Category: Misc

You’re not going to believe this, Internet, but I VERY narrowly escaped having yet another car accident today. The main thoroughfare in my part of town is a nasty, congested, winding road with not enough traffic signals or turn lanes. It is a VERY dangerous road with lots of accidents and casualties every year. I hate driving on it, but I really don’t have any choice, as it’s the main road in and out of everyplace I go: the grocery store, the piano studio, the kids’ school, the dry cleaners, hair salon…you get the idea. I can’t even leave my neighborhood without driving on it. This is also the road where I had my accident yesterday.

Well, today, I was on this road again (in Hubby’s MONGO truck, since my baby is out of commission), making a quick grocery run between dropping Boy off at a piano lesson and picking Girl up from volleyball camp, when I had my close call. This road is lined with businesses and also many residential areas, so there are lots of places where people would like to turn OFF this road and onto a side street or into a parking lot, etc. Not unusual, really, but the issue is that the traffic has increased on this road exponentially in recent years (I’ve lived in this area, off and on, for 30 years) so that making a LEFT turn off this road has become increasingly difficult, due to the increased traffic coming the other direction (not being able to find a break in traffic, etc.). Lots of folks will block up traffic for over a mile because they’re trying to turn left from this road where there is no signal. Obviously, turning RIGHT is no problem (assuming that you’re in the correct lane, but that’s a whole other topic of discussion for another day). I will frequently plan my trip, even if it means a more circuitous route, so that I am able to make a right turn rather than a left off of this darned road. Anyway, some jerk was turning left; the car behind him was frustrated at being stuck behind him and tried to pull into the right lane to avoid a delay. Small problem: I happened to be in the right lane at the time. This JACKA$$ pulled right in front of me without even looking! I was able to stop (just barely!), thank God, and all is well (after the tire squealing, horn honking and I’ll admit to a few words and gestures that I would have felt bad about had there been children in the car), but it has me rattled beyond belief. I am terrified of living in this area when Boy and Girl are old enough to drive.

So, then, later, I’m recounting this story to my mother when some jerk does something unbelievably rude to her AT THAT VERY MOMENT (while I’m on the phone with her). She was waiting for a break in traffic to leave my grandparents’ new home (trying to turn right onto this same accursed road), when this idiot pulled out in front of her (by going into the oncoming lane) and turned right onto THE BAD ROAD in front of her.

So, I’m not a suspicious person, but I must admit that I find it intriguing that there just HAPPENS to be a full moon today. Bee Cave-ful out there, kiddies. Ooops, I meant be careful…

I was involved in a car accident today. Nothing awful, but probably will be lots of $$$ to fix. A guy rear-ended me at a stoplight. It was totally his fault and he was given a ticket, but he was super gracious and apologetic about it and seemed like a nice guy. Hopefully, he’s a nice guy with good insurance. He was in a dualie (did I spell that right?) pickup truck with a big trailer attached, so it felt like I was being hit by a Mack truck. Luckily, I totally didn’t see it coming, so didn’t have time to “tense up” beforehand. Hopefully that will mean I won’t be as sore tomorrow, but I already have a sore, stiff neck and a bad headache in my forehead area. I am trying very hard to NOT think about the fact that my forehead probably hurts because my brain slammed against the front of my skull upon impact. I am VERY happy that I didn’t have the kids in the car with me (I was on my way to pick up Girl from volleyball camp).

Anyway, I’m OK and so were the three guys in the other car (a remodeling crew). Everyone had on seatbelts, so it will likely (hopefully) just be a matter of fixing the cars. His truck was pretty smashed: the hood was crumpled up and the brushguard on the front was pretty damaged. The frame is bent on my car and the bumper is hosed, so I’m sure that it will be quite costly to fix. I’ve been toying with the idea of a new car, anyway, so I may just get it fixed and then start looking for other options.

Thank goodness I had already prepared tonight’s dinner – it just needs to bake for 45 minutes while I sit on the couch and let my Aleve kick in. Be careful out there, kids.

PS – Today’s good news? My favorite shampoo that I LOVE more than anything but just can’t stomach buying unless it’s on sale? It’s on sale!

