Except For The Absence Of That New Car Smell, You'd Never Know

My car had to go in for inspection this afternoon (inspections are required every year in Pennsylvania) and on my way to work this morning I was thinking about taking the beach chairs out of the back and anything else I wanted to remove before taking it to the garage. I keep my car exceptionally clean and if you were to get in it, you would probably think it’s a year or two old based on the interior, when in fact it is ten years old.

I got to thinking that the same might be said for me and all of us really. On my interior, I feel the same as I’ve felt my entire adult life. I sure don’t feel like I’m 46. The lines and "chips on my hood" do not match my interior where I feel like the same girl I’ve always been. I know for sure that the experiences that I've had have changed me over the years but when I stop and think about it, I don't "feel" different to myself.

My car is 10 and I am 46; we've both seen a lot of miles, a lot of sunny days and a lot of rainy days. But you'd never know it by our interiors.

What Do A Laptop, Peanut Butter And A Fuel Pump Have In Common?

Some weird stuff happening today, Friends. I drove 22 of my 23 miles to work this morning only to remember I left my laptop at home. I had to drive back home and then back to work again. A 70-mile commute. Lovely.

Then a little before lunch my husband went to get gas and when he went to start the car up again after it wouldn’t start. The car had to be towed and a new fuel pump was needed.

Since I’m always in such a rush in the morning (because of my 70-mile commute - HA!) I never take the time to fix my lunch so this morning I threw a soda, two pieces of bread in a Tupperware container, peanut butter, jelly, chips and strawberries in a bag. I went to make my lunch around 12:30 p.m. at my office only to find I had left the bread on my kitchen counter at home.

They say things happen in threes so I hope the rest of the day is smooth sailing. With the laptop, bread and fuel pump safely onboard.

Autumn Turns To Winter, And Winter Turns To Spring

I have a theory that everything in life can be tied to a Brady Bunch episode.




Wanna get out of something? = “Something suddenly came up!”

Break something that you shouldn’t have been touching in the first place? = “Mom always said don’t play ball in the house.”

Need money? = Go on a TV talent show and sing with your brothers and sisters

Blog seeming to be going in a new direction? = When it’s time to change, you’ve got to rearrange, who you are into what you’re gonna be, Sha na na na, na na na na na, sha na na na na . . .

I started this blog as a way to express myself during a very difficult time when I was searching for a new job. This blog then segued into starting a new job with pieces of the rest of my life floating in and out. Although I will continue to write about my job and job search – for I will never stop searching no matter how good my current employment is – I feel like it’s time for a change into what I’m going to be. So I hope you’ll bear with me as I figure out where we’re going. All I know for now is that I want you to come along with me.

Sha na na na, na na na na na, sha na na na na . . .

What Is Time On My Hands, Alex?

Things are pretty slow at work as we knew it would be since summer is our slow season. None of us are traveling and just a few of us have begun our planning for fall meetings. There is lots of downtime and lots of web surfing and Skyping back and forth with colleagues. Normally we don’t have time to use the restroom.

Today, before lunch, I’d already been on TMZ, People, CNN and an assortment of other websites reading anything and everything. When we are busy and are traveling, I have no idea what is going on in the world, Hollywood, with my friends, my family or my neighborhood.

When we’re not busy and traveling, I’m the most informed person on the planet.

I guess NOW would be the time to apply for Jeopardy . . .

Everybody IN The Pool

I have always dreamed of having a pool. When I was growing up, my mom’s friend two doors down had one and I spent many hours in that pool while my mom and Mrs. F. talked about their stories (translation for you younger readers: soap operas), their husbands (there was a lot to talk about believe me) and the neighbors.

We have a very small backyard and a pool is just not possible. I humor myself by saying it’d be too much work, we’d only have 4 months to use it, we’re never home anyway to use it, blah, blah, blah.

But I still want one.

Probably because of our record-breaking heat over the last week, I have noticed pools in many back yards during my daily commute and on the weekend while running errands. Some are in ground, with beautiful landscaping and fencing, some are above ground with big giant crocodiles you can lay on floating on the top. But they all have one thing in common – they are empty.

I don’t understand this. In my mind’s eye, if I had a pool, I’d get up, put on my bathing suit and not get out of it until it was time for bed, just like I did as a child or I do now when on vacation at the shore. My skin would be permanently puckered and my new perfume of choice would be Eau de Chlorine.

WHY AREN’T PEOPLE IN THEIR POOLS?

I suppose if I jump on board the raft called “reality”, I know why. People are busy with life and can’t/don’t allow themselves to relax and enjoy. Summer is the time of picnics and camps and vacations and yard work and gardening and the year-round chores – cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping – don’t go away because the pool is a refreshing 80 degrees. Life doesn’t stop because the pool is uncovered and awaiting a splash.

If you have a pool or know someone who does, stick your toe in and see how good it feels. Sit on the edge and churn the water around with your legs. Make a cup with your hand and fill it with the cool water and empty it all over your arms. Take off your sunglasses, lean forward with your arms in front of you and dive in. Get your hair wet. Swim around a bit. Get on board a raft and let your fingers dip in the water. Do it for me. Do it for the envious woman driving by your house, seeing that empty, beautiful pool. We’ll both be glad you did.

Literally

As my husband informed me earlier, today was the hottest day in our lifetimes.

He said, "Today is the hottest day in our lifetimes."

Short and sweet. Just like the man.

Whatever I Touch, Starts To Melt In My Clutch

Temperatures and tempers are at an all-time high here in Southeastern Pennsylvania. We will reach 100 degrees today and into the weekend. I can’t remember the last time it rained. You can see the heat is taking a toll on people everywhere you look. It ain’t pretty, let me tell you.

