Father’s Day Gift Suggestions

Ok, last night, as I was driving home, I was listening to the radio – an unusual occurrence, as I generally listen to an audio book on my iPod, but I had just finished the book I was listening to, and wasn't prepared to decide which audio book to start next while I was driving – that's a major decision. Where was I? Oh, yes, I was listening to the radio and a commercial came on for a tattoo parlor in town that is having a "Grand Opening" this weekend. As the commercial washed over me, it mostly went in one ear and out the other until the words "great Father's Day gift idea" and "give Dad a gift card" stopped inside my brain like a semi truck's tires squealing to stop for a red light on the Expressway. I took a moment to imagine my father's reaction if I were to have given him a gift card to a tattoo parlor for Father's Day… or at any time, really. I always considered him to be the most difficult person to buy gifts for, with a close second being Steve, Boss #1. But a tattoo parlor gift card? Not that he'd have to use it for a tattoo. They also do piercings. Dad didn't react horribly when I came home from Charleston with five jewel-toned cat paws on my right shoulder. In fact he was mostly inquisitive about if it hurt and what it was like. But I was 40 years old at the time; what was he going to do? Ground me? And besides they are awfully cute. Of course, I don't have to worry about gift ideas for Father's Day this year. I don't know why, but Dad has been present in my dreams a lot lately - more so than in the previous6-9 months. It may be because we're coming up on the anniversary of his death, or because Father's Day is coming up. A woman in the office, she's a sweetie, wouldn't purposely say anything to hurt anyone, was talking about how she was going to take her father to a concert for Father's Day – some country singer who's like 100 years old – I can't recall who – and it was going to be quite a sacrifice for her because she doesn't like country music, but she was doing it for her dad and she knew he'd enjoy it. After she wondered off from our area, she quickly came back apologizing to me and Julie. Neither of us knew why, so we asked. She said she just realized she was rambling on about her dad and Father's Day when it occurred to her that we'd both lost our fathers a year ago this July. I couldn't speak for Julie, but I assured her that it hadn't bothered me and that there was no need to apologize. I don't just sit morosely thinking about Dad. He wouldn't have wanted me to. I do miss him, though. Especially anytime mom says, "Surely, …" Because Dad loved to respond with "Don't call me Shirley" from Airplane. Or there were plenty of lines from the old Stan Freberg comedy albums I grew up listening to that he'd come out with, expecting Mom to respond with her line –which she'd flub up, and then he and I would shake our collective heads at her and laugh. Mom was Dad's straight man… now she's mine. Fortunately for her, or she might say UNfortunately, when it comes to me and Dad's sense of humor and quick wit, we are two peas in a pod. As I said, Dad has been in my dreams a lot lately. Not that I'm dreaming about him per se. I have the type of dreams where I'm doing something and people from all places and times of my life just happen to be there… could be my 4th grade teacher, and my college roommate and I are in a store shopping for Fig Newtons. You know, that type of dream. The most recent one, there were a bunch of people roaming around the property where we live, doing a variety of things, i.e., yard work, painting the garage, etc., and it was very crazy and hectic and at some point I wandered up on the front porch and found Dad sitting on a lounge chair with Merle, the cat – Dad loved Merle. So I sat down with him to rest and talk. It was nice. But then the alarm went off and I missed him again.

I'm Still Here

I have heard from a large percentage of my fan base (well, one of the sibs) and have been chastised for not blogging since February. So what follows is a quick and perspicacious summary of the sub-plots from March and April.

• Dad was in the hospital for a week, but after much stress on everyone’s part, he’s doing much better. Turns out all the Big D was a result of the antibiotics they were pumping into him killing off the “good” bacteria in his tum, which allowed the “bad” bacteria to run amok.


• Mom was running herself ragged taking care of dad, and consequently forgetting to take care of mom, but the sibs came down and that allowed her to rest some while he was in the hospital, and I’ve been told the plan is for them to come down more often to help her out some.


• Sophie and Gizmo turned the Big Three yesterday, and we spent a good portion of the day cuddling and napping together. Winifred is one hyperactive adolescent, and either Merle or Blackie pee’d in my car. Oh, and Tom helped me get rid of the fish tank, so Charlie’s Angels and their subsequent progeny are no more.

