Did you know a car can affect how old you look? I didn't. Apparently somebody, somewhere did a study. Probably grant funded at that. Why can't I think of this kind of stuff??
In any event I managed to take 19 years off my real age by driving a 2001 Nissan Xterra.
it'll make you look 28
The Xterra "casts a rugged strong look, like a weathered face that has snowboarded down many mountains." The "age" of someone driving an Xterra? 28. Perhaps it's really 20, but that whole "snowboarded down many mountains" thing may have "weathered" the face a bit too much. In any event for a week or so, I went from 47 to 28.
However, after driving the Xterra to Wyoming and back, it became very obvious to me that I was not 28, and I didn't have the body of a 28 year old, and I didn't like bouncing down the road like a ping pong ball. Sorry, it may be rugged and tough and all that, but it sure isn't comfortable on 47 year old bones. Not to mention I like my cars to actually have power. When I push on the accelerator, it should accelerate. The Xterra just made a lot of noise to give you the impression you were actually moving. Maybe that's their way of making it "fuel efficient."
So, I traded the Xterra in and gained six years back. I bought a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.
this one makes you look 34
This particular car sets my age at 34. Not bad, actually. I could deal with being 34 again. Although, there's a bunch of stuff that's happened in the past 13 years, I'd rather not repeat, so I'll just settle for the "illusion" of being 34. They didn't offer any super exciting description of Grand Cherokees. Guess they aren't "weathered" or "rugged" or whatever. It was described as "polished." I can do polished. Polished is good. Polished is mature. Polished is classy.
Reading the news this morning I happened upon a headline that read, "Japanese men battle epic loneliness by fostering intense relationships, and romance, with stuffed pillows representing teenage girls." Apparently these men (and some women) have all consuming relationships with "figurines fashioned after popular anime characters."
Gee, makes you wonder why Japanese men are battling "epic loneliness," doesn't it? Me, I don't wonder at all.
This lead me to another story which I found myself laughing out loud while reading. Good thing the boss man was off at a meeting; he would have thought I'd lost my marbles.
Again.
"A 22-year-old Central Kitsap man who was allegedly 'begging for a fight,' Tuesday night got one — and a trip to the Kitsap County jail.
'Rocks began to rain down,' on five people gathered behind the TJ Maxx Store on Silverdale Way sometime around 7:40 p.m., according to Kitsap County Sheriff’s reports.
The 22-year-old man emerged as the thrower and told the group, who ranged in age from 15 to 50, that he was preparing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and 'he needed to practice getting knocked out so he could prepare,' deputies wrote.
Though the group asked the man to leave, he allegedly 'sucker punched,' a 21-year-old and a fight broke out. The 22-year-old eventually pulled a pocket knife, deputies wrote, and swung it at the 21-year-old before he lost control of the weapon.
The 22-year-old told a deputy investigating the incident that he’d never been in a fight before.
Then a 15-year-old boy who had been among the group getting pelted by rocks walked up. The 22-year 'immediately began approaching,' the boy 'in an aggressive manner.' The deputy intervened and began to wrestle with the 22-year-old, eventually taking him to the ground before other deputies arrived.
The man was booked into the Kitsap County jail on suspicion of second-degree assault and resisting arrest. Deputies found a knife in one of his pockets. Bail was set at $160,000.Kitsap Sun 12 Aug. 2009
I admit in my youth, I did some pretty stooopid things, but nothing quite that moronic.
Admittedly the people on the receiving end of this man's stupidity probably didn't find it quite as funny as I do. I bet they will one day. I hope so anyway.
Kinda wonder what will become of Future Ultimate Championship Fighting Dude...
I hope your week started off much better than mine; granted mine wasn't as bad as the guy on the bike, but it shook me up just the same.
If you ride a bike, follow the rules of the road. I drive a big ol' honkin' SUV and when it comes down to it, my car will squish you like a bug. Flat. Pancake. Smooshed. Squished. Splat. You get the picture, and it ain't pretty is it?
isn't pretty, is it?
Now I'm not saying I have anything against bike riders. I don't. The folks in cars that don't follow the rules annoy me as much as the folks on bikes that don't follow the rules. Only difference is, the odds of someone on a bike surviving a run in with my car, are considerably slimmer than someone in a car. However, I am saying this, if you follow the rules of the road then we have no quarrel. You ride downhill at an uncontrollable speed and run a stop sign like the yahoo this morning did *and* make me test out my anti lock braking system (it works quite nicely, thank you) then we have issues.
