Confessions of a One-Track Mind

GK picked me up Friday afternoon and we went to Bryan's memorial picnic. It was pleasant. (I should say that my morning was less so: I got a new battery, but it was an ordeal.) The weather was overcast, but not raining. Humid, but there was a breeze.

Not a huge turnout; There was GK, her hubby and their two boys, Doc, his wife and their two girls, NJ (Bryan's widow), their two boys and one girl, and a few peripheral friends. There was more than enough food, a good soundtrack going in the background, and GK had a bunch of family photos as conversation starters.

It lasted for several hours, after which time GK and I both elected NOT to go to the reunion. Neither of us cared to go hang around a bar (especially after the free drinks rumor was quashed), so we went back to their motel on the beach and everybody got into the pool. (Well, me and GK's and Doc's bunch.)

Floating on my back, watching the sky go from teal to indigo to black was the high point of my weekend. I wore the Goodwill swimsuit, which fit and looked good---I will try to get a pic up, although the one GK got wasn't optimal.

I ended up crashing on their couch over the weekend. Not a pullout, just a basic barely six-foot long couch with a pillow. Hey, a/c and wifi for the win! Also, GK gifted me something I'd mentioned wanting, a southwestern-style woven blanket. It's brightly colered and just the right length for me to snuggle under!

Saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter on Saturday afternoon and Brave Sunday morning. Liked 'em both. Considerable suspension of disbelief required for the former, but it was still entertaining. The later was charming; I now desperately want a wee stuffed Angus!

Sunday afternoon, GK got in a bit of thrifting at MI Goodwill. This was her first trip to the new location, and she was mightily underwhelmed. I got a giant ceramic mug of a style I like for soup and such. Then we met CF at New Century Chinese Buffet. She and I and GK and NJ all had a great time.

Currently, GK and BlueRoses are in Savannah, visiting a home-bound friend. There's more to tell, but it's late. I'm tired, and I'm looking forward to being in my own bed.

More later....

.

In a more uplifting vein than my last post, a few things have been going right:

The boil water alert has been lifted. Yay!

J drove me around to my bank and I got funds to pay FPL. Then she ran me over to WalMart (less than a mile down the road), which was amusing.

See, I haven't been to the store in more than a week, and was out of everything. There's a S'leven right next to the FPL pay station, but the prices are way better at WalMart. J was suspicious when I said I just needed a few things and would be out in 15 minutes. Her mom Susie was notorious for saying that and coming out two hours later with a train of shopping carts.*

I checked my phone for the time when I went in, and did some speed spending. The usual: caffeine, bread, cheese, eggs, lunch meat, munchies. And I was back at the car with my loot only to find her on the phone...where she remained for another 15 minutes, so I could've taken my time.

Battery situation: Called around and found I can get a reconditioned one with a 1-year warranty, $45. Given the age and general decrepitude of my car, that sounds much more suitable than a brand-new one for $85.

It's too hot to run around hooking up the charger and all that this afternoon. I'll do it first thing in the morning, to avoid heat stroke. Mb, God bless her, is going to follow me to the salvage yard in case I stall out. I figure I'll change out my old battery there for a minimum of back-and-forthing.

Afterward, I'll stop by the beauty supply place for hair color, go home, do my hair, and call GK. At least, that's the plan. In the last 24 hours or so, my mind has been havind a tug-of-war about going to the reunion at all. I know, I've been driving y'all crazy talking about it for the last six months, so WTF, Fluffy?!

Because, really, do I honestly think the great love of my life is going to swoop down and save me from all the crap in my life? Or even buy me dinner, which looks to be kinda pricey, according to their on-line menu.

Face it, my teeth are dreadful. My smile is more scary than seductive. When I say I'm hot, it's in the WRONG sense of the word. (I'm sure I'm going to explode into a sizzling pile of pork rinds any day now.) I'm terrible at small talk, and sometimes I don't even recognize flirtation. Yes, I can dress up, but I have the sick feeling that anything I do is going to look like I'm trying too hard.

It's a chance to hang out with GK and maybe see some people I haven't seen in umpteen years. Supposedly, one of the big cheeses is subsidizing everyone's bar tab. (Mind you, I'm a really cheap drunk, so not a huge incentive, but still....) That's how I need to think of it. IDK. I'll talk with GK tomorrow and see what she thinks.

