MJR: Frankly, My Dear . . . - Frankly, My Dear . . .

Why I Like Mondays

Apr 30, 2012 | 1 comment

Fresh starts.
A schedule to keep.
A chance to be productive for others.
A bit of solitude.
Morning coffee with Mutti.
The start of five days of potential.
Smaller lines at stores.
Meal planning.
Birdwatching.
Marking To-Do’s off the list.
Running errands.
Music to drive by.
Time to write.
Visiting my personal Barista and writing partner at her work.
The promise of something new.

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

Prom!

Apr 29, 2012 | 1 comment

I have no post for Sunday because Saturday was spent getting my daughter ready for Prom!

Actually, she got herself ready. She’s very good with a make-up brush and curling iron. So I just entertained my Mom as we waited for the end result. Then I drove her over to her friend’s house for photos, and then they left for the Prom.

They had to check in an hour before the buses left, for security checks. Then they rode down to L.A. to an Arts Center for dinner and dancing! It will be a two-hour ride back in the middle of the night. Once they reach the school, a group of them will be going to the local All-Night Denny’s for a (very) early breakfast.

I’m so excited for her. She attends a small school where there are no Proms. So when her best friend asked her to go to his, it was a no-brainer. What a great experience they’re having! She knows some of his classmates, too.

They’ve been best friends since junior high, when he accidentally knocked her head into a locker. The next day, he was overly apologetic and from that incident, they became instantly inseparable.

They both graduate this year… in just a few weeks! I’m glad they’re able to have tonight before life might start taking them in different directions.

They have far too much fun together, as you can see from the photos.

I can’t wait to hear all about it. That is, after she wakes up tomorrow afternoon.

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

Lessons Learned: April 28, 2012

Apr 28, 2012 | 1 comment

It’s been about two months since I’ve posted any Lessons Learned. You would think in that amount of time I would have amassed a whole lotta learnin’. You would think.

I don’t think I learned a lot, so much as I kept re-learning the same things in different ways.

Although some things are new.

Ready? Here’s what’s been in my brain lately:

1. Black-headed grosbeaks look very similar to Baltimore Orioles.
2. Grosbeaks, among other birds, like to eat dry cereal like Cheerios and Rice Krispies.

3. Writing is something I do best when I do it for myself.

4. Having said that, it’s awful nice when other people appreciate my writing.

5. When I was away in college 20 years ago, my mom sent me a stickee pad with Old Maxine on them. They said, “You didn’t know how you’d get through yesterday, either, but here you are.” That’s been my unconscious motto for a while now.

6. Music is awesome. It’s one of the greatest languages ever written.

7. Family Game Night is the craziest, funnest night of the month!

8. Sweet Broom plants are gorgeous! And attract bees. Bonus!
9. Some people will always be friends. No matter the time, distance, and drama that happens in your individual lives. Some people can be in your life every day and never be a true friend.

10. Cats don’t like thunderstorms. Cats like people who keep them safe from thunderstorms.

11. Hardcover books are better than digital books.

12. But digital books have their perks.

13. Flashpoint is still the best show on TV, and best community on Facebook.
14. CBS was really stupid when they didn’t renew Flashpoint last summer. ION was really smart to pick it up as their first first-run series, meaning they no longer air only reruns.

15. It’s a rule of nature that as my daughter gets older, so do I. Yet while she’s ready to graduate high school, I’m not ready to let her go out into the world. It’s a very scary place out there. And I’m her mommy. I just want to keep her safe and happy. And in my arms.
16. I love cooking. And I’m not too bad at baking. Wilton has the greatest cake molds for such things!