Fashion- It's a Gift and a Curse

Well we are into week…does it matter? The men are still out there working away. They are behind schedule and from a remodeling issue that is very frustrating (they can’t see my toe tapping). I been through a lot of remodeling, years of it and believe me I am already frustrated. It seems they have run into issues like having to dig trenches 5’ deeper than they thought, and crawling through tunnels with no air source and of course the Texas summer heat at 90 around noon. Planning, planning, and planning!

I will need to get my vest and hard hat out this week and investigate what the holdup is. I have a life (meh) and I don’t have all day to stand around and watch these guys stand around watching! And though I look so cute in my hat I am finding it incredibly difficult to accessorize with it so they will need to move things along or I may need to improvise!

"OMG, where did you get those shoes!" "Don't you just love 'em? 30% off for reals!"

Sequines and Rhinestones?

Recently work has begun on my building at work. The work was scheduled to have this started on May 15^th and it is now June 7^th and they just broke ground. This is not to say work hadn’t started however. They finally put up the construction fence; we had the ceremonial dropping off of the port ‘o potties with sanitizing pumps. One day brought several men who stood and looked and pointed and once they felt satisfied with what they accomplished that was the end of that day. There were several of those days now that I think of it and one day where someone was testing out the port ‘o potty, I guess one needs to make sure all the equipment works (including the potties!). 

We were told that after two years of back and forth on the plans for this building, and I don’t even want to count the reiterations of designs, they still hadn’t crossed any ‘t’s’ so things got a bit behind, oh I hadn’t really noticed. 

Today I watched as the backhoe dugout a trench as several men stood and watched. Where are these jobs? I never see a job posted: ‘Wanted person who can stand around and watch and point.’ I know I can do that unless I am not allowed to express a comment like, “Did you mean to wear that shirt with those jeans? It really throws off the whole neon vest thing right, I mean like I don’t get what statement you’re making here.” And the hard hat, I know I could rock that  (add some rhinestones!) with the towel draped down the back of the neck. 

Now I am not trying to make fun of construction workers per se really, just an observation of the male species and how they tend to work. As I look out the window now there are two contraptions working to move cement blocks from one spot to a truck ostensibly to remove them from the soon to be major work area. This undertaking is using three gentlemen. One to operate each vehicle and one to direct, but it seems it also takes 5 additional to stand a few feet away and watch and discuss. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say they are discussing what is going on and not lunch or sports scores.  

This phenomenon is not just construction. We had the roof replaced on our house last week. It was crawling with workers! There was debris everywhere along with men standing and pointing and talking. I thought didn’t I just see this picture?   

Have you ever seen a group of women standing around watching another woman vacuuming, doing dishes after a party, or doing any task when there are other women around? No they all jump in and find something to do even to at least look busy! Even at a BBQ the men will gather at the grill and watch as one will grill the meat but in the kitchen all the women will pitch in to prepare everything else needed to complete the meal!  

I expect your thinking is there a point to this. Well, no not really did there need to be one? Time to grab my sequined vest and rhinestone hardhat and go watch the workers for a while, I think we are watching dirt this afternoon!

Hot Cross Buns

I was getting my coffee this morning, my kick-start as I trowel on my make-up, and my stomach growled at me! I started thinking about getting biscotti but knew how many calories that would start my day with and breakfast was around the corner. It also reminded me of the mornings I would get up and make homemade muffins, pancakes, waffles, coffee-cake and other treats. I gained weight just thinking about them. That all stopped when my daughters moved out of the house. Mr. LT and I didn’t need the caloric intake and for some reason the desire for the effort just wasn’t there. 

I find, as I suspect you do, that I collect recipes though. I have Pintrest like everyone else and even though I don’t spend time on it like a fanatic and recipes are not the big focus I do find myself with quite a collection of them. Mostly baking ones, breakfast ones. Muffins, scones, different kinds of coffee cakes and waffles and mmmmm well the possibilities are endless. Do I make them, no. I generally email them to my co-worker who loves to bake and say, “Hey, this looks good why don’t you make this for us to taste!” It’s easier on me both time wise and calories too! 

My Sis lives in Austin (have I mentioned this?) so of course when we visit there we stay with them at their Manor and they stay here at our Lodge, ha! She of course is used to the lavish breakfasts of fresh baked goods in the mornings. In these last numbers of years it seems the cook has flown the coop! Coffee and some power bars, oatmeal and as long as the cats aren’t watching you can have some of their treats!  

I have lots of cookbooks and a three ring binder packed with interesting things as well as emails I get twice a day! Can I delete them? No, I might make them one day…well not really but I may find someone who will make some of them for me, but right now I’m running late and still have my eyelashes to do and biscotti crumbs all over me!

And These Make Me Look…

Our recent trip to San Francisco was delightful. As you heard we had a lovely dinner in Chinatown or just outside of what might be the ‘official’ Chinatown, the street with the banner that says, “Welcome to Chinatown”.  

Mr. LT and I left the restaurant and set off in that direction and almost literally stumbled upon it. In parts it seems a throw back in time and yet it is very modern and tourist driven too. So many shops to buy the trinket, t-shirt, bobble head. Some of the shops are cheap some having beautiful items. We managed to spend money in both. 

Mr. LT: Hey, I’m getting this dragon. It’s my animal.

M:  What? Your animal?

Mr. LT: Yea, my Chinese birth year animal.

M: No it’s not. You’re a dog.

Mr. LT: ?

M:  Look at the chart…dog.

Mr. LT: But the dog is stupid looking, I want the dragon. I feel like a dragon.

