Monday, June 28, 2010

Go West Girl

Wow! Just three more days ‘til our first daughter (newly graduated from college) will be moving out to California… thus beginning her career in Agricultural Engineering… who’d of thunk it? *marvelous* Baby-girl-one and I met each other when she was five months old. Her dad (who is now my hubby) brought her into the office where he and I worked at the time – quite the proud papa – to present his precious little one to his staff for the appropriate utterances of our enthusiastic oohs and aahs! *sweet* And I got to hold her… a bona fine bundle of pure human potential… and baby powder fresh, to boot! *angelic* We saw each other on occasion during her childhood and early adolescence… then harmoniously bonded (at the speed of light) when her dad and I began dating halfway through her fourteenth year. From the perspective of a parental unit, days go by slowly while the years pass quickly when their kids are in high school… and then progress at warp speed after that. Hmmm!

Way back in time when I was a young girl, I had a yen for the west coast lifestyle, and spent lingering hours indulging in imaginary jaunts to Cali, serenaded by tunes of The Beachboys on my 9-volt battery operated transistor radio (well, whenever the Chicago radio station DJ would play them!) There was a ginormous flat rock showcasing the natural landscape at the end of our driveway… it was one of my fave outdoor settees (a la Flintstones) upon which I’d plunk myself on bright summer days… always facing west (better view of the proverbial pie in the sky!) *daydreamer* And guess what… so far I’ve only been to San Francisco… have flown over California several times en route to Hawaii though! *sheesh* To say that I’m excited that hubby and I will be escorting girl-one to San Diego would totally be an understatement – I’m stoked to the max! *giddy*

Now is the perfect time for us – proud non-helicopter parents – to help her get settled into a new apartment (translation: mom & daughter shopping spree) and acclimated to her new turf… Independence Day cometh, indeed! *autonomy* And our three night “mini-vacay” will culminate with a non-stop flight that is scheduled to arrive back in Chicago during prime July 4th fireworks display hour! *fantastic*

Sunrise… sunset… time sure has a funny way of speeding up and slowing down… in spite of the constant sweep of the clock’s second hand. And ya know what? I have a feeling that this week in Laurie Dean’s world will end with a sonic boom.

Have a fabulous week! Happy Birthday USA ☺

~peace~

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

In Between Haircuts

When nobody’s looking my hair takes on a life of it’s own! *mischievous* Like a playful child who prances around and makes funny faces… the densely packed mane of coarse wavy locks which hang out on top of my head can get quite unruly at times! *wild* Especially when my monthly haircut appointment is postponed two weeks. *overgrown* And double especially when the weather is humid (channeling Medusa!) It’s like each and every strand is spring-loaded to coil into – in my case – wonky ringlets, as soon as they're activated by moisture. And speaking of moisture… one must remember to keep hands off my feral “pet” while she’s wet… to avoid the dreaded hot mess coif-of-frizzy-tresses! *kinky*

Now please don’t get me wrong, I really do love my hair… but most importantly, I understand it (intractableness and all!) And besides, having an understanding of things is the bona fide formula for peaceful living, right? Right! So here I am counting down the days (two remaining) until my next appointment at the salon… and paying close attention to carefully entice said mop of hair into some semblance of a fabulous daily ‘do (thank goodness for hair styling products!) But honestly, I’m having fun primping it up… motley trendiness rocks! *funky*

Speaking of having fun… I enjoy blogging AND I enjoy carefree spontaneity in the summertime… SO I may post more or less often for the next couple of months… depending on what we’re up to here! *laid-back*

