Shucka-Pucka-Lo-Lo
Current mood: bouncy
Category: Life

When I was little my Dad used that word. Yes, he used 'shucka-pucka-lo-lo'. I have never heard another person before or since use it, except for me, of course.

Maybe you're wondering what it means. Well, I'll tell ya. Considering it is the reason for this blog anyway it would only make sense for me to tell you. Shucka-pucka-lo-lo according to my family history means 'get outta my way' or 'get up you're in my chair' or 'move it kid' or 'hurry up dammit we're gonna be late and I don't care where your blue hotwheels car is'.

Daddy used it a lot. Yes, I have asked him where it came from. He grunts, shakes his head and changes the subject. So here I am 37 years old telling my kids to shucka-pucka-lo-lo when they set up camp in MY recliner. It's even been shortened to 'shucka-puck' on occasion.

My question to you...Have you ever heard anyone use this term? Do you know where it comes from? I have googled and got nowhere. Anyway, I'm just curious. Does your family have any unique words that would make a stranger scratch his head? Tell me..

7:12 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

This evening
Current mood: warm
Category: Life

If you survive this entire blog you will be rewarded with 10 points:


Tonight I spent several wonderful hours cleaning my room. Yes, cleaning my room. No, believe it or not it wasn't that messy. Actually, I'm still not done. To be honest I wasn't cleaning my room alone. I had company. Two very close friends of mine came to help my ipod and Terrapin. (It's a beer google it and go get it it's wonderful.)

Still I can hear Madonna singing about 'love coming down like rain' and I've been holding on to a beautiful buzz for hours now. Glorious I tell you, GLORIOUS!!! I have fresh 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets on my bed. I have filled my bookcase to overflowing. (If you know me you know that makes me fabulously happy.) I have placed my magazine collection (on display) on the coffee table in the living room.

Now, the good part...I have given my keepsake box a new home. See, I've been carrying around my keepsakes in this cardboard box for more years than I care to count. This box (yes really this actual cardboard box) fell off the back of a truck in GA going down 78 from Loganville to Monroe AND SURVIVED. Finally, I decided that it would pop soon if I didn't make some changes. So, I went through my keepsake box, piece by piece, ever so slowly because the kids and Kevin are asleep and I have all the time in the world or at least until 7am.

I promise not to do a list like the cleaning of the car. I promise. BUT... I did find a letter from a man I dated years ago that contained an essay that he had written. To respect his privacy (wherever he is) I will not include his name but this is what he wrote: (by the way he is a pilot and it was written around 1997)

What Do The Stars Think About Us?

Night is a glorious time to fly. On the really dark nights, cruising above 40,000 feet you sometimes feel like you are suspended between the Earth and stars. The Earth is like an invisible black map decorated by dim distant lights. A couple of hundred miles beside you, the blackness of the Earth melts into the infinite blackness of space. When it is dark enough, you cannot see this border that separates the Earth from the realm of the stars. Sometimes you feel like you belong to neither.

A few thousand years ago, people organized the stars into mythical gods to help bring order to where there is no order, and to explain the meaning for the random and coincidental events that are our lives. Science has explained that these shapes in the night sky are not gods, but are actually our celestial neighbors. We have evolved by replacing the gods in the night sky with invisible gods that are inherently resistant to scientific study, but we still remember the names that our ancestors assigned to these mythical starlit shapes of night. Some of these constellations are like friends to me. They have kept me company on many dark and lonely nights, when I too was just a small cluster of lights traveling across the night sky.

Tonight the light of Barstow, California are just slipping beneath the nose of the jet. Scattered lights trace the path of a highway as it cuts through the blackness of the Mojave Desert. My old friend, Orion is rising above the Eastern horizon. For a brief moment, the lights of the highway merged into the stars that mark Orion's belt. Unfortunately the moment didn't last, because the jet is traveling at eighty percent the speed of sound, around a planet that is spinning at almost a thousand miles per hour, while traveling around our sun at more than sixty thousand miles per hour. Had this merging of Earth and space lasted a little longer, I may have been able to create a new religion. On this day, every year, people would gather in the desert to watch the lonely highway lift into space to become Orion's belt. Maybe that would not be a good idea, because we have a bad habit of killing each other over different beliefs.

