Vintage Photo Friday--A whole other person

A while ago I was talking to The Roy about my sister, Kate (whom he calls Kathy because that's what she used to go by a million years ago). I was regaling him with stories of our (mostly her) reckless youth and he said something to the effect of, "It's weird to think Aunt Kathy had a whole other life before I knew her." Now, this is not to say that Kate is a secret agent or in the witness protection program, but The Roy has only really known her as a married lady and a mom. He never got to experience single, hell raiser Kate. This got me thinking about the people in my life, like my parents, and their other life. It's strange to think of my parents having other interests and activities other than raising five kids. I mean, I know they had lives, but who were they? What did they talk about with their friends?

So today I bring you my mother, Joan, bowler extraordinaire.

That's mom in the middle, already a mother of five.That's my Joanie on the end with the big hair. She's so lovely. She also remained friendly with the woman who is second from the left, a very nice lady who would always tell me I was pretty.
Mom's in the middle again. These pictures were not preserved very well, hence the yellowing.
Mom is second from the right. I'm not sure why they're wearing the silly hats but I remember her going on this trip. She flew in one of those small commuter planes and there was a lot of turbulence, which frightened her. Also, she brought us presents and it wasn't a birthday or Christmas, so I thought bowling trips were the best thing ever.

Lest you think they sucked in '69, they didn't. The photo of the 1969 champions was too large to scan. Joanie had a personalized bowling ball and a pretty powder blue bowling bag, which Kate now owns. I'm pretty sure she had her own shoes, too. My siblings used to bowl every Saturday in junior leagues but I was always too young and never got a chance to do it. I'm still a fairly decent bowler (not great, but not embarrassing) so it must be genetic.

Whine, Whine, Wine?

Hey kids! I know it's been a while. I just wanted to let you know I'm still here. Due to some faulty accounting on my part, I had zero dollars in my checking account (okay, $3) for the better part of the past two weeks, so my social life has been non-existent, my cupboard is filled with the finest foods Big Lots has to offer, and my car was running on good intentions, so trips were limited to work only. On the plus side, today is payday!!

The day of reckoning has come (and gone). Analog television is officially no more. As you know, my amazing nephew has hooked up the HD box for me so that I'm not stuck in the dark ages. However, the antenna I currently own is not good enough to pick up most signals. It's hit or miss most days, with me having to twist every which way to get a signal. A channel change requires more antenna calisthenics to the point that it's just not worth even watching television. The Roy has MacGuyvered an antenna for me from a rubber band, a tube sock, and chewing gum (or maybe some coat hangers) but he's having difficulty mailing it. (no pressure, Roy) In the meantime, I spent the weekend watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Seasons 1-3. I start season four tonight, and fortunately I have Angel, Season One, so the crossover episodes won't seem disjointed.

Do you like wine? I like wine. Do you like pretty girls? I like wine. The lovely, talented, and good-to-her-mother Slackmistress (aka Nina Bargiel) is throwing her hat in the ring for that way cool Murphy-Goode Winery job that's been the hit of the internet. If you haven't heard of it, check it out here. Now, here's where you and your love of wine, women, and fun internet stuff omes into play. Click the link below or on the side bar (pretty please) and watch Nina's audition/application video. Send it to your friends and ask them to watch it. And don't forget to vote by entering your email address and confirming that yes, this is your favorite video--because Nina is awesome and quite sociable, online and in person, and she absolutely deserves this job.

Team Slackmistress FTW

How my messy, cluttered apartment saved me

I went to an photography exhibit opening today at the William Grant Still Arts Center and promptly fell in love with this adorable creature.She is so tiny and still has that baby kitten barely audible meow. She needs a home as the gallery already has several cats that they care for, but don't claim as their own. For now, Joyce at the gallery is taking care of her. Someone in the neighborhood rounded up the strays and paid to have them neutered, but one must have slipped through and now lil' teeny weeny is the last kitten standing. I spent a long time in the office playing with a string or just watching her attack my hand and thinking, "Oh the fun we could have, you and I. I will knit you mice and fill them with catnip. I will drag yarn across the floor for you. I will have to clear out the alcove and do a really thorough cleaning of the apartment before you come home, though."

And that was it. My laziness and clutter stopped me from bringing home a kitten I have no business even thinking about. You see, I have allergies and asthma. And while it's true that I used to have a lovely orange tiger cat named James (he was the sweetest) back in Pennsyltucky, my tolerance for them has diminished. The last time I cuddled a cat my very concerned sister had to rush me to the Acute Care Center at 10 o'clock at night because I couldn't breathe. Now, my allergies and asthma have both abated as of late and I haven't had an inhaler in two years, but do I really want to take that chance? Kind of. Look how cute she is!