The look on that kid's face when he saw this big, black machine with a shiny chrome grill that resembles sharp pointy teeth screeching to a stop inches away from his head-phoned clad face was one I hope to never see again. Although, I will take that look over blood and guts any day. I'm not sure if he ever heard the horn, since he had his headphones superglued to his ears. I'm guessing not.
I can only hope he will pay attention to speed limits, traffic signs & signals, and other road rules. The cynic in me says he won't. Then again, after seeing his short life playing across the shiny grill, maybe he'll be a little more cognizant of his driving/riding habits. I hope he realizes how fortunate he is that *I* pay attention!
Heather got her first mobile phone this past summer and in the course of the past couple of months has become a "power" texter. I'm just now figuring out how to get a space between two words, so that just goes to show exactly how much texting *I* do. Not a whole lot.
My mobile company has this nifty feature where I can send a text from my computer. That makes it a lot easier, and faster, for me to respond to Heather by text. Still I prefer to call, but I guess for whatever reason actually talking to someone isn't as effective or something. Must be an oldies thing.
Heather also got her driver's license not too long ago. Heather's a good driver, very conscientious and alert. While I'm in the car. I can only hope that those are her usual driving habits even when I'm not with her.
Personally I don't think mobile phones and cars are a good mix. If you want to use your phone, do me a favor and pull off the road; don't think for a minute you are capable of driving AND dialing or texting or whatever. I would prefer that my family or I do not become one of your victims, thank you very much.
When I was growing up we didn't have mobile phones, computers, iPods, or any of the other "must have" technology that is available today. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. While driving the only thing I had within reach to dink around with was the handle to roll the window up or down, the heater, or the radio. Since I lived in The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, NM we didn't even get radio reception most of the time so no use in dinking.
I think the video put out in Wales as a Public Service Announcement should be mandatory viewing for all drivers – not just teens – on the danger of texting while driving. It's beyond my comprehension how anyone could text while driving and think it's not affecting their driving skills. Sorry folks, it's impossible for a human to look in two different places at the same time. It just ain't gonna happen. It's a chameleon thing, not a human thing. Never mind that both hands aren't on the steering wheel.
If you're a parent, a teen, know a teen, or are yourself a driver, I suggest you watch the video. Warning it is very graphic, but hopefully it will get the message across to some people.
So, I took Heather off to college last Thursday. We get her moved in and go through the day with sporadic anxiety attacks, but nothing alarming. In fact I was relieved when at the end of the day, she sends me a text message and says we probably won't be able to meet up before I head back home because she's found one of her friends and they are doing their thing. Being me, I'm not going to just leave her there without giving her a hug and kiss goodbye. After giving me the perfunctory hug she takes off with her friend, and I head to my car - in tears. I'm glad she seems so OK with this, but I'm not sure I'm OK with this.
Friday, I get up, come home, and consciously not call, text, e-mail or otherwise try to contact Heather. I don't want to be one of those horrible "helicopter" parents that refuses to let their child become a responsible adult.
Sadly, the past few days have been very hard on my baby and she's very, very homesick. Periodically she has what she calls "breakdowns" and gets anxious and cries and feels like she's the only one feeling that way. No matter what I do to try and make her feel better, it's not working. In the span of 10 minutes I receive 4 text messages. "I don't think I can do this." "I want to be home." "I don't want to be here." and "I miss you."
Oh, what's a mom to do? There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep my baby from hurting, but I *know* Heather is capable of "doing this," and will succeed if she could just stop being homesick. There are so many tips, suggestions, ideas of what to do to help your child adjust to college, but all of them require time. I want her to be OK RIGHT NOW! not a day, a week, a month, or a semester from now.
One of our academic advisors told me a story about one of her students who had been in her office to work on some schedule snafu. The advisor notices the girl looks upset about something so the advisor asks the student if there is anything else on her mind. The girl's eyes well up with tears, and she responds, "I'm homesick." The advisor tells her this is very normal and she'll be OK and then asks her where the student is from. The student answers, "Niwot." Niwot?! Niwot is maybe a 20 minute drive from campus. This poor girl is homesick and home is only 8 miles away. Just goes to show that home is at the other end of the earth when you are on a strange campus, living with strange people in a strange room, and out of your comfort zone.