A couple of hours later, a thousand miles of continent had passed beneath the jet. Even from 41,000 feet up, you can look down upon th Earth and instantly see the geographical progression of the jet. A stream of light moves continually in the opposite direction to which the jet is pointed. The Captain was flying, and I got up to take care of the physiological need to stretch. As I lay on the jump seat, I peered at the sky above through a small window. A familiar view of the stars, but I was struck by a strange thought. The stars were not moving. I know the stars are very, very far away, but it is still strange to be traveling so fast and see no apparent motion. Are we really going anywhere? The answer depends on whether you ask the Earth or the stars. I don't believe that the stars would be impressed by our crossing a continent in a few hours of time. Such a thought inspires an infinite number of philosophical questions; are we really going anywhere when we race through rush hour traffic with white knuckles draped across the steering wheel, or is the next traffic light our only real destination? are we going anywhere when we climb a corporate ladder, or are we just sacrificing ourselves to the corporate gods? Where are we really going?

In a few billion years, when our sun consumes the inner planets (including this one that we are presently borrowing,) with its last desperate gasp, will the other stars care? Maybe our sun is one of the stars that decorates the belt on a nigh sky god to some far away world. Maybe they will mourn the loss of one of their gods when they notice that the light from our sun has extinguished. Maybe a traveler on that world will lose a night time friend.

Eleven years ago that essay was given to me with a request that I share my opinion. Sadly, my mind at that time was incapable of thinking such thoughts (much less offering an intelligent opinion). Today, I have an opinion and I can truly appreciate the person and the thought process. So wherever you are Mr. Thought, Thank you for the essay. I have finally grown to a place where I can enjoy it.

Ok, back to cleaning my room. Some things that I would enjoy blogging about or reading blogs would be:

*Just because we disagree does NOT mean we can not understand.

*Bygones, let them be? or find that person you have unfinished business with? Such as an apology or an "I understand you now" or whatever...

*Why should we keep (and carry for years) a box with what the rest of the world will see as trash?



This will not be the last time I blog buzzed. HA!!!

1:53 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

My car was stolen!!!
Current mood: warm
Category: Romance and Relationships

I was minding my own business sitting at the pool with my kids (who were trying to drown each other I'm sure).

Well, while I wasn't looking Kevin took the keys to my car and cleaned it!!! Now, if you know me and some of you do, you know that after a trip to Atlanta and another week of life my car should be totaled instead of cleaned. He didn't tell me but I'm sure that while he was cleaning he found:

*enough boiled peanuts to last through 2- 1/2 ball games
*forty'levendozen empty Mtn Dew bottles
*7 opened packs of sandwich crackers
*872 happy meal toys (go figure)
*one tube of lipstick from 2003 melted reformed and melted again (repeat again and again)
*three dirty baseball socks (red)
*one bra (the ride home from work on a bad day is just better braless, trust me)
*one empty pack of Camel Menthol Lights from at least before March 19th
*BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE LAST THREE MONTHS WERE BUMPY I AM STILL NOT A SMOKER!!!! YAY ME!!!!!! TAH DAAAHHHH!!!!
*who knows how many post-it notes (still addicted to making lists)
*one car charger for my phone
*my adapter for my wonderful ipod (will always be addicted to my ipod)
*43.98 in change
*a beat up but well used owner's manual for my almost paid off Honda
*a map of GA
*a map of SC
*junk mail
*home made Christmas card
*one resume on 100% cotton, watermarked, ivory colored paper
*18 packs of Orbit gum with one piece left all different flavors
*chocolate stains on every seat

Anyway, hopefully he will not be scarred for life from having done such a horrendous task. I wrote this blog because I wanted to show how much I appreciate that he risked his life crawling into the back seat of the Civic just to make my life a little sweeter. And it is sweeter, not just because my car is clean but because someone loves me enough to steal my car and break a sweat while I lounged around enjoying a Sunday afternoon.