Have a fabulous week! I’ll be back here sooner or later ☺

~peace~

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Funnel Cloud Cameo

For the longest time (at least three decades) I thought that I was the only one in my family to be plagued with a recurring dream in which a fierce tornado is about to hit down on me. *nightmare* That is until about twelve years ago, when my sis and I were on a cruise vacation… lying out on the ship’s sun deck… sipping tiny-parasol-garnished tropical libations… listening to live Caribbean steel drum music… with the clear blue sky stretched out around us in all directions across the calm sea (you get the picture!) Well, wouldn’t you know it… that’s when stormy memories of an incident, buried within our psyches since summer of 1966 (scared the bejesus out of both of us)… suddenly gushed out in a torrent of exclamations! *eureka* All it took was a mention of the fateful night of our childhood – when a nasty tornado had whipped mayhem near our hometown – effectively searing into our brains the chilling terror we felt in that dire moment… when Mom was in a panic to quickly usher all four of us kids AND our pets (after rousing us from sleep)… from our second floor bedrooms, then straightaway downstairs to the basement. Dad was already at work at his night job… high winds knocked out the electricity and telephone… we were all quite terrified out of our wits… well, except for my most mischievous bro who became transfixed at the kitchen window for a few mesmeric seconds… watching our doghouse get sucked skyward! *sheesh* By the way, no one was injured in the storm… but there sure was a huge mess to clean up outside in the yard… and several days passed before power was restored. *grueling*

As it so happened for sis and me, the totally stark contrast of our bright and blissful holiday surroundings which we were so thoroughly enjoying – juxtaposed with the frightful darkness of that bygone bona fide defining moment from our shared past – is what punctured said bubble of trapped memories. *bingo* Anyway, after comparing details of each others' dream sequences, it turns out that a rogue REM sleep funnel cloud haunts both of us – with cameo appearances in dreamland – on a regular basis. And truth be told, it’s oddly comforting to know that I’m not alone in this nocturnal ordeal! *empathy*

But fortunately, with the passing of time (over four decades and counting) the bad dream is losing its dreadful hold on my subconscious… and most recently has become quite cartoonish (popular G-rated animations are wickedly more intense!) Ha! So now I laugh, or go crazy… but laughing feels good so that’s what I do. *giggles*

Have a fabulous week! I’ll be back here by Wednesday ☺

~peace~

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Dentist’s Concern

Daily crossword puzzles – a renewed obsession for me (started up again a few years ago) can be a real kick – or an exercise in destruction… depending on my mood! *grins* I especially look forward to Monday’s newspaper (easiest puzzle day) but sometimes even the simple straightforward clues read like a foreign language! *brain cramp* Ever since I discovered word puzzles (around the same age as my interest in playing hide and seek began to wane) my fave word puzzle has been the Jumble. It’s some kinda brainy fun to be able to “see” the correct word while looking at a jumble of letters… and a lot of the time it happens instantly! *zing*

Now there seems to be a direct correlation between my frame of mind and the tenor of the crossword puzzle writers… and consequently, their selected puzzle theme du jour… I tend to chaff when I feel like I’m being messed with! *sassy* You know how some crossword-toiling people will ask bystanders for help sometimes… when a clue is particularly obscure (or twisted)? Well, I am not one of those people. There resides within my spirit a narrow, but healthy, stubborn streak (Taurus) that keeps me riveted… nose to the grindstone… unable to put down the pen (no erasable writing utensil for this brave puzzle solver)… hence begins the ruination! *spunky* I just start writing in words because they fit in the allotted number of squares, even though they’re “not exactly” the answers that the puzzle writers had in mind! *giggles* It then becomes an evolving puzzle… veering further and further from the originally intended theme with every alternative answer I provide. How innovative… or not. Ha!

So here I am, filling in the answers to the hardest crossword puzzle of the week – from Sunday’s paper – and progressing with great accuracy (it happens on occasion)… no need to play around with goofy word substitutions… I’m on a roll! *whee* Then there’s this innocuous clue for a word needed to fill four itty-bitty squares: a Dentist’s concern. Hmmm… You may think the answer to any clue involving dentistry would literally write itself in this household… considering the fact that I worked as a Dental Assistant for 15 years… and… drum roll… hubby is the real deal… a bona fide Doctor of Dental Surgery. But you would be wrong. *sniff* For no apparent reason my gray matter suddenly goes completely dark here – as in black hole consistency – where the clue goes in, but nothing comes back out. And it’s not just me this time. Neither of us can get the answer right away (yes, I did ask for help this time) although in fairness, he didn't even look at the puzzle... just tossed out a wild guess! I decide to cogitate about this clue overnight (notice I didn’t say “sleep on it” since I’ve been quite the insomniac of late) and guess what? It dawned on me! *pun* A fundamental aspect of my dentition that the dentist is concerned with while I’m reclining back in the dental chair… mouth open wide… teeth presenting dutifully for their prophylactics… is one particularly edgy four-letter word: bite. *pun again*

Have a fabulous week! I’ll be back here by Wednesday ☺

~peace~