Thursday, March 27, 2008

My $5.30 Dress


A week or two ago, my sweet husband passed along $50 worth of coupons toward a purchase at Macy's to me. Today was my 3rd and final day at Macy's trying to spend that money.

Isn't that just the way the buying/spending thing goes- When you've got money to burn you can't find a thing?

The first day of my dress-hunt was madness. I'm not much of a mall shopper. Last time I shopped at Macy's, it was Macy's at the Galleria. But the other day I found myself in a very different sort of Macy's. Things have changed since Foley's at Northpark became Macy's. And by changed, I mean: Nothing about it wows me. I found a couple of "ok" dresses priced around $90, but kept telling myself I could find better crap at Marshall's for $19.99. I tried on a few things, but nothing made me want to spend not only my coupons, but throw down a credit card to pay the balance.

The next day, I happened to be at the mall for something entirely different, so I showed my friend the dresses being considered, but he wasn't so wowed either. And again, I walked away.

Today I made the decision, "I WILL find something to buy. And I'm going to love it."
Right as I walked in the store I found a very cool purse. I decided the purse could be my plan B. If there was no wowing-me-dress out there on one of those crowded racks, there was always the cute purse!

This time, I saw all these dresses I somehow missed the other day. $80 dresses I might find at Marshall's for more like $29.99. So I tried on about 5 dresses while my friend, Michael, waited for me out in the little room where I think Mom's usually sit while their teenage daughters try stuff on. I came out and modeled all of the dresses. We didn't agree on any of the 5. I didn't really care, and I was happily off to buy the purse, and forgo any of the dresses.

But then, a saleslady and my friend spotted a dress up on the wall I hadn't yet tried. And it wowed all of us. The saleslady told me I'd be the "hottest mama" in Mexico if I bought it. (I'm going to MX in May.) And who doesn't want to be the hottest mama in Mexico, honestly?

Once it was all said and done with my coupons, and the surprise of an additional 30% off, my grand total was $5.30. C'mon! No discount store would even TOUCH that. With all money saved today, I just might go back and buy the cute purse...

Sunday, March 23, 2008

HOT DOG!


Last night I went to the Spring Equinox MoonLady Celebration here in Dallas. I always think the Moonlady events are fun, and full of interesting people, and it lived up to that expectation again last night.

All I'll say is this:

I saw a man playing an electric harp, while another man with long, long gray hair, wearing pointy-curly-toed wooden shoes (like some weird elf) sang a Cole Porter song with an operatic voice. At the end of their performance a man in the audience was applauding and whistling, clearly VERY impressed with their rendition and then he yelled out, "HOT DOG!!!"

Hot Diggity, I love Moonlady Night!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

A Good Day for a Funeral


Today my Dad and I attended a funeral of a friend of he and my mom. The wife of the man who passed away was one of my mom's best friends. So lots of my mom's friends that she used to meet with every Friday for their "coffee talks" were there. Many of them, I hadn't seen since the memorial service we had for Mom, nearly 3 years ago.

It was a rainy day. Cats and dogs rainy. And it seemed fitting for a funeral. When the pastor was saying something really big and important, there was a loud clap of thunder at just the right moment. Maybe it was the man, Fred, giving a little shout out to his family.

The man's son got up to talk about some great memories of his dad. It was very personal, and very emotional, and it was obvious he had trouble getting through it. And I could so feel his heart in those moments even though I don't know him at all. And as I was listening to his family story, I couldn't help but see the parallels in my own. He spoke of how lucky he felt that he and his brothers never had to worry about "if mom and dad would be there", because they always were. His parents were married for 51 years. And mine certainly would have been, had my mom lived longer. And I too, feel so lucky that my sister, my brother and I came from this solid foundation of good people that loved each other.

This day was about Fred and his family. But it's impossible not to also think of my mom on a day like today. And I am so glad for that impossibility~

Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Hype of St. Patrick's


Today I had a "quick" errand to run. I thought it would take me a round trip 15 minutes to drive up to Guitar Center and buy a new guitar tuner. But I had to drive past the area where the St. Patrick's Day Parade had just ended. And all the drunk people were moving from the parade, to one of the many restaurants on or near Greenville Ave.

Even though there were cops directing traffic, the pedestrians were playing there own versions of Frogger. I got stuck behind a float that's title said something about DISCO, but yet had Sweet Home Alabama blasting from the speakers. But most of the people on the float were wearing afro wigs, and so I guess THAT made it the disco float. One of the ladies in the float jumped off of it into the street (and by street, I'm now talking the Central Expressway service road) to stop traffic so that the Disco Float could cut into traffic. She and her friends thought they were hilarious.

It was all getting even less funny to me when I pulled into the Guitar Center parking lot and found that there were no parking spaces. Finally a group of people with Mardi Gras beads and a couple of beer coolers loaded in the car and pulled out of a space. There were about 3 cars vying for their spot, and I aggressively took it. Being sober at 11:30 a.m. may have given me the advantage.

My drive home was more of the same type of madness. More floats, lots of motocycles, lots of green plastic cups tossed on the side of the road, and way more traffic than there should ever be on a Saturday morning.

I had forgotten all about that dumb parade when I set off for my guitar tuner, and my little errand took me well over an hour. It all made me realize, when you're a part of something like that parade, you think it's really fun, you're funny, you're friends are funny, etc. But when you're not a participant, everyone is just ridiculous and so not fun OR funny.

