, and people who knew us when I was a little girl. I even heard from someone who I believed I would never talk to again, which meant more to me than I can say.
I don't know how I would have gotten through the past couple of weeks without so many people to lean on.
The day after my father died, before most people knew he was gone, we were sitting in the funeral home trying to make arrangements for the service. The man who was helping us left the room for a moment to check on something. I made the mistake of glancing up and saw the rest of my family (minus The Kidd) sitting around the table, and it really hit me that my father was gone. He was never going to sit around a table with us again; he was never going to be the one to take charge and make the difficult decisions for us again. I started to feel like I couldn't breathe, and though I knew it would be terrible for me to break down right then I started to tear up anyway. Trying to distract myself, I pulled out my phone and when I saw the cheerful little blinking green light I checked my email. And there waiting for me in my inbox was exactly what I needed: a message from a dear friend who has lost a parent, who knows what it feels like. He sent me the sweetest message, that had me tearing up again but for a different reason. The panicked, hysterical feeling started to fade away as I read his message. As much as the rest of it meant to me, the part that had the strongest impact on me was the very last line, where he told me something that no one else had mentioned - that this feeling won't get better, but will only dull.
As strange as it may seem, I needed to hear that. My father is gone, but we aren't ever going to forget him. This isn't something we are going to get over. Tomorrow he will still be gone and we will still miss him. That's okay; it's normal. And it's something we can live with.
I stayed with my mom after Caradorn and The Kidd had left, to help her work out some details that needed to be dealt with. A few days later I headed back to Rocket City. I didn't have my car there so I drove my dad's car back home. For the first few miles as I drove out of town I kept the radio off. Somehow it seemed disrespectful to be cruising along in my father's sports car listening to music so soon after losing him. He loved driving that car. I didn't feel right enjoying it, knowing he wouldn't be enjoying it ever again. I felt guilty. But after a few miles I finally couldn't take the quiet and the rumble of the tires against the road any longer and so I turned on the radio. The song that was playing was one I've never heard on the radio before. I didn't know any station ever played it. It was "Pancreas" by Weird Al.
!
I couldn't help but laugh. My dad would have found it funny. He would have wanted me to keep finding things funny, to keep living . . . to enjoy driving a fun car with the windows down on a beautiful day, listening to music. Life goes on. We will always miss my dad, but we still have each other, and all the other people we love. I'm still sad, and still angry. It isn't fair that he's gone, that he didn't get to retire and do all the things he hoped to do, that he got so sick and was so miserable for his last few weeks. But his life was so much more than the last months. He loved life, and he loved us, and he loved for us to be happy. He wouldn't want us to stop living, to stop embracing life, just because of the way he left us. I know we will get through this, and even though things will never be the same, we will still have good times. Our lives aren't over just because my father is no longer with us, and no one would be happier about that than he would be.
So many people who have been important to me and to my family over the years have reached out to us during this difficult time. And somehow it seemed that any time I was just overcome with the grief and stress of the situation, I would hear from someone who would say just the right thing to pull me through. I heard from all sorts of people who had good things to say about my father, or had stories about him to share. We reconnected with family members we haven't seen in years, and people who knew us when I was a little girl. I even heard from someone who I believed I would never talk to again, which meant more to me than I can say.
I don't know how I would have gotten through the past couple of weeks without so many people to lean on.
The day after my father died, before most people knew he was gone, we were sitting in the funeral home trying to make arrangements for the service. The man who was helping us left the room for a moment to check on something. I made the mistake of glancing up and saw the rest of my family (minus The Kidd) sitting around the table, and it really hit me that my father was gone. He was never going to sit around a table with us again; he was never going to be the one to take charge and make the difficult decisions for us again. I started to feel like I couldn't breathe, and though I knew it would be terrible for me to break down right then I started to tear up anyway. Trying to distract myself, I pulled out my phone and when I saw the cheerful little blinking green light I checked my email. And there waiting for me in my inbox was exactly what I needed: a message from a dear friend who has lost a parent, who knows what it feels like. He sent me the sweetest message, that had me tearing up again but for a different reason. The panicked, hysterical feeling started to fade away as I read his message. As much as the rest of it meant to me, the part that had the strongest impact on me was the very last line, where he told me something that no one else had mentioned - that this feeling won't get better, but will only dull.
As strange as it may seem, I needed to hear that. My father is gone, but we aren't ever going to forget him. This isn't something we are going to get over. Tomorrow he will still be gone and we will still miss him. That's okay; it's normal. And it's something we can live with.