I wish Mother Nature would give her son, Heat Miser, a timeout!

Come on, Mother Nature, help a Sister Rain out!

My Morning Commute

If Road Rage were a rocket ship, I'd be writing this from the moon!







When I wrote this post this morning, I gave absolutely no thought to the fact that on this date in 1969 Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon after landing their lunar module. Kind of spooky.

It's A Sad, Sad Day

I will miss you old friend. Greatly.

I Take This Man To Lawfully Be My Son?

Apparently one of my unknown responsibilities after almost 19 years of marriage is to wake my husband before I leave for work. He doesn’t have to get up or leave as early as I do (click HERE for the back story) and this morning I didn’t tell him I was leaving and received a nasty text message about 30 minutes later.

Perhaps when I send him to bed directly after supper (yes, I used the word “supper”) with no TV he will realize I am NOT his mother.

For sure tomorrow morning he will realize the meaning of “a rude awakening”.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!

Sorry Bay City Rollers (I am very, very old), there will be no raucous party tonight in the world of Sister Rain. After a busy week between work and some fun things "on a school night", I am ready to finish up my weekly chores today, then settle in on the love seat in my comfy clothes (ladies you know of what I speak) and catch up on TiVo.

Something tells me the Bay City Rollers, now in their 60s, may be doing the same thing.

Simple Things = Happiness

A True Wonder Of Our World

I went to see friend and singer/songwriter Dan May perform last night at the new Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. This is a new outside venue built right up against the still standing tall and proud Bethlehem Steel manufacturing facility's 5 blast furnaces.

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation (1857–2003) was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world and one of the most powerful symbols of American manufacturing excellence.

You can't help but look at the immensity of the facility and the catwalks that snake around the entire structure with awe, knowing that men walked those dangerous yet necessary catwalks for almost 150 years. It was eerie to be there after the sun went down but eerie in a good way. The SteelStacks are lit with a red light at night that only enhanced what was already a beautiful full-mooned summer evening.

How wonderful that the powers-that-be made the choice, the right choice, to leave these structures intact and build venues and entertainment areas around this landmark. It's man-made, not made by whatever higher power you believe in, but it is as majestic and as big a part of America as the Grand Canyon.

You're The Emblem Of The Land I Love

A sunny July Saturday morning. Running local errands with the hubster, when I turn a corner onto the top of a hill of a residential street. Both sides of the street have houses proudly displaying the American flag. It honestly took my breath away.

A slice of Americana, a Norman Rockwell painting, right in my own hometown.

Sometimes we really do get it right.

No Ma'am

I made my daily stop at McDonald’s this morning for a large coffee. There was a new person at the window, a young man under 20 years old. He handed the coffee to me out the window and said “Have a good day, miss”.

I am of the age where I get a lot of “ma’am”s and it always surprises me. But today, my greeting not only surprised me, but made my day.

Coffee and a “miss”, the breakfast of champions.

Jaycee Dugard

I just watched her interview with Diane Sawyer and the interview and Jaycee will be with me for a long, long time. Jaycee has created a foundation to provide support and services to ensure the timely treatment of families that are recovering from abduction and the aftermath of other traumatic experiences.

Check out the Foundation's website at http://thejaycfoundation.org and read her new book called "A Stolen Life". I don't think you'll be sorry you did.

Sister Rain: A Biography

If you're a long time reader of this blog, you know that I've got some OCD issues when it comes to organizing things, especially my home. When I lost my job in the summer of 2007, I tackled the clutter in my house and am proud to say my husband and I have been able to maintain it for 4 years. I would be lying, however, if I told you it's not been much more of a challenge since I returned to the work force last December.

Today I finally caught up on over 6 months of filing. I know, the horror! I realized I do not have a file for "US Air" and there is some paperwork I need to keep from them so I wrote up a new folder. As I tried to file it in the file cabinet, alphabetically, I realized that it went directly behind my "Unemployment" folder, which, by the way, may be the largest file of them all. Immediately my mind went to the many times I had pulled that file out to make a call to the Unemployment Office to see if I was eligible for an extension on my compensation. Those were very difficult calls to make and I can still remember my heart in my throat as I waited for someone to answer the line.

As I wedged the "US Air" folder in behind the "Unemployment" folder, it all seemed very fitting. I thought about going through the "Unemployment" folder to see what I could get rid of, but the superstitious part of me wouldn't allow it. "It's too soon" as the comedians say when they make a joke about some new news story that is also a sensitive issue.

The files in the file cabinet really tell the story of my life. The folders are the chapters of my life and new chapters are written all the time and some existing chapters stay open while others close. And I guess, really, the "Unemployment" chapter has to stay. For if the files represent the chapters of my life, this is one that must be read.

Perhaps The Best Book Title EVER

In case you're wondering, yes, I do have a big *ss. If you're not wondering, I still have a big *ss.

True Friend, True Words

Home

Still burnt.

Still stupid.

And not necessarily in that order.

You Can't Teach An Old Lobster New Tricks

My 40-something tanorexic self knows better than to sit in the sun for the first time this year without sunscreen on her legs and yet she seems surprised that the top of her legs are the same color as the Phillies shirt that she's wearing.

A Cliche But A Truthful One

A cloudy day at the beach is still better than a sunny day at home.

I've got the clouds, but I've also got books and my mom and the Phillies on this afternoon.

Would I prefer it to be sunny? Yes, but that would be the icing on this delicious cake.

Scarlett Fridays

From today until Labor Day, we are done work on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. It is really a nice perk, although I'm told it's only because the fall schedule is of such a pace that we all may not survive it.

Much like Scarlett, I'll worry about that tomorrow -- or more like in September.

For now, it's summer Friday afternoons off that is all I need to know!