Saturday, there is talk of seeing a movie. Which one will depend on whetheer the kids are off touring KSC. If they're not, "Brave" has been mentioned. Otherwise, GK and I are both enthused about "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". Frankly, I'd rather spend the $8 on a movie ticket than an over-priced hamberger at the reunion.

I'm just hoping the weather will be decent for the picnic tomorrow afternoon and to catch a swim in GK's hotel pool. I'm really looking forward to that!

0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0

* That was right up there with her habit of telling someone on the phone, "I'm on my way out the door right now!", when in fact she was just getting ready to take a shower. I personally witnessed this on more than one occasion; the woman was constitutionally incapable of being on time for anything.

.

One thing that can be said for last week's Ordeal By Cat, it sure helped reset my sleep cycle. I was so utterly worn-out after five days and nights of caterwaling that I conked out around 10PM Saturday night. Was up a wee bit later on Sunday, but I have subsequently managed to be in bed with lights out by midnite, and up early. (Before 7:30AM?! OMG!)

Mb came by yesterday and dropped off my walking shoes. I'd left them at her place, but what with the toe and her busy schedule, it doesn't look like we'll be walking together soon. I need to get my act together and Just Do It. (Seven weeks?! Yikes!)

I was going to give her one of my belts, because she has some jeans that are falling off her. Tried it on, and it works on me. How/when did that happen? Also, my brown belt with studded rings, last worn to the Depeche Mode concert on the next-to last hole, is a couple holes farther down. My only regret is that my Little Earth belt, gotten back when I was 340-ish, now falls off my hips completely, and there's no way to fix it.

I wonder if my "disco-ball" dress...no, too flashy for the reunion, I think. Besides, I last wore that around 30 pounds ago, it would *have* to be taken in. *smile*

Have a good day, y'all!

.

For starters, I'm 284 as of this morning. My reunion is a scant seven weeks away, and I'm hoping I can drop another 10 pounds between now and then. Being laid up because of my foot didn't help my progress, now it's getting to the season where my pores are starting to leak. Summer, guh!

I'm trying to decide what I'm going to wear to the event...I don't want to buy anything; I have tons of clothes as it is. The fact that most of my pants are quite baggy doesn't help. It's a Good Thing in terms of visible progress, but not so good in terms of having to spend money to replace old reliables with new, smaller items. Which leaves skirts? A dress? OMG, shoes?! What shoes do I have that are drop-dead? *wibbles* Because I cherish the small, forlorn hope that the love of my life will appear and be smitten....

Got caught up on the last couple eps of "Missing", and so far, everything I surmised has either been correct, or will probably be proven so ere long. I still don't really care about Ashley Judd one way or another, but regular Sean Bean for the win! Ditto Cliff Curtis! (And that guy playing Giancarlo ain't exactly a troll, either.)

Last night, I had an odd sort of dream, where SO came over to ask me about how to cook a big beef roast that he had. I told him he needed to start roasting at 500F for the first half-hour to sear it, then reduce the heat to 350F for the rest of the cooking time, total cook time 20 minutes per pound. (IDK where I came up with these numbers, but they sound about right.) He left, carrying his roast in a cardboard box, and I went back to what I was doing, setting up a rib roast that I was concocting.

Still in my dream, I tried to think of where I'd heard about the technique I was attempting, which consisted of carving the roast off the ribs, putting the ribs in the bottom of the roasting pan,arched side up with the roast atop the arch. Bobby Flay, I thought, on Worst Cooks in America.

I woke up and realized immediately that in fact it wasn't Bobby Flay, it was Roger Mooking from Everyday Exotic, it was supposed to be a caraway-crusted pork roast, and while I'd managed to separate the ribs from the roast, I'd left out the marinade/glaze stage. Ooops. My cookery show geek is showing.

Joyful Beltane to those who celebrate. Happy May Day to the rest of you.

Blessed be.

.

GK has confirmed that she'll be down in June for our HS reunion...and BC's memorial service. Her hub and the Things will be along for the first part of it, but they'll be leaving on Tuesday and she'll return on Thursday, so I'll have her to myself for a little while. (Why yes, I AM madly jealous, why do you ask?!)

Mind you, that's not til the third week of June, so it's going to be a while.

,