My new favorite photo of Boy and Girl.

I’ve just finished reading this book and cannot adequately put into words the impact that it has had on me. It is the autobiography of a woman who is now a gossip columnist for MSNBC, but survived a nomadic childhood of extreme poverty with parents that were neglectful, alcoholic, and likely mentally ill. The depths of dysfunction and denial that her parents were able to achieve is absolutely shocking. They could also be strangely loving and encouraging, in a sick, twisted and self-serving kind of way.

The most thought-provoking part of this book, for me, was the idea that these kids can grow up not knowing what “normal” is, or rather, that there can be very many different versions of what “normal” is, based upon what you grew up with. It made me think about how many people might have survived childhoods like this and how different childhoods can impact who we are, who we become, what our expectations are.

People that don’t share at least somewhat similar backgrounds can almost seem as if they’re speaking a different language, especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Issues like parenting style, spending priorities, standard of living/home maintenance/cleanliness, how often you should visit the doctor, what level of alcohol/tobacco/drug (including prescriptions, vaccinations, etc.) use is acceptable in your home, what constitutes “appropriate” language and much more can all be shaped (for better or for worse) by our early family life.

I have known two people in my life whose childhoods were shaped by this kind of abuse and dysfunction (at least that I am aware of – there could be more that haven’t shared their experience with me). I do have another theory that EVERY family has some kind of dysfunction, but I am talking about profound and abusive dysfunction here, the kind of dysfunction where children could not rely on their parents for their basic needs. There have been times, with both of these people, that I have felt like we were from different planets; I just couldn’t understand where they were coming from. Our frame of reference, our expectations of each other’s behavior, were just totally different. It finally dawned on me, after reading this book that both of us had grown up with completely different perceptions of “normal” (on the particular issue that was in question at the time) and we both thought that we were “right”.

This probably seems totally obvious to most of you, but it was absolutely mind-blowing for me. I think that it will impact my thinking in a very significant way in the future. Having said that, I now have a copy of the book that I am finished with and am willing to share (I will NEVER forget this book, so I don’t feel like I need to keep it or re-read it). Send me an email (contact info under my photo at the top right corner of this site) and I’ll deliver (if you’re local) or mail (if you’re not) to the first person that responds to this post. It’s an amazing book and uplifting, in a strange sort of way.

PS – Yes, I am even willing to mail it to Korea, so don’t be afraid to ask.

We had a big lunch today, so just came home and had some chunks of Tuscan melon, Kaltbach cave-aged Gruyere Swiss cheese and some Archetype Australian Shiraz for a light, “snacky” dinner. The melon was perfectly ripe, the cheese was delectably salty, with those little “crystals” that crunch when you eat aged cheese (like in Parmigiano Reggiano), and the wine was perfectly fruity. Simple, easy and delightful.

I was exhausted last night and fell asleep before I could finish watching the Top Chef finale, so I’ve just finished and I’m SO pleased. I never quite got “into” this season as much as I have the others, but by the end, I thought that the finalists were all really qualified to be there. I’m going to do some searching later for the recipe for Lisa’s Tom Kha soup recipe. It sounded fabulous.

Can’t wait to see what they do next season!

We (just Boy, Girl and I because Hubby had to stay behind and work) recently went on a trip to Orlando with my mother, her brother and his 3 1/2 year old grandson (who is my 2nd cousin). It was a quick trip, but was a lot of fun. Boy and Girl really enjoyed spending time with Cousin M, since they don’t get to see him very often. He is a real charmer and is a beautiful little boy (although he spent much of the trip pretending to be a hippopotamus). It’s no wonder that he’s cute, though – his dad (my first cousin) used to be a model and his mom is beautiful, too.

I’ll upload more photos soon from our recent Disney quickie vacay, but here’s a cute one of Boy and Girl with their little 3 1/2 year old cousin. The first photo is pretty crummy, but the 2nd/3rd is good, so please flip to that one (I can’t figure out how to link directly to that one). Cousin (who is ADORABLE) spent most of the trip claiming to be a hippopotamus. Apparently, hippos really like to swim. They also don’t care for green beans, but they REALLY like chocolate milk.