Now, as for the main character, in no particular order of importance:
Late February, I got a new tattoo – I was on the cheezburger website (one of my favs!) and found this pic, and I knew immediately that that was what my next tat would have to be. ‘Specially since it would go so well with the paws. I talked to Shawna at work and she told me about this place in Oakland City, run by a Christian couple, where she and her hubs get their tattoos. So one weekend I was all ready to go there. I had plenty of OT in that week’s paycheck and I was going to do it! Only, when I called to find out their hours, I discover the phone number is disconnected – they’re out of business. So much for Shawna’s connections. Sigh… I was bummed. So, the next weekend, I’m having dinner with Royale, we hadn’t gotten together in quite a while and had tons of stuff to catch up on. She’d never even seen the paws! So, I flashed them at her and she asked for all the details. Then I inquired of her where she would go for a tattoo in Evansville. She said one of two places. I said, do you wanna go with me now? :) She did, we went, I got the tattoo and was very happy! A couple of girls at work are jealous, though, so we might have to go and get them copy cats! Hahaha (Get it? Copy? cats?? Hahaha)

I continue to use my CPAP sleep machine and my mental alertness is much better, although Steve (Boss #1) might argue that point occasionally. I don't feel like my physical pep is improving though, but let's face it, at my weight what could I expect?

So, between how I actually feel and watching them taking care of dad in the hospital this past month, I decided I needed to yield to the inevitable and rejoin Weight Watchers. My fiend Becky (BK for short) goes, and I know from experience that it works, so I decided now was the time. Of course, I can't afford both Weight Watchers and Curves, so since I haven't actually been GOING to Curves much, it was an obvious decision. I cancelled that membership and started the WW membership. Tuesday night is my first weigh in.

What else? Well, late March I took a long weekend (well-deserved, considering all the over time I've been working since October!) and went up to Indy, stopping by Bloomington to pick up Niece #1, Hollian (or Ho2.0, as I like to call her) first, and then the sibs and Nieces #1 and #3 (Brynn) drove up to Lafayette to visit Niece #2 (Natalie) at Purdue. Well, that was one reason to go, the other was to eat at the Triple XXX - a goal ever since seeing it on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on Food Network. (The goals I set for myself, eh?) Anyway, we got to tour the campus, eat lunch, and meet the skanky roommate.

Ok, so has that been it? Yup, I guess those are the major items for the past month.

Charleston - Take 3

Day Three - 9/22/08:

After eating the last of Donna's birthday cake for breakfast, the plan for the day was to do the tourist thing. So wipe the cake crumbs off, tied up our comfy walking shoes and were off!

A girl I work with, Kelly, had recommended going to Magnolia Plantation just outside of Charleston. We had a coupon and we could get a AAA discount, we were game. Of course we forgot to use the coupon and ask for the discount, but neither of us was really surprised. We chose not to tour the house. Once you've seen one old house, they're all the same. The gardens were beautiful. They weren't the type of gardens I'd seen before where everything was plotted out with paths between things. No, these gardens were planted amongst the trees and bushes, you'd walk along a path thru the trees, and then you'd come to an area with some statues, plants, a bench, and maybe a small pond. The breeze blowing thru the trees was beautiful and I could just see myself (because I KNOW I was born in the wrong era) as a genteel southern lady (because I'd have been rich, not poor!) walking thru the gardens and sitting on a bench reading a book as the peacocks wobble by. It was lovely. Sigh.

Of course we hit the gift shop. Because one of my family's many mottos is "Never skip a gift shop." And I'm glad we did. This was the nicest gift shop. In fact I found the perfect thing to get for my friend Jennifer who's mother passed away this past week. Several years ago, when my mother's mother died, my father's sister sent a beautiful angel statue to the funeral. It stands on a shelf in mom's living room, and when I see it, I think of both Grandma and Aunt Mary (who has since passed away), so I thought it would be nice to get something similar for Jennifer - not so she'll think of me necessarily, but ... I don't know.. she's not a plant person, and flowers don't stay for very long, so.. Anyway, the great thing is that the shop ships so I didn't have to worry about how to get it in my luggage for the flight home!