M:  (Head shaking) 

I had broken my sunglasses that day and on keen observance Mr. LT noticed that in the ‘dragon’ shop they had sunglasses for $2. 

Mr. LT: Hey, they have some nice sunglasses you should look them.

M:  Um, $2? Really? Ok.

M:  So, How about these? Or these?

Mr. LT: Hmmmm, yea… not the first ones. The second pair…they’re nice, kinda different but look good on you.

M:  Different? What does that mean?

Mr. LT: No it’s a good thing it means they look good, just different. You know.

M:  ???, no I don’t know. Why is there no mirror?

Mr. LT: Seriously they look fine…what’s wrong with having a different look? 

(I take the sunglasses to the counter) 

M:  So, what do you think of these?

SG: Oh, vely nice, vely diffelent. Pretty. Look good on you.

M:  Grrrrrrr

SG: You buy? Look vely diffelent good. Two dalla’.

M:  Sigh.

Only two dalla!

 

 

 

 



Connect The Dots

On my recent trip to San Francisco Mr. LT and I had gone to dinner in Chinatown. After much careful planning and perusing of maps he figured out the best way for us to get to the restaurant for dinner. (And Away We Go) 

In the back of my mind I had a strange feeling that we were backtracking at some point. 

M:  Is it just me or are we going back the way we came?

Mr. LT: It’s just you.

M:  Hmmmm

Mr. LT: It just feels like that because…(here is when I hear ((1=2x)=x€∑-⅝√ⁿ))

 

M:  Ok but I think we are backtracking, just sayin’. 

After a lovely dinner a walk through the main street of Chinatown and its shops Mr. LT discovers that we are on the street that leads to our hotel. No hills no going back the way we came. It seems that perhaps I had been on target and we made a loop and didn’t need to climb Everest. 

No worries, we walked off the drink or two I was about to have.

And Away We Go!

I recently took a trip to San Francisco for a relaxing vacation. My spouse came along ‘Mr. Linear Thinking’; no you’ve not heard me reference him before mostly because this is about me but for the sake of this story and some to follow we may need to bring him in.

We arrived in lovely weather, 80’s in the spring in San Fran (must have been just for me!). We were staying in a quaint little hotel in Union Square, most of this you can Google and Mr. LT says he wants to go to Chinatown and eat at a particular restaurant. No worries I am all for adventure in this town!

Mr. LT of course plots out the best course to this hot spot. Of course streets with these names go this ways and streets with these names go that way so that would mean to get to the X we need to go this way! Um, ok

And off we set…

Have any of you been to San Francisco? They have hills, it’s very hilly. It seems to have these very steep hills, ones with steps cut into them just to help you out a bit not that it does. We went up many of those; I lost count when my Sherpa told me he had family and didn’t want to leave them behind.

I have mentioned that I work out, right. I did say that it was in the mid 80’s, but by the time we reached the summit I was spent, the oxygen tank had run out and I was glistening.

Mr. LT: Well that was more than I was expecting (sweat running down his face.)

M:  (Gasping) Really? You didn’t notice the hills? This is San Francisco you know.

Mr. LT:  (Giving the Look) Let me get my bearings…we need to go this way.

We make a turn and start going down hills, somewhere in the back of my mind was this little voice saying, “Are we going back the way we came?” “Shut up little voice don’t make me hit you cause if you are right I will have to punch Mr. LT!” 

Mr. LT: There are all kinds of little restaurants here!

M:  Yes, are we eating in any of them? Water…I need water… (I had become so dehydrated from the flight, heat and schlepping across the mountains)  

We finally make it to the Oriental Pearl (a Rachel Rae mention) we are seated and I feel like I have been crossing the desert for a week. I am so parched I can hardly talk. Waiter! Water! I drank copious amounts of water and I don’t know how much it took to finally quench my thirst. The waiters were apparently thinking this too.  

We had a nice meal and the kind waiters circled continuously to check on my water. Hey guys what I need now is the way to the Ladies room!

Hello, it's Just Your Mom

Easter Sunday after church and brunch, I was napping something I rarely ever do but it was a very nice quiet Sunday and the breeze through the window was wonderful… 

So…Mom calls, ignore (sorry). Mom calls again…I know if I don’t answer she will go to the house phone. 

Mm: Are you mad at me? 

M: No, should I be? What did you do? 

Mm: No, nothing… 

M: Then no I’m not. Was this a poll? So are we good now?  

Mm: I just haven’t heard from you in so long, I thought you were mad at me. 

(Ok, let’s put this on pause for a sec. I just called her a few days ago.)  

M:  I just called you a few days ago. 

MM: I know. 

(I’m so confused) 

MM: Were you asleep? Did I wake you? 

M: I was napping so yes. 

MM: Well, I won’t keep you long. I just thought I would see if you were ok. 

M: Should I not be? Do you know something I don’t? Are you holding out on me? 

MM: No, I just worry is all. 

M: About what?! (trying to keep any frustration out, I’m a mom too) 

MM: I don’t know. 

M: *Sigh*… Ok, well, I’m fine, not mad at you and glad we had this talk soooooo… 

MM: Me too, so what’s new? 

M:??? Mom, we just talked. What could possibly have happened in my life in the last few days of my endlessly boring life? 

(Mom proceeds to fill me in on everything she told me in our last conversation in detail as I see my nap floating away from me like that dream you just can’t grasp.) 

MM: Well, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing… 

M: Yea, sigh, ok well love you. 

Who knows that might be me one day…but for now, I’m taking a nap and hitting ignore.