I stayed with my mom after Caradorn and The Kidd had left, to help her work out some details that needed to be dealt with. A few days later I headed back to Rocket City. I didn't have my car there so I drove my dad's car back home. For the first few miles as I drove out of town I kept the radio off. Somehow it seemed disrespectful to be cruising along in my father's sports car listening to music so soon after losing him. He loved driving that car. I didn't feel right enjoying it, knowing he wouldn't be enjoying it ever again. I felt guilty. But after a few miles I finally couldn't take the quiet and the rumble of the tires against the road any longer and so I turned on the radio. The song that was playing was one I've never heard on the radio before. I didn't know any station ever played it. It was "Pancreas" by Weird Al.
!
I couldn't help but laugh. My dad would have found it funny. He would have wanted me to keep finding things funny, to keep living . . . to enjoy driving a fun car with the windows down on a beautiful day, listening to music. Life goes on. We will always miss my dad, but we still have each other, and all the other people we love. I'm still sad, and still angry. It isn't fair that he's gone, that he didn't get to retire and do all the things he hoped to do, that he got so sick and was so miserable for his last few weeks. But his life was so much more than the last months. He loved life, and he loved us, and he loved for us to be happy. He wouldn't want us to stop living, to stop embracing life, just because of the way he left us. I know we will get through this, and even though things will never be the same, we will still have good times. Our lives aren't over just because my father is no longer with us, and no one would be happier about that than he would be.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Things change so quickly
So I've been out of commision for a while. Even though part of me has wanted to blog about all that's been going on, another part of me almost felt like it wasn't real if I didn't write it down. But it's been going on for a couple of months now and as much as I hate to, it's time to accept that this is a part of our lives for the forseeable future.
My dad has cancer. Pancreatic cancer which has started to spread, to be specific. We initially thought his only problem was a tumor in his kidney, but sadly we've found that to be the least of his problems.
He went to the doctor about it for the first time on February 15, and by March 15 he had started his first round of chemotherapy. Tomorrow he starts the second round of one of his meds. We don't know if they are helping or not. We were told that a complete cure would be "extremely rare", but we are hoping and praying for a miracle. We don't think about "long term" any more. We think about today. We hope my dad doesn't lose any more weight, and that he doesn't catch anything while his defenses are low from the chemo. We hope he can get through the day without throwing up or falling down. The days when he isn't in the hospital, when he can get out of bed and sit in his recliner and maybe even eat something, those are the good days.
I've been spending as much time as possible with my parents. It makes me feel better to be there. But I miss Caradorn and The Kidd when I'm there, which makes me feel selfish.
I want to do something to help, but most of the time there doesn't really seem to be much I can do. My parents don't want to ask for help, so we have to keep trying to find things that need to be done and then we insist on doing them over their objections. And I want to run interference for my parents, because it's amazing how this sort of thing brings out the worst in people. He's had a few nurses caring for him who shouldn't be trusted with any living things. And he's had visitors say the most tactless things - one "friend" laughed about my dad's favorite teams losing in their basketball tournaments, and said "So now you won't have that to worry about" when the watching those games was the only thing my dad had been looking forward to or enjoying. Of course she's the same person who took great delight in telling him something she knew would upset him while he was at a low ebb, alone in his hospital room after throwing up all night. I'm glad I wasn't there; I think I would have punched that busybody in the nose. I hope I don't see her any time soon. I'm sure I would say something I ought to regret later, though frankly I doubt I would regret it.
Three months ago I thought my dad was the healthiest one of our parents; that he'd be around longer than any of the rest of us. Now I don't know what's going to happen. Suddenly things like vacations and "normal life" are a thing of the past. And I feel bad, because Caradorn and The Kidd are working so hard to make up for me being gone. Cardorn has to work really long hours when I'm home to make up for the hours he misses while I'm gone. The Kidd was so looking forward to our spring break trip, and he didn't bat an eye when we canceled it. He just wants my dad to get better. We promised to do something fun with him when we got home from my hometown on Sunday, but instead we stayed far later than we had intended to working on some things and got home just in time for him to go to bed. And he still didn't complain; he understands that my dad comes first right now. He loves my dad more than almost anyone, except maybe my mom.
I appreciate Caradorn more than I can say right now. He's giving up almost all his time to help me and to help my parents because "that's what family does".
My dad has cancer. Pancreatic cancer which has started to spread, to be specific. We initially thought his only problem was a tumor in his kidney, but sadly we've found that to be the least of his problems.
He went to the doctor about it for the first time on February 15, and by March 15 he had started his first round of chemotherapy. Tomorrow he starts the second round of one of his meds. We don't know if they are helping or not. We were told that a complete cure would be "extremely rare", but we are hoping and praying for a miracle. We don't think about "long term" any more. We think about today. We hope my dad doesn't lose any more weight, and that he doesn't catch anything while his defenses are low from the chemo. We hope he can get through the day without throwing up or falling down. The days when he isn't in the hospital, when he can get out of bed and sit in his recliner and maybe even eat something, those are the good days.