And just because he was great, here's a picture of one of the other cats they care for. His name is, appropriately enough, Garfield.

I can't make this shit up

Here is a sampling from my hometown newspaper's Twitter tweets:Honestly, it makes me a little nostalgic. Also, wouldn't it make a great sitcom in the tradition of "Green Acres"?

Vintage Photo Friday--Cheeriffic

I know this is supposed to be Vintage photos and I hardly think of 1977 as vintage, but here it is.Click on the photo to make it bigger. That's me all the way over on the right. The other girl making up the base is Amy Miller. I know she looks boyish, but she was a girly girl at heart. In high school, she had an semi-illicit affair with the athletic trainer whom she later married and who is now the mayor of our hometown. Not a bad catch, Amy.

The girl on top with the Farrah hair is Jessie Eschenbach. She was a gymnast who did all kinds of flips and stuff during our half time routines. She weighed about 10 oz. We got lucky.
The redhead in the middle with the excellent form (look at those straight arms) is my BFF Joann. Naomi Manson is on her back. Kathy Hartman is on the far left, the girl next to her is Sue something, and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the girl on top, even though she was our captain that year. Ah, what I wouldn't give to have those thighs again.

Flash forward a year or two:My mom took this photo in our back yard one day in early September. It was too hot the day this picture was taken for me to wear the uniform sweater, however, when cheering I hated the days we didn't wear sweaters because that red turtleneck made me look totally boobilicious. Again, those legs. That is my lovely sister, Kate, beside me in her Notre Dame High School cheerleading uniform. I never cheered for my school; I wasn't good enough. But I was cheer captain two years running for ESYA. I was captain three times, actually, the first being in my Jr. Pee Wee days when I was 7 and adorable. But to be honest, they only made me and Gretchin* Wagner co-captains because we looked like twins and everyone thought that was cute.

*not spelled incorrectly on my part. That's the way her father spelled it on the hospital form.

Was this alternate universe day?

I forgot to set my alarm last night so I woke up at five minutes past J.I'm supposed to be to work by I o'clock, so I was very late. On my way in, drivers were doing all kinds of strange things: a white Honda stopped at a green light, all four cars at the intersection of James Wood and Oxford pulled out at the same time, and, my favorite, a red Corolla stopped in the middle of the street with no light or stop sign around and just sat there, driver staring straight ahead. A police car sped up Wilcox, lights flashing, and then the very same car sped down Cahuenga just a minute later. It felt like the movie "The Happening" without all the suicide.

Perhaps the freakiest thing that happened today was that Terry, my co-worker who arrives between 10:30 and 11:00 every day, was at work BEFORE me. Hell, she'd been there since 9:00!! The day has just been topsy turvy and frankly, I'm not sure how safe it is for me to go out tonight. I may just go straight home and put a new battery in the alarm clock.

Just like the Coelacanth

I spent today with my awesome friend and former roommate, Tami, whom I have not seen in so long I can't remember. I know we haven't spoken since Christmas and other than the occasional text, we've been woefully out of touch. But she texted me on Wednesday and invited me to hang out and be girls, so I accepted.

After meeting her in Pasadena, we headed out to Burbank's Empire Center where we ventured into Michaels. I needed Polyfill; she needed two skeins of baby yarn. That's when I saw it--a sight I thought I'd never see in my lifetime, but much like the coelacanth, reports of its extinction have been greatly exaggerated. Look! A fully stocked yarn department!Two whole aisles of it!! I think I may have squealed out loud. Not only was it fully stocked, NOT A MESS, and color coordinated, but they have brought in some really great new brands of yarn in more natural fibers. I picked up some NaturallyCaron yarns in a lovely teal colorway. It comes in a wool blend and bamboo blend. They were also fully stocked in the Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in all the colors. Wow!

From there we headed over to Glendale because Joann's is having a 50% off button sale. I totally needed buttons. From Joann's, we actually went back to Burbank, ate lunch at the Olive Garden, bought shoes (flip flops for me), got pedicures and then headed over to the Media Center for more shopping. I talked Tami into a really cute top at Old Navy, and the staff at Bath & Body Works talked both of us into the "Buy 3, Get 3 free" trap. I'm now up to my neck in good smelling stuff.

Now I'm home and tired and hungry, but I already took my bra off so I don't want to go out. I'll have to forage in my cupboards for something to make a meal. Hope your Memorial Day was just as memorable.