On becoming...

I think we go through 4 major growth spurts in our lives if we are lucky.
infancy, puberty, sexual and spiritual. The spritual growth is the lucky one. Most people never quite get there. They get close, they peek through the door and see what it can be, but then never cross over. Never find their truth, their own path and their center. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I have had a few very close friends who have helped me get closer to that center and closer to my own truth. I have watched as others have denied their own desires so as not to go too far against societal norms.

I don't like to say life is short, because lets be honest, its the longest thing any of us ever does. Life is not serious. Death is serious. Life is fun and should be that way in every aspect. Fun with friends, fun with lovers, fun at work, fun at play, smiles and laughter at every turn. I have had my share loss. Luckily, I have had friends remind me to remember the smiles and laughter of those who have gone before us. Also I know that I will meet up with them again. Nature abhors a vacuum. The place in my heart that was filled by the presence of those people past is substituted with someone else carrying their spirit. The people I have lost have never been replaced, there is just someone else carrying their spirit.

Sorry, I really don't know where this one was going.

In hindsight, we could have waited on the shampoo...

I had a party at my house with just the ladies and of course I thought to shampoo the carpets the week before.

If you do this and you happen to have a bar in your house on part of this carpeted area. Either invest in Scotch Guard or get the dang carpets shampooed after the party.

I hired a bartender who is very good, but also a self proclaimed sloppy shaker. He told me about half way through the party that he sometimes has to change his shirt halfway through his shift because he has cocktail overshakes all over his shoulders.

I wish I had known this previously. I would have put a scrap piece of carpet down, or some kitty litter. :) Thank you Paddy-Cat, I had a great time at the party for the first time. You are an amazing bartender and you will be back.

The all powerful grocery checkout belt divider

What is with people not wanting their items out of their immediate control? I am standing in the express check out line with my three items. and there are two other people in front of me with their few items. Well there is paying guy, control freak guy and me. So, of course paying guy needs a price checked. so we are all waiting.

The clerk has left the belt running and control freak guy is not letting his items slide forward to the check out area, he is maintaining this death grip on his supplies. Does he not know the power of the grocery check out divider? Nothing can get past this thing, it is like the condom of the check out line. Each of us being kept safe from the purchases of others touching our soon to be possessions.

Nope, this guy is holding on to his items letting the belt slide underneath them. So, just as an experiment, I put down one of the all powerful belt dividers and set my items down and let them travel their course toward the clerk. I thought that maybe control freak guy just needed guidance to show him the way of the check out line. Wrong again, he actually picked up his items and let mine go by. With a look of disbelief he looked at me as if to ask why I had let my three offending items slide toward his willy-nilly to almost have a collision. I looked right back at him and smiled. You know the one, the smile you give to people you see on the street just to appear friendly. Then I went back to my gossip rag perusing.

So paying guy is done with his price check on the snickers bar he was buying, and control freak guy steps up as the clerk was reaching to remove the force field of a check out belt divider. In a shrill voice that I never would have thought could come from this 6'4" bruiser, I hear "THOSE AREN'T MINE!" as he hands his items over the check writing stand to the checker. I think everyone within a 3 check stand raidius jumped at that. I tried not to laugh, but I am sure one of those half snort things came out my nose.

The rest of his transaction went off smoothly and he walked out with his 17 cents in savings and a confused look on his face. I stepped up to the clerk and we made eye contact and when he looked over my shoulder and saw CFG was out the door he looked back, smiled and asked what happened. I just smiled and said "I think I caused a melt down"

Hail the all powerful grocery check out divider.

Cocktails, restrooms and atonement

I don't know if any of you have heard the addage: Beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, in the clear. Well thats how I heard it and it made sense to me at the time and I must say it holds true for me. Mark and I went out to dinner at a new brew pub one night so we had to try all their beers, being the beer snobs we are (necessary information, retain for future reading). Then that same night was our friend Stephen playing guitar and singing at one of our favorite bars; the K&K. It is mostly one of our fav's because they let Stephen play, but also because they pour a generous cocktail.

Most of the time I keep it simple and drink a Vodka Collins, its a good citrusy drink thats hard to mess up. Whew, that was the beginning of the end on this particular evening. By the time we got there I had already had 4 beers including an industrial IPA that is 7% alcohol and oh so yummy. I used to be able to really drink quite a bit, but I was always smart to not mix my alcohols. So, me being not all that smart this evening, I went with my Vodka Collins once we got to the K&K. They pour them well and long. Ouch, at some point in the evening I went all glassy eyed and got some water from the bartender. It was too late.

I had gotten up and went to the single stall ladies restroom and let loose a flurry of technicolor vomit that has not been seen on this continent or any other in many decades. Yes, I closed the ladies bathroom from that point on. My only saving point was that I was pretty unconcious from that point on and that the Staff at the K&K must be very understanding.

oh... and I didn't puke _in_ the bar, only all over the bathroom, toilet, floor and wall.

Our nicest piece of furniture is a bar

When we first moved into our home, we noticed there was a perfect place for a bar, so we built one. Its 8 feet long, maple with a granite and glass top. It is the first thing you see when you walk in our front door. What does that say about us? We are both amateur bartenders (because we still want to be eligible for the Olympics) and we love a good cocktail. We love to entertain with a featured drink each time. I really enjoy having it there as it is handy for so many things. We had a pot luck and it worked great as a buffet. Its a great place to hide stuff. I often wonder what people who just meet us and come into our home think. Oh well, not enough to worry about it

Bad Kitty!

So, I don't know if you have cats or know someone who does or know what a cat is, but in short they are hunting machines. Even my stark white, turd in a punchbowl Kimba who couldn't camoflage in anything except snow or dandruff has been able to bring us two live birds. So the first one was quite a shock, we have had Kimba for about a year and this is the first time we have seen any hunting prowess on his part. I went to grab him away from the bird and had to put a judo headlock on him just to throw him in the bathroom and allow the bird a chance to get away. That was quite a site.
I don't have a lot more to say about this except I don't know if I am impressed or saddened by this skill we have just learned about.