I've been spending as much time as possible with my parents. It makes me feel better to be there. But I miss Caradorn and The Kidd when I'm there, which makes me feel selfish.
I want to do something to help, but most of the time there doesn't really seem to be much I can do. My parents don't want to ask for help, so we have to keep trying to find things that need to be done and then we insist on doing them over their objections. And I want to run interference for my parents, because it's amazing how this sort of thing brings out the worst in people. He's had a few nurses caring for him who shouldn't be trusted with any living things. And he's had visitors say the most tactless things - one "friend" laughed about my dad's favorite teams losing in their basketball tournaments, and said "So now you won't have that to worry about" when the watching those games was the only thing my dad had been looking forward to or enjoying. Of course she's the same person who took great delight in telling him something she knew would upset him while he was at a low ebb, alone in his hospital room after throwing up all night. I'm glad I wasn't there; I think I would have punched that busybody in the nose. I hope I don't see her any time soon. I'm sure I would say something I ought to regret later, though frankly I doubt I would regret it.
Three months ago I thought my dad was the healthiest one of our parents; that he'd be around longer than any of the rest of us. Now I don't know what's going to happen. Suddenly things like vacations and "normal life" are a thing of the past. And I feel bad, because Caradorn and The Kidd are working so hard to make up for me being gone. Cardorn has to work really long hours when I'm home to make up for the hours he misses while I'm gone. The Kidd was so looking forward to our spring break trip, and he didn't bat an eye when we canceled it. He just wants my dad to get better. We promised to do something fun with him when we got home from my hometown on Sunday, but instead we stayed far later than we had intended to working on some things and got home just in time for him to go to bed. And he still didn't complain; he understands that my dad comes first right now. He loves my dad more than almost anyone, except maybe my mom.
I appreciate Caradorn more than I can say right now. He's giving up almost all his time to help me and to help my parents because "that's what family does".
And I appreciate all the prayers and positive thoughts that people are sending to my dad. Old friends and new ones, people I barely know, people who I only know by online nicknames . . they are all being so supportive.
I don't know what's going to happen. One day my dad seems like he might be a little stronger and the next he can't even sit up. I don't know when I'll be back to blogging normally again. I don't know when anything will be normal again.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A brief public service announcement regarding bathroom safety.
If you happen to live in an older house, as I do . . .
And if your home has doors that tend to stick in the winter, as mine does . . .
. . . because the heat and/or moisture from the boiling hot shower, when combined with a somewhat warped door and/or door frame, might lead to the potentially awkward situation of you becoming trapped in your bathroom, unable to open the door at all. In fact you might end up spending several minutes trying repeatedly to yank the bathroom door open, followed by several more minutes of trying to slowly wiggle the door open. And if you happen to be the only one home at the time, you might be faced with the question of whether you should call your spouse at work to come rescue you (if you are lucky enough that your cell phone is in the pocket of the pants you took off just before you got into the shower rather than being out in another room) or whether it would be better to just stay locked in the bathroom until the door finally shrinks enough for you to get it open.
Of course if you panic enough at the thought of having to do either of those things, and you yank on the door even more violently while pulling backward with all your might, it might eventually fly open. Of course when it does you should be very careful so that you don't fly back across the room and fall into the tub.
(ouch!)
If all of that did somehow happen to you, and you decided to mention it to your spouse, they might respond by saying that you just have to pull down on the doorknob while pulling on the door in order to open the door after it has become stuck. And in fact they might seem amused by the whole thing, which might just upset you a little bit which might cause you to start yelling and flailing your arms and threatening to saw the top of the door off and beat them with it.
But I don't recommend that, because you might feel a little bit silly afterward. Of course I don't necessarily speak from experience here or anything. And if I did I wouldn't admit it. But still, you might want to watch out for those doors that tend to stick. I know I will from now on.
And if your home has doors that tend to stick in the winter, as mine does . . .
And if you like to take showers so hot that you use all the hot water and leave the room so steamed up that you can barely see a foot in front of your face . . .
You might want to leave the bathroom door open when you shower in the winter, and just close the bedroom door instead.
. . . because the heat and/or moisture from the boiling hot shower, when combined with a somewhat warped door and/or door frame, might lead to the potentially awkward situation of you becoming trapped in your bathroom, unable to open the door at all. In fact you might end up spending several minutes trying repeatedly to yank the bathroom door open, followed by several more minutes of trying to slowly wiggle the door open. And if you happen to be the only one home at the time, you might be faced with the question of whether you should call your spouse at work to come rescue you (if you are lucky enough that your cell phone is in the pocket of the pants you took off just before you got into the shower rather than being out in another room) or whether it would be better to just stay locked in the bathroom until the door finally shrinks enough for you to get it open.