I just want my baby to be happy, safe, and comfortable. And I know she will be. Hopefully soon. Very, very soon. If not, mom's going to have her own "breakdown" and will be roaring up to Laramie to hug her baby.
I dislike cold weather. Actually, dislike is not strong enough a word. Using the word hate seems overly negative; it's hard for me to hate anything. Despise, loath, deplore, execrate might be more like it. I've been waiting patiently all summer for summer, and guess what? No summer. In fact in the past month we have broken the record for having the lowest high temperature and lowest low temperature to date. Where are the 90+ degree days? Huh? I wanna know! They sure aren't here. Next thing you know I'll be having to put the sandals, shorts, t-shirts, and other summer clothes away and pull out the winter gear. It's August for Pete's sake! Bring on the heat!
OK, so I started this yesterday and realized I'm full of shit. I'm not *that* upset about the weather; although, I wouldn't mind some summer days before winter comes back and bites me in the butt.
I'm upset my daughter is growing up and is going away to college. The key words being "going away."
Wyoming road
I've heard from many folks trying to help ease my sadness that she's "only" two hours away, that she'll come home on the weekends, that this is "normal," etc. Yeah. Yeah. I know. I appreciate the words and thoughts, but it just ain't helping.
My car is my portable stereo system, and I like to jam out while on the road. The music will be blasting while I'm listening to an AC/DC, Aerosmith, Dwight Yoakum, Jimmy Buffett, or whoever CD and I'll have some sort of memory of Heather. For instance I was listening to INXS yesterday morning and the song "Baby Don't Cry" came on. I was instantly back in a Honda Civic in 1994 driving from Clovis, NM to Boulder to see Auntie Elmo and this song was playing. Looking back in the rear view mirror and seeing little 3-year old Heather jamming and bopping her head and singing along! Just a few minutes before she was fussy and was tired of being in the car and wanted to be "home," but this song comes on and she says, "Louder Mommy!" so I crank it to make-your-ears-ring loud, and we're both singing along at the top of our lungs and all is right in her world.
I will miss those moments. We had a lot of them, and oh, man, I hope we have more. But I have to accept that she is grown up, moving on, becoming an adult, and getting her own life. The lyrics are still so very relevant. I hope she knows this.
She's not "leaving" me so much as expanding, growing, finding her own path.
Glacier National Park trail
I can say that the next few weeks are going to be very hard on me, but I also know that Heather's got it a lot worse than mom. Her life is going to be turned upside down, inside out, and every which way but loose. Heather's scared, nervous, excited, all of those things we experience when we venture into the unknown. I know that she'll land on her feet, and she'll ALWAYS have me to come home to. If she wants.
For the past few months I've been considering getting a canine pal. There are three kitties that live with me now, and part of the conundrum is whether they would approve of a canine joining the fold; although, there are other issues I'm mulling over. It's been over 20 years since I've had a dog to call my own. With the exception of a few short months, I've never been without some sort of pet, and I love my cats, but think it would be super cool to have a dog too.
When I moved to Colorado in 2001, the townhouse I moved into came with a cat, who I named Doe.
Doe aka The Crankmeister
Doe's previous owners had abandoned him when they moved out about a month prior to me moving in. According to the neighbors, Doe didn't get along with their other cats, so they just left him. Frankly, that whole situation stinks on too many levels for me to even go into. I'd be here all day ranting and raving. Needless to say, their loss was my gain.
Doe initially was an indoor/outdoor cat, but over the years I made him strictly an indoor cat. The lifespan of an indoor/outdoor cat is about 5 – 7 years; an indoor cat can live well into their teens. Doe is now probably pushing the 12 to 13 year mark. At one point Doe got into some sort of tussle with another cat and ended up with stitches in his ear and an Elizabethan collar. Needless to say, it just made more sense to keep him indoors - for his sake as well as my bank account's. Doe's had some serious health issues over the past couple of years, and recently was diagnosed with FIV (kitty AIDS) and has to be segregated from other cats. Prior to finding out about his FIV, I had adopted Willa. I wasn't sure how Doe would take to having another cat in the house, but they became buds. Maybe not best buds, but they enjoyed playing with each other and on the rare occasion would actually snuggle together.