Note to self for next year: STEER CLEAR of the St. Patty's if you're not participating. (And I won't be. So I will!)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Slap Him!

I think it would've been so cool and even more, so REAL if Gov. Eliot Spitzer's wife had slapped him as she stood beside him while he announced his resignation after being busted in a prostitution scandal.

We've seen this kind of thing before. The wife of a politician stands by her man when he suffers some sort of public humiliation- When he's had an affair, or announced that he's been lying about being straight, etc. He's apologizing to the public, even though it's really not their business anyway. But his wife is dutifully standing by and we all wonder, "Why?"

I'm sure much of the reason is shock. Sort of like when my mother-in-law told me I looked like I had put on weight. (Although I realize, that isn't as painful as what Ms. Spitzer is dealing with. But in my little world, it had me reeling.) I just sort of stood there like a deer (or perhaps a pig) caught in the headlights. I had no words, no good comebacks, nor did I bitch-slap her. But maybe I wouldn't still be carrying this weight around (HA!) if I had.

I don't admire Ms. Spitzer, or other women who have been in similar situations, for standing by her man. But I do feel really bad for her. And it would make me feel so much better- and she might feel better too- if she would RAGE on Gov. Spitzer, publicly. That private rage isn't really the public's business either, but now that we're involved anyway, let's really dig in.

People make mistakes all the time. They do things they're ashamed of and they treat people they love badly. I'm not condemning that because I am human, too. But let's all be human. If we're hurt, we can show it! And we don't always have to stand beside our man!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

That Is So High School

Last night was the premiere episode of "High School Reunion" on TVLand. (And I think it re-airs on VH-1 in a couple of days.) I'm not sure it's really interesting for the masses, but for me... OH MY!

Because both my husband and I graduated with all of these people! We're also from the graduating class of Pearce 1987.

And as I watch it, and get so much satisfaction about the train wreck I am watching, I realize that I am reverting back to a high school mentality myself. I am watching with probably WAY too much interest. I know nothing about these people's real lives (although, through the grapevine I have heard a few things-). But yet, I want "The Stud" to fall flat on his face, and I want "The Popular Girl" to look fat in her swimsuit.

And I wonder, if I had been on the show, what would my title have been? Most of these people's title on the show don't seem all that accurate- "The Bully" was really one of the nicest guys around. I'm pretty sure "The Lesbian" has a lot more going on than just her sexual preference. "The Pipsqueak" was not at all the little dork they have made him out to be. And by the way, "The Popular Girl" wasn't very popular at all. However, she apparently got pretty popular after high school, because she has been married 4 times!

I guess to make the show the way the producers wanted it to be, they had to put these people into little Breakfast Club-like boxes. I guess they know what sells. And, even though I know better, I will be buying it for the next 5 weeks.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

How To Recover

As you may know, if you are a regular reader of my blog (and if you are, THANKS!), my dog Scout is recovering from big surgery she had just last Friday. Basically, the easiest fix for a torn ligament in a dog's leg is to break and reset the bone. (OUCH) The vet told us that if Scout were a human, she'd be in bed, not moving around at all the first week or so.

But not my Scout! Today she got her stitches removed and I was given the thumbs up for taking her on very short walks already. I think this is what she's been praying for, if she prays.

Scout has been a model patient. She's done everything you're suppose to do when your body is trying to heal.

She has taken all her meds as directed. She even took all her penicillin until it was gone! She laid in her bed as directed. She got plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of rest. She may have felt grouchy, but she never said a cross word to any of us. She hasn't seemed to worry about how long this situation is going to last, she just sort of took it day by day. She went to her follow up doctors appointment just like she was suppose to. Even though nearly half of her body is shaved, she's not vain enough to care. She knows her beauty is NOT what it's all about right now.

Cesar Milan always says that dogs live in the moment. Yes, it's true. Scout's not worrying about when she's going to run again. She's not feeling sorry for herself. She's not thinking that her age is making things harder. She's still happy when I pet her, happy when it's time to eat, happy to lay on her pillow beside Zoe,...just happy for all the nice moments that make up her days.

I must add, not only has Scout been a trooper thru all of this, but so has Zoe. She's been calm and gentle, she hasn't been braggy about the walks she still gets to take, she doesn't complain that Scout gets to eat cheese (that disguises her pills), and she never once laughed at Scout's new funny haircut.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

I Could Never Be Your Woman!

I recently read an article about how and why some movies go straight to DVD and skip theaters altogether. It dispelled the myth that all "straight-to-dvd" movies suck. (Altho, in my experience, lots of them do.)

Honestly, I can't remember much about WHY decent movies sometimes never make it into theaters, but it had something to do with studio budgets, blah, blah, blah.

What I did pay attention to was the article's mention of "I Could Never Be Your Women", because it sounded like a good romantic comedy with a great cast- Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Tracey Ullman, Fred Willard and the young actress from "Atonement", Saoirse Ronan.

I rented it tonight- It was about an an hour and a half of snappy dialogue, a great story about our youth-obsessed society, and lots of jabs at the current TV situation. It was the best romantic comedy I've seen since, since.... well, in a long time. Everyone in it was GREAT. And I have to say, Saoirse Ronan is really talented. Her character in this movie is so entirely different than who she played so well in "Atonement", that it's hard to believe it's the same actress! But I guess that's the thing about good acting- you forget: THEY'RE ACTING!

I think this DVD is a "Blockbuster Exclusive" so if your a Netflix member, it may be time to make a change...