Of course if you panic enough at the thought of having to do either of those things, and you yank on the door even more violently while pulling backward with all your might, it might eventually fly open. Of course when it does you should be very careful so that you don't fly back across the room and fall into the tub.
(ouch!)
If all of that did somehow happen to you, and you decided to mention it to your spouse, they might respond by saying that you just have to pull down on the doorknob while pulling on the door in order to open the door after it has become stuck. And in fact they might seem amused by the whole thing, which might just upset you a little bit which might cause you to start yelling and flailing your arms and threatening to saw the top of the door off and beat them with it.
But I don't recommend that, because you might feel a little bit silly afterward. Of course I don't necessarily speak from experience here or anything. And if I did I wouldn't admit it. But still, you might want to watch out for those doors that tend to stick. I know I will from now on.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Avatar (mild spoilers)
After all the hype that "Avatar" received before it even opened, I wasn't sure I really wanted to see it. Movies that get hyped that much before their release always remind me of "The Fifth Element". Remember all the ads for that one? It was described as "Star Wars for a new generation", and it most certainly didn't live up to the hype. It wasn't a bad movie, in fact I watch it when it comes on television. But comparing it to "Star Wars" was a horrible move - there was no way on earth it was going to have the impact that "Star Wars" did and building up people's expectations of it that way could only lead to a bunch of disappointed people. And of course it did just that. Maybe the ads were intended to be tongue-in-cheek - the movie was sort of cheesy and campy, and an ad campaign that poked fun at that could have been a great idea. But if that was what they were going for, they failed miserably. As a result, "Fifth Element" was judged much more harshly than it might otherwise have been.
The buildup for "Avatar" was strikingly similar, in some ways. No, I never heard it compared to "Star Wars" but in every other way they raised the expectations for the film sky high. My expectations for the film weren't terribly high, and though I knew I would end up watching it at some point I wasn't rushing to the theater to see it.
After it opened and people I know started seeing it I was surprised by their reviews. They all loved it. Some of them went to see it over and over again. I decided at that point that we would go see it while it was still in theaters, but I still wasn't in any hurry. The Kidd really wanted to see it, but we had other things going on and didn't make time for it. We had so many holiday plans, there just wasn't time to fit "Avatar" in.
We finally made time for it while we were in Orlando for our New Years trip. We ended up going with Mr and Mrs O to the theater at Pointe Orlando. By the time the previews ended I decided that the previews alone had almost been worth the price of admission - "Iron Man 2", "Clash of the Titans", "Alice in Wonderland" . . . they all look like must-sees! But then "Avatar" started and despite how prepared I had been to dislike it, I was sucked in almost immediately. I know it's a long movie, but it really didn't seem long at all. Sure, there were a few scenes that could have been shorter, and it did drag in a few spots. The storyline was predictable - only one thing toward the end really surprised me. (And even then, then thing I had expected to happen did happen, just not at the spot I thought it would.) But even with all that, the movie was amazing. It was gorgeous and engaging. The 3D effects were well done and were well integrated into the film.
As the credits rolled the five of us sat and watched them, and then we gathered our things to leave. Mrs O mentioned that "Avatar" could end up being "Star Wars" for The Kidd's generation and it was the first time I have ever heard a film compared to "Star Wars" without finding the comparison ridiculous. She was right - it could conceivably be groundbreaking enough that people of The Kidd's generation will look back on it the way many of us look back on "Star Wars". Mr O did mention that it was basically "Pocahontas", and he had a point. There were some striking similarities, but we all agreed it was a fun movie and the effects and visuals more than made up for any weaknesses in the storyline.
I'll certainly be watching it again, and it will be a must buy for us when it comes out on Blu-ray.
I was catching up on Failblog the other day and was surprised to find something that reminded me of Mr O. Apparently someone else made the same observation he did, and though I loved the movie I still found it hilarious. Don't read it if you haven't seen the movie yet!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
I told you so!
Well, maybe I didn't tell you. But I did tell somebody.
So. I am not the biggest football fan out there, but I do love the Mississippi State Bulldogs . . .
(I initially typed that as Bullgods, but I promise I don't worship them that much.)
. . . and I like the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, the Tennessee Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I hate Ole Miss, as any good Dawg fan should. And (I'm sorry, Caradorn) I don't particularly like the University of Tennessee Volunteers. I do try to be supportive, since they are Caradorn's team. Though I haven't ever really liked them, I have not particularly disliked them. I didn't really care much one way or the other about Phil Fulmer. I didn't care about Lane Kiffin, either, until the day he introduced the new batch of recruits last year.
