Scene from a weekend
September 7th, 2009 @ 9:55 pm | Comments (2)
Filed: Pomdering | Tags:
Verdant blades of grass swayed in the wind as we sat around tables, sheltered under a tent from the searing sun, honoring the laborers by drinking beer and throwing horseshoes.
“Whose wedding are these [beer coozie] favors from?” I asked of the favors shrouded in a Ziplock bag.
“Oh, they’re from Mary and Ted’s wedding a couple months ago,” said a portly grandmother, bespectacled and chiding.
“We were sorry we couldn’t make it,” my sister said. “Did you have a good time? Didn’t Peggy make the wedding dress?”
“It was really nice, we had a really good time,” Grandma said. “I have my camera, I’ll have to show you pictures. The dress was short, two pieces. The top was kind of like a vest with a black shirt underneath. It was really pretty!”
“It was camouflage,” my sister explained.
“Oh,” I said.
“And so was the tux!” Grandma said.
Out came the Kodak. I silently flipped through the photos, because my mother told me if I couldn’t say anything nice, I shouldn’t say anything at all. For once I managed to follow that small rule of decorum.
“And there’s the sign they had hanging as we entered the wedding,” Grandma said. “One one said it ‘Get ‘Er Done!’ and as we left we saw it said, ‘Got ‘Er Done!”
You wield the Glamour Black Bar: Camo wedding wear: DO or DON’T?
Deep breaths, if you dare
April 27th, 2009 @ 9:57 pm | Comments (4)
Filed: My glamourous life | Tags: Amish
This week’s episode of Rules of Engagement featured a teenage Amish boy in the Big City during his Rumshpringa. Not only did the actor playing the Amish boy have the worst Amish accent ever, but it triggered a story that I almost forgot.
My oldest nephews (oh wait, I forgot to blog that my sister had a baby almost two weeks ago? Poor Cody.) have an Amish babysitter. Interesting Amish factoid of the day: most Amish only bathe on Saturdays, in preparation for church on Sunday. And they don’t wear deodorant.
Because she was moving the next day and had to borrow my dad’s cattle trailer to transport all her rustic cabin furnishings and dead, stuffed animal heads, my sister visited my parents’ house Friday night. She brought with her Blayne, who spent all day with the Amish babysitter. On Friday. Which is the day before her weekly bath.
My sister didn’t appreciate it so much when I nearly gagged after taking a deep breath of what should have been that magical baby smell but was instead horrific BO.
Tomorrow’s update: Surprise! It’s another boy!
Oh deer
March 13th, 2009 @ 12:54 pm | Comments (3)
Filed: Gone Country | Tags: bumper sticker, hunting, redneck
Sometimes you see something that makes you think, “This could only occur in my town.”
I understand feeling pride for your child’s accomplishments, but really Pennsylvania? Really? If that’s not redneck, I don’t know what is.
(Although I kind of expect my sisters to sport similar bumper stickers when their children reach the designated hunting age.)
Dang, Boy!
March 2nd, 2009 @ 11:00 am | Comments (3)
Filed: Pomdering | Tags:
Over the last several months, I’ve watched relative after friend after blogger after sister announce she was expecting a baby. Some of the announcements made me laugh, for I am evil, like the cousin who married a woman with three children. They had one more little girl and then whoops! She got pregnant again - with twins! Some announcements, like my sister’s, made me cry. Some made me cheer, because a viable pregnancy was so hard fought.
As a single woman without an umbilical cord in sight even in the very distant future, so many babies are a mix of contradictions. There’s the initial squee! factor - who doesn’t live a squishy, snuggly, itty-bitty baby?! There’s the financial factor - babies are expensive and I enjoy giving pretty gifts. Then there’s the bittersweet fact that I’ve always loved babies, always wanted to be a mother, but I don’t know that it’ll ever happen for me.
I just found out my cousin K just had a baby boy named John. It’s her second child and he was almost two weeks late. Oh, and he weighed 11 pounds.
So maybe not having to push out something that size isn’t so heartbreaking afterall.