After gift shopping it, we headed back to the car and back to downtown Charleston for more sightseeing. Of course, before taking a walking tour of downtown, we were hungry. So we went to Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company. I'd never been. And honestly, I've never seen Forrest Gump all the way thru. I've seen bits and pieces, but not the whole thing. Still the food was delicious and the atmosphere was fun.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking up and down the streets of downtown Charleston. Saw some beautiful churches, visited some gorgeous graveyards, and just enjoyed the day.

Before going back to Donna's, we went to Blu Gorilla and made inquiries about my getting my tattoo. I didn't know how much it would be or how long it would take. Long story short, it didn't take very long, it didn't hurt like I thought it would (but then after 10years of electrolosis, I guess I'm immune to the pain of needles), and I'm very happy!!

After finishing at the Blu Gorilla, we went to Barnes and Noble for a little shopping therapy and then went back to Donna's to review our purchases. Tomorrow, I would be returning back to Indiana and real life. Big Blue and I hit the pillow and slept soundly.

Charleston - Part Deux

Day Two - 9/21/08:

After a good night's sleep, I woke up without having one of my furry feline friends pawing at my face and meowing at me. It was nice, and yet I missed them. But I was at the beach, so I decided to make the best of it! HA!

Donna told me about a restaurant that a friend had recommended to her and now she goes there about once a week. She said while it looked like a dive, it had incredible food. I asked, "when can we go?" So we were off and heading to Momma Brown's BBQ. The fried chicken was possibly the best I've ever had, and the bread pudding. Oh, man. If I'd brought a purse, I'd have stuffed a couple of pieces in it to smuggle it out. It was EXCELLENT! I did have some of the BBQ, it was a vinegar based bbq, and I can't say it would be my fave. That would have been the chicken. Oh, and the mac and cheese! Yummers!

After lunch, we hit Wal-mart. For what, I can't recall. But then we headed to the beach. I took a wonderful jaunt down the beach, took the ubiquitous photo of my toes in the sand and water (yes those stark white legs are mine), and had Charleston Epiphany #1. See, I've always known that I'm a beach person. And I'm thinking how is it that I, a true beach person, could have been born in Indiana. Then it hit me, DUH! I wasn't born in Indiana. I was born in Washington DC, just a short jaunt from... get this... a beach! So, I'm thinking that my parents truly screwed up my beach-related destiny by deciding to move me, at the tender age of three, to the Mid-West, hours from a beach. Whew... epiphanies are exhausting, so I meandered back to where Donna was sitting and laid down on my towel for a short snooze.

Post-snooze, Donna and I were talking and the subject turned to tattoos. I mentioned that I'd wanted to get a tattoo for quite some time, but I was chicken to go do it by myself beings as tattoo places aren't usually the nicest place for a girl to go alone. So we chatted about what I'd want and where, we went to her office and used the computer to research some designs. I decided what I wanted, and I was thinking about getting it on my wrist, so it would look like a bracelet from far off. We talked about maybe me going and doing it while in Charleston. After our research session and a car tour of the place where Donna works, we contemplated dinner. I had thoughts of a burger, so Donna suggested Five Guys. It was a A+ cheeseburger!

After a burger, fries, and sweet tea, we headed to Blockbuster to rent a movie. Of course, the problem here is that Donna likes movies that have a redeeming quality about them, you know? And I'm rather shallow in my movie choices, you know, Office Space, Zoolander, Batman, or anything with the Rock in it. But we ended up agreeing on In Bruges. We'd both seen the previews and thought it showed potential. It was great. First, Colin Farrell, need I say more, ladies? It was funny, it had redeeming qualities, though I have to say I would not have ended it quite the way it did, but then it really ended the only way it could. Oh, and we watched the special features. One of which was called "F***ing Bruges" - we didn't know what to expect, but what it was was a montage of every "F-word" in the movie. We watched it once, laughing the entire time, and then we watched it again, this time counting them. For those who are interested, there were 97!

After the movie, I hit the pillow. I tried to go to sleep, but I had a difficult time unwinding, I blame the very good, but strong tea from dinner that I'd taken home in a to-go cup and drank all thru the movie. So while I'm laying there in the dark, with my eye-patch on... (long story, I'll cover that later in a non-vacation-related blog entry).. I had Charleston Epiphany #2... see, I still knew I wanted the tattoo, and I knew what I wanted, but I just wasn't sure about the where. My epiphany was that I now knew where it needed to go. Finally, I fell asleep. zzzzz...