It was terrible. He was such a jerk - he went on and on about how the team deserved better than those players, he said they weren't the caliber of player that UT was used to and that next year the recruits would be better. I felt so bad for those boys. They were so excited to be announced as Vols and there they sat while he bashed them in front of the world. It must have been so embarrassing for them. Caradorn says that often coaches will belittle their players in an effort to get them to prove how good they are. I get that, I really do. I've done that sort of thing before too. But not like that - not in such a public venue, on a day that was supposed to be such a proud occasion for those players. I had no respect for Kiffin after that.
This year, for the first time since I married into a family of UT fanatics, I didn't even pretend to support the team. I openly rooted against them for every game. I wanted them to have a horrible year because I wanted Kiffin fired. My inlaws did not like that one bit. They defended him; they talked about what a good coach he was, and how great he was going to be for UT. They laughed when I said I wanted him to be a one year coach - they said he would be a fixture at UT for years to come and that they were sooooo lucky to have him. When the season ended with the team having done fairly well, they gloated. Kiffin was there to stay, they said. Every new season would be better than the one before, and it was all thanks to Kiffin.
Heh.
I was at my inlaws house the night the announcement came out. Kiffin was leaving the University of Tennessee for USC. And I was so pleased. I didn't gloat, I didn't say I told you so. I didn't say much of anything. I just sat there watching television with them as they switched from one channel to another, trying to be sure it was really true. They seemed so shocked. Once they realised he was really leaving, it was hilarious to hear them talk about him. "Well, he was never one of us." "UT Orange. . .
(which, might I add, is a really sickly creamsicle color and not a "real" orange, but for heaven's sake don't ever mention that to Caradorn's family, it offends them for some reason)
. . . never looked right on him." "UT will be better off without him." "I never liked him, anyway."
Seriously, Inlaws? Are you sure about that? Are you absolutely positive you are remembering this season correctly?
Really, truly? Because I think that's what I was saying the whole season! I said he was awful, I said he should leave, I said that he didn't belong. I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I said it eleventy million times over the course of the season and you people told me I was wrong! And now you want to claim you thought that the whole time, too?! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were wrong, and I was right, and whether you want to admit it or not you and I both know it's true! SO THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thththtppppppppt! (Yes, that's me sticking my tongue out at them. Yes, I am very mature.)
Ahem.
I'm sorry about that. I really am.
It's just that they will be visiting this weekend, the whole lot of them. And I want to keep the peace. I don't want to goad them into an argument. I don't want to jump up and down and say "I told you so" over and over again. Well, okay, I do want to. But I think it would be a bad idea so I am attempting to get it out of my system now before they get here.
I'm not sure it's working, though. I think I might just be getting myself even more worked up about it. I'll try not to bring the subject up, but if they do I don't think I will be able to keep my mouth shut about it. This could turn out to be an interesting weekend.
So. I am not the biggest football fan out there, but I do love the Mississippi State Bulldogs . . .
(I initially typed that as Bullgods, but I promise I don't worship them that much.)
. . . and I like the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, the Tennessee Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I hate Ole Miss, as any good Dawg fan should. And (I'm sorry, Caradorn) I don't particularly like the University of Tennessee Volunteers. I do try to be supportive, since they are Caradorn's team. Though I haven't ever really liked them, I have not particularly disliked them. I didn't really care much one way or the other about Phil Fulmer. I didn't care about Lane Kiffin, either, until the day he introduced the new batch of recruits last year.
It was terrible. He was such a jerk - he went on and on about how the team deserved better than those players, he said they weren't the caliber of player that UT was used to and that next year the recruits would be better. I felt so bad for those boys. They were so excited to be announced as Vols and there they sat while he bashed them in front of the world. It must have been so embarrassing for them. Caradorn says that often coaches will belittle their players in an effort to get them to prove how good they are. I get that, I really do. I've done that sort of thing before too. But not like that - not in such a public venue, on a day that was supposed to be such a proud occasion for those players. I had no respect for Kiffin after that.
This year, for the first time since I married into a family of UT fanatics, I didn't even pretend to support the team. I openly rooted against them for every game. I wanted them to have a horrible year because I wanted Kiffin fired. My inlaws did not like that one bit. They defended him; they talked about what a good coach he was, and how great he was going to be for UT. They laughed when I said I wanted him to be a one year coach - they said he would be a fixture at UT for years to come and that they were sooooo lucky to have him. When the season ended with the team having done fairly well, they gloated. Kiffin was there to stay, they said. Every new season would be better than the one before, and it was all thanks to Kiffin.
Heh.