Can’t stand the excitement
February 18th, 2009 @ 7:46 pm | Comments (1)
Filed: Inappropriate things people say to me, My glamourous life, Philly | Tags:
I would update my blog more, but the only interesting story I can bring the fire circle is one about getting into the shower after a good workout on Monday still wearing my sports bra. And it took me a second to figure out what didn’t feel quite right.
Other things of note:
- I’m still car shopping but if Monday’s excursion to three dealerships is any indication, it’s going to be a loooong process. Two salesmen tried to sell me OTHER things - one on the idea of buying a house (which, if I am this indecisive about buying a $20,000 car, can you imagine what it’ll be like when I buy a $150,000 home?) and the other made a valiant pitch for his friend’s restaurant. The third salesman wasn’t even really a salesman but an intern. Gee, I wonder why the auto industry is struggling.
- A woman who works for another company on my floor asked me in the bathroom if I’d had my baby yet. Um… no. Also? Ouch. We’ll just blame it on confusing me with my two recently postpartum coworkers.
- Last night a group of us met at a friend’s condo in Center City Philadelphia. By the end of the evening the friend had 10-plus women coveting her amazing home which was not only an ultra-modern recently converted warehouse but was stylishly decorated and had amazing views of the city. To say it was beautiful is an understatement. What’s not beautiful is that her monthly rent is more than my bring home pay.
- BlogHer rejected me as a volunteer for the upcoming conference. Is anyone going this year? I’m thinking about it if I can find a roommate.
I hope your weeks have been more exciting than mine…
Freeze
January 29th, 2009 @ 8:40 pm | Comments (0)
Filed: Uncategorized | Tags:
When the all-call came out for a company-wide state of the union meeting, I knew things were bad. As the CEO went through cost savings measures being implemented, one of the first things on the list was a salary freeze - no raises for this year. As I mentally composed a ranting blog post, I thumbed through unread messages on my BlackBerry and learned a rock star on the Philly PR scene was just laid off.
It could be much, much worse than not making 2.5 percent more.
Mouseconomics
January 21st, 2009 @ 7:08 pm | Comments (2)
Filed: Pomdering | Tags: ABC, Disney, economics, GE, NBC
I’m certainly no economist, in fact I got a D in my college economics course. But even I have a pretty clear view of what “Corporate America” can do to improve the situation in which we currently find ourselves.
For example, Disney just released it sent buyout offers to 600 park executives.
In a letter dated January 22, Disney told employees it needed to streamline its executive work force “at all levels” to reduce its cost structure.
Disney is sad because park attendance is down and is only rebounding because of deeply discounted Disney World stays. Do you know how much a one-day ticket costs? Seventy-five dollars ($75). That’s $300 for a family of four (adults older than 10). Perhaps if you didn’t have to sell a minor organ to enter the magical gates, more people could afford to visit Cinderella’s castle. Perhaps you would make more money if 1,000 people visit your park and paid $50 a day ($50,000) rather than 500 people at $75 ($37,500). I’m just sayin’. (I know there are additonal factors like increased workforce, blah blah, but seriously? Tell me there’s not a little corporate greed behind those admission prices.)
Furthermore, if Disney can do away with 600 executive-level positions, why did it have 600 executive-level positions in the first place? Could they have paid 600 people a more modest salary without a fancy title. (PS - Charlie Gibson, who works for ABC, part of the Disney Company, earns $8 million a year according to Wikipedia.)
On Friday night, as I sat in my sister’s hospital room, I had the pleasure of watching Brian Williams announce that GE, the parent company of NBC, laid off 1,000. Don’t get me wrong, I love Brian Williams; he works hard, reads well and was darn funny on SNL. But is he really worth $8 million a year (his 2007 salary according to IMDB)? Could they maybe cut his salary and save a few blue collar jobs? I would stop watching him just because he only makes $4 million, promise.
America’s enthusiastic about the new direction in which the government is moving. I hope that corporate America’s prepared to ride the same train (or atleast carpool. Let’s not get me started on American cars.).