Willa & Doe
After finding out about Doe's FIV status, I had to make him a permanent home in the master suite, which meant Willa was locked out of my bedroom and had no kitty friend to play with. Doe does just fine living alone in his own little kingdom, but Willa was getting depressed. So, off I go to the Longmont Humane Society and come home with Izzy.
Izzy
Izzy is a spaz. There's just no other way to put it. Willa had been described as "life of the party" and she was. There wasn't anything she wouldn't get into. Willa's tame compared to Izzy. Most of my houseplants look as if they've been through a hurricane. The one set of curtains I do have up are full of kitty punch holes from the floor to about two feet off the ground (thank goodness for Levolor blinds on the rest of the windows.) At last count I've replaced two lamps. If it's small enough to knock onto the floor and chase around, Izzy makes it a cat toy. Yesterday Heather caught Izzy playing with a Mini Reese's Peanut Butter cup. Fortunately, she hadn't quite got the wrapper opened and my (light beige) carpet wasn't covered in chocolate and peanut butter.
So, back to the canine issue...
Now that I'm no longer living in a townhouse and have a yard and more room, I'm seriously considering getting a dog. There are so many out there that need homes, and I really do like dogs almost as much as I like cats, so I'm thinking maybe I should give one a "forever" home. I visit the Longmont Humane Society website and the Boulder County Humane Society website and the Maxfund website and the numerous rescue groups websites. I always find at least one dog that looks like one I'd like to add to my family.
how can you not fall in love with that?
There are lots of things to consider about getting a dog. They do take a lot more attention and time than cats. Going away for a couple of days? No prob with cats; leave a bowl of kibble and lots of water and a clean litter box and I'm good to go. I couldn't do that with a dog. I would have a few choices though. Take the dog with me, find a good friend who really likes my dog and will dog-sit, or board the dog. Taking a dog with me on a road trip or camping trip might be doable. With a road trip though, I risk not being able to find a hotel that accepts dogs, and depending on where I'm going I would have the issue of what to do with the dog once I reach my destination. Since the majority of my road trips are to National Parks, it's problematic in that National Parks will allow dogs in the park, but basically they have to stay in the car. Pets aren't allowed on trails or beyond 100 feet of open roads and campgrounds. What fun would it be for a dog to just sit in a car while I'm off exploring? It wouldn't be a whole lot of fun for me either; I'd want to take my dog exploring with me. Never mind that I would never ever ever leave my dog in a car in the summer for any amount of time, and maybe only for a few minutes in weather where there was no worry about overheating. Having a friend look after my dog would be fine, as long as I could find a friend willing to do it. Hello friends! Do I have any volunteers?! Boarding would be OK as well, but it's expensive and what if the dog didn't like it?
Next there is the whole at home care thing. With cats I just put out a litter box and scoop it each day, and the cats are happy. Dogs you have to take outside for walks and carry little baggies to clean up the poop. Having to take a dog for a walk has its own bennies. For instance it would get me off my butt and out exercising. But now I'd have to carry a bag of poop through the neighborhood until I got home or found a bin to toss it. Then there's the whole I can't stand cold/snow issue. In the winter I'd still have to go out for walks even though the weather sucks. I suppose I could just open the side door and let the dog out in the yard, but that's not really fair to the dog is it? The dog will still want to go out for a walk and romp and play. While I do have a yard, it's certainly not big enough for a romp, and I'd still have to go out to clean up the mess. If I have to do that, I might as well just go for the walk. In the cold and/or snow which I abhor!
So, I'm constantly reminding myself that getting a dog is a big responsibility. That's not to say getting a cat isn't. Cats require care and love and they have health issues (vet bills). Since Doe gets meds twice a day, when I go out of town, I have to board him. If I'm gone for more than two or three days, I'll have to board all three of them.
My cats are part of my family, and I think it's abominable when people "relinquish" their pet(s) just because of health issues or they don't like the personality or the pet has "destructive habits." A person doesn't get rid of a child when it gets sick or has personality traits the parent doesn't really like or understand or when the child breaks/burns/trashes something. Pets aren't disposable is my point. They are a lifetime commitment, and I take that very seriously.
My mind isn't made up one way or the other; there are a lot of pros and cons to consider. The fact is the pros will always outweigh the cons, so maybe I shouldn't say my mind isn't made up but that I'm putting off the inevitable.