I was at my inlaws house the night the announcement came out. Kiffin was leaving the University of Tennessee for USC. And I was so pleased. I didn't gloat, I didn't say I told you so. I didn't say much of anything. I just sat there watching television with them as they switched from one channel to another, trying to be sure it was really true. They seemed so shocked. Once they realised he was really leaving, it was hilarious to hear them talk about him. "Well, he was never one of us." "UT Orange. . .
(which, might I add, is a really sickly creamsicle color and not a "real" orange, but for heaven's sake don't ever mention that to Caradorn's family, it offends them for some reason)
. . . never looked right on him." "UT will be better off without him." "I never liked him, anyway."
Seriously, Inlaws? Are you sure about that? Are you absolutely positive you are remembering this season correctly?
Really, truly? Because I think that's what I was saying the whole season! I said he was awful, I said he should leave, I said that he didn't belong. I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I said it eleventy million times over the course of the season and you people told me I was wrong! And now you want to claim you thought that the whole time, too?! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were wrong, and I was right, and whether you want to admit it or not you and I both know it's true! SO THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thththtppppppppt! (Yes, that's me sticking my tongue out at them. Yes, I am very mature.)
Ahem.
I'm sorry about that. I really am.
It's just that they will be visiting this weekend, the whole lot of them. And I want to keep the peace. I don't want to goad them into an argument. I don't want to jump up and down and say "I told you so" over and over again. Well, okay, I do want to. But I think it would be a bad idea so I am attempting to get it out of my system now before they get here.
I'm not sure it's working, though. I think I might just be getting myself even more worked up about it. I'll try not to bring the subject up, but if they do I don't think I will be able to keep my mouth shut about it. This could turn out to be an interesting weekend.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Public Displays of . . . something.
I've always said that I am not a fan of public diplays of affection. And I really thought that I wasn't, but I've realized recently that I actually quite like public displays of affection. I think they are cute. It's public displays of other things that I dislike.
After being around other couples quite a bit recently, I've noticed that Caradorn and I tend to be more affectionate in public than most people we know. That surprised me, since I was so convinced that I was very anti-PDA. But we hold hands when we are together, and I often lean my head on his shoulder when we are sitting together. Sometimes he even puts his arm around me. (Gasp!) It doesn't bother me when I see other couples acting like that; in fact I find it adorable. These sorts of displays really aren't even limited to couples. I have friends (both guys and girls) who I hug when I see them, or friends I put my arm around or punch on the shoulder. And those are also displays of affection, from me at least, because if I don't feel some affection for you I'm going to do my best not to touch you at all if I can avoid it.
But then there are those other displays, the ones that I dislike so intensely. And I've discovered that those aren't really public displays of affection. They are public displays of other things. There are a couple of different types that I've been seeing quite often lately, and I really really dislike them.
The first is a public display of. . . attraction? Lust? Exhibitionism? I don't know exactly what motivates it, but it's easy to recognize. I think a quick peck on the cheek or forehead is sweet. Open mouthed kissing or groping? Not so much. That sort of behavior that ellicits cries of "Get a room" is not affectionate. Yes, I get that you find each other attractive, and that's great for you. Really, it is. But I don't want to see that sort of thing, and if I did there are plenty of videos I could watch to get my fix. Plus, they feature people who are much more attractive. (And trust me, there's a reason I am not buying those videos - I DON"T WANT TO SEE IT!) I don't want to see you licking each other's faces (Yes. I've really seen that, and it was as revolting as you might imagine.) I don't want to see you grabbing each other's butts. I don't care if you are exhibitionists or if you are just so wrapped up in each other that you forget the rest of the world is out there. I don't want to be a voyeur; I don't like it! Just get a room.
Fortunately I actually don't know any couples who act like this. I do seem to encounter couples like that quite often, though. And I have to think they are doing it on purpose. Kissing in a dark corner of a bar is one thing, but I keep running into these couples who are groping each other in the lines at Disney World or at a playground filled with children. Honestly, if you are so close to other people that they can hear the smacky, slurpy noises you are making while kissing then you are waaaaay to close to be behaving that way! It's nauseating. If you are such exhibitionists that you can only enjoy the physical side of your relationship when you have an audience, there are places that encourage that sort of thing. The city street, the grocery store, theme parks, city parks. . . those are not the kind of places where you should be putting on your own adult show.
The other type is that one that really drives me insane. It's a public display of. . . possessiveness? Ownership? This may seem a little bit hypocritcal since I think this sort of display is rooted in jealousy, and I admit that I can be a jealous person. I don't use PDA to "stake my claim", though, which many people seem to do. I dated a guy in college, Nate, who did that. He was very opposed to public displays of affection. He wouldn't hold my hand, would rarely dance with me, didn't even want to tell people we were dating. It was like I was his dirty little secret most of the time. Unless we were around someone that I had dated or who Nate thought might be interested in me. Then suddenly he was like an octopus - he couldn't keep his tentacles ("Ohhhh. Tentacles. N-T. Big difference!") off of me. He would throw his arm around me or cling to my hand like a vice. It was bizarre - like a weird cross between a little kid clinging to his mother's leg and yanking on her sleeve as she tries to talk to someone ("Mom! Mom! Mom! Hey Mom!") and a dog lifting his leg against a tree ("My tree. Mine. All mine. SQUIRREL! My tree. Mine.") I hated it, and after that relationship ended I swore I'd never be in a relationship like that again.
I know a guy now whose wife is like that, and it baffles me when I see them together. Why does he put up with that? Does he like it because it makes him feel wanted? Does he tolerate it because they are married and he doesn't have a choice? It seems so desperate and insecure. Seriously, hanging from him isn't going to keep poachers away, it's just going to make you look like you don't trust him. It sort of makes me sad, honestly. I like it when the people I like are in happy relationships, and seeing this weird sort of clingy possessiveness always makes me assume that the relationship isn't very strong. I really don't think that's the sort of message that the clingy people are trying to send - it seems pretty counter-productive. "Look how close we are. We're inseparable. Really. See? He can't get away from me. So give up. Stop looking at him. He's mine. All mine. Really. Right, Honey? Honey? Stop looking at her. Look at me. Me! Memememememe." Sorry, but clinging to your significant other like a vine any time you feel like someone is interested in him is not a display of affection. It's a display of immaturity. He's with you, presumably because he wants to be. Relax and enjoy the relationship and stop worrying about everyone else. Trust me, you - and everyone else - will end up happier that way.
It sort of makes me feel old, like I ought to be waving my fist and yelling at those pesky kids to get off my lawn. But I want to start treating these annoying couples like I used to treat my cats. Each time I see an innappropriate public display of affection I just want to whip out my water bottle and spray them in the faces. "Bad couple. Bad! No kissing/groping/clinging. No!" Or maybe I could just sneak up behind them with a can filled with coins and shake it by their ears. I suspect that wouldn't go over well. There are probably rules against doing things like that. It's really tempting, though. But I guess that would be considered a public display of aggression, which probably isn't much better than the displays I'm trying to prevent. So I'll do my best to fight the urge, for now at least. But if one day you happen to notice a crazy woman spraying couples with a water bottle, or bopping their noses with a rolled up newspaper, come over and say "Hi". It's probably me.
After being around other couples quite a bit recently, I've noticed that Caradorn and I tend to be more affectionate in public than most people we know. That surprised me, since I was so convinced that I was very anti-PDA. But we hold hands when we are together, and I often lean my head on his shoulder when we are sitting together. Sometimes he even puts his arm around me. (Gasp!) It doesn't bother me when I see other couples acting like that; in fact I find it adorable. These sorts of displays really aren't even limited to couples. I have friends (both guys and girls) who I hug when I see them, or friends I put my arm around or punch on the shoulder. And those are also displays of affection, from me at least, because if I don't feel some affection for you I'm going to do my best not to touch you at all if I can avoid it.
But then there are those other displays, the ones that I dislike so intensely. And I've discovered that those aren't really public displays of affection. They are public displays of other things. There are a couple of different types that I've been seeing quite often lately, and I really really dislike them.
The first is a public display of. . . attraction? Lust? Exhibitionism? I don't know exactly what motivates it, but it's easy to recognize. I think a quick peck on the cheek or forehead is sweet. Open mouthed kissing or groping? Not so much. That sort of behavior that ellicits cries of "Get a room" is not affectionate. Yes, I get that you find each other attractive, and that's great for you. Really, it is. But I don't want to see that sort of thing, and if I did there are plenty of videos I could watch to get my fix. Plus, they feature people who are much more attractive. (And trust me, there's a reason I am not buying those videos - I DON"T WANT TO SEE IT!) I don't want to see you licking each other's faces (Yes. I've really seen that, and it was as revolting as you might imagine.) I don't want to see you grabbing each other's butts. I don't care if you are exhibitionists or if you are just so wrapped up in each other that you forget the rest of the world is out there. I don't want to be a voyeur; I don't like it! Just get a room.
Fortunately I actually don't know any couples who act like this. I do seem to encounter couples like that quite often, though. And I have to think they are doing it on purpose. Kissing in a dark corner of a bar is one thing, but I keep running into these couples who are groping each other in the lines at Disney World or at a playground filled with children. Honestly, if you are so close to other people that they can hear the smacky, slurpy noises you are making while kissing then you are waaaaay to close to be behaving that way! It's nauseating. If you are such exhibitionists that you can only enjoy the physical side of your relationship when you have an audience, there are places that encourage that sort of thing. The city street, the grocery store, theme parks, city parks. . . those are not the kind of places where you should be putting on your own adult show.
The other type is that one that really drives me insane. It's a public display of. . . possessiveness? Ownership? This may seem a little bit hypocritcal since I think this sort of display is rooted in jealousy, and I admit that I can be a jealous person. I don't use PDA to "stake my claim", though, which many people seem to do. I dated a guy in college, Nate, who did that. He was very opposed to public displays of affection. He wouldn't hold my hand, would rarely dance with me, didn't even want to tell people we were dating. It was like I was his dirty little secret most of the time. Unless we were around someone that I had dated or who Nate thought might be interested in me. Then suddenly he was like an octopus - he couldn't keep his tentacles ("Ohhhh. Tentacles. N-T. Big difference!") off of me. He would throw his arm around me or cling to my hand like a vice. It was bizarre - like a weird cross between a little kid clinging to his mother's leg and yanking on her sleeve as she tries to talk to someone ("Mom! Mom! Mom! Hey Mom!") and a dog lifting his leg against a tree ("My tree. Mine. All mine. SQUIRREL! My tree. Mine.") I hated it, and after that relationship ended I swore I'd never be in a relationship like that again.
I know a guy now whose wife is like that, and it baffles me when I see them together. Why does he put up with that? Does he like it because it makes him feel wanted? Does he tolerate it because they are married and he doesn't have a choice? It seems so desperate and insecure. Seriously, hanging from him isn't going to keep poachers away, it's just going to make you look like you don't trust him. It sort of makes me sad, honestly. I like it when the people I like are in happy relationships, and seeing this weird sort of clingy possessiveness always makes me assume that the relationship isn't very strong. I really don't think that's the sort of message that the clingy people are trying to send - it seems pretty counter-productive. "Look how close we are. We're inseparable. Really. See? He can't get away from me. So give up. Stop looking at him. He's mine. All mine. Really. Right, Honey? Honey? Stop looking at her. Look at me. Me! Memememememe." Sorry, but clinging to your significant other like a vine any time you feel like someone is interested in him is not a display of affection. It's a display of immaturity. He's with you, presumably because he wants to be. Relax and enjoy the relationship and stop worrying about everyone else. Trust me, you - and everyone else - will end up happier that way.
It sort of makes me feel old, like I ought to be waving my fist and yelling at those pesky kids to get off my lawn. But I want to start treating these annoying couples like I used to treat my cats. Each time I see an innappropriate public display of affection I just want to whip out my water bottle and spray them in the faces. "Bad couple. Bad! No kissing/groping/clinging. No!" Or maybe I could just sneak up behind them with a can filled with coins and shake it by their ears. I suspect that wouldn't go over well. There are probably rules against doing things like that. It's really tempting, though. But I guess that would be considered a public display of aggression, which probably isn't much better than the displays I'm trying to prevent. So I'll do my best to fight the urge, for now at least. But if one day you happen to notice a crazy woman spraying couples with a water bottle, or bopping their noses with a rolled up newspaper, come over and say "Hi". It's probably me.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Happy New Year!
Since today is the first normal day we've had in a while, it's also the day we're starting to work on our resolutions for the year. Maybe if I tell you mine, I'll feel more like I have to actually follow through with them. So here they are:
*I will be more active this year. I feel so much better when I stay active and when I'm in better shape, and this year I'm going to stop using my headaches as an excuse. I'm going to make myself get out and be active, whether I want to or not.
*I will be more organized. I have made progress with this one lately, but I still have a long way to go.
*I will be more social. I am not a terribly social person. I prefer to stay in the background as much as possible. I have a really hard time making myself talk to people, especially those I don't know well. In the last year I've tried to force myself to be more outgoing, and I've met some really great people as a result. I still feel awkward and nervous around new people, but the more I make myself talk to them the easier it seems to get. Hopefully someday it will start to feel more natural - and in the meantime, maybe I can at least get better at faking it!
*I will cook more. I like to cook, but I don't do it much. We tend to resort to takeout or going out to eat far too often. This year I hope to make those the exceptions rather than the rule.
So. . . we'll see how it goes. I have a good feeling about this year. It's been great so far! I have so much to post about, and now that I think about it maybe that's one more resolution to add to my list. I'll keep up with my blog more. It's a good way for me to sort out my thoughts, and it's a good record of what I've been up to. And maybe more than anything else, it's a great way for me to feel more accountable for following these resolutions. If I can make myself be honest about my progress, at least, and I think I can. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a new lifestyle to work on.
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