Thank you Kevin. I love you.

8:00 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Imagine that.
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Life

I had no idea that making my blogs private would cause such a fuss!! I am sorry. I didn't know anyone was really paying attention to them. Wow. You guys are so cool.

So, they're open again, some are missing. They are gone and you won't see them again because they have been deleted, yes for real deleted, not moved and saved but gone.

So, what's going on now??

Alexander's getting new carpet in his room tomorrow which means I will have to work my hiney off tomorrow.

In less then a week I'll have made my three month mark not smoking, which is only a big deal because I'll get a better discount on my medical insurance. Yay! Otherwise it's kinda not anything to me any more as I don't give it much thought.

Baseball is over. Softball is not. Emily made it to Allstars and will be playing in a tournament next weekend.

I'm gonna find a new book club, I haven't stuck my head in a book for a while.

Dad is gonna put a trailer hitch on my car so we can take our bikes, a cooler, the tent and whatever else and run away from home for some weekends.

We have Carowinds season passes so we'll have to go ride some roller coasters soon.

It feels good to smile again.

It's nice to sit by a pond/lake whatever that was and be at ease with myself and my company. A beautiful afternoon turned to evening. Nice.

Marie's coming back.

10:26 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I have a favorite tree.
Current mood: breezy
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

I don't know what it is but it is the most interesting tree. The bark is white and peely. Yes I know peely isn't a word but watch this…Ha I just added it to my dictionary. It's a word now. I really hate that but if 'crunk' can be a word then so can peely, but I digress. The bark, yes it is white and peely, kind of like paper that has curled at the edges. Under the peely parts it's dark. But this is not what I like about the tree. It is part of what makes it interesting to look at but not my favorite part. The leaves! They are about 2 inches in diameter not exactly a circle, more like a spade shape and have a rigid feel. They kind of have the same 'feel' as the leaves of white oak. BUT the cool part, the super cool most awesomest part (My blog my words shut up or nod to creative license.) of this tree is that the leave appear to be silver. So silver and bright that when the wind blows through it somehow your mind will let you believe that you can hear a tinkling of these coin-like leaves shaking against each other.

These trees are so beautiful that they seem to be magical in a way. I can hear them. I have only seen five of them in my life but I remember where they are and could take you to them if you wanted to listen to their music with me. There are three just off 316 near Lawrenceville GA and two near a small house on 24/27 between Midland NC and Charlotte NC.

Someday I will have a house with a huge yard that will have one of these trees on the property. There will also be a really cool swing on the property that sits far enough away from the tree that when you are swinging you can look at the whole tree as it dances and plays music in the wind. You will also be able to see the tree from some part of the wrap around deck.

Someday, I will sip tea while reading a book and take little breaks to watch my tree.

7:52 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

A month later.
Category: Life

Actually it's been a month and a day. I am constantly forgetting to take the Chantix that I'm supposed to be taking to prevent urges to smoke. I have about 3 or 4 more days worth until I have to spend another $127.00 on the next batch. (It comes in monthly packages.) I am not having urges at all, not even when I forget to take the dose. This is a bit of a bummer because I am most certainly not rich and would really prefer NOT to spend that much money on some pills that I am going to forget to take for another 2 months when I don't seem to be feeling any need for the 'chemical support'.

The good news is is that if my Chantix box fell off the face of the Earth I would be ok and would still be a non smoker. So what am I stressing for?

Ok, I'm still stressing. Maybe it is important to complete the whole 3 months. I have already been told by the Doc that taking only the morning dose is ok for me. I had to stop the evening dose to save my sanity. (Holy shit the dreams/night terrors were just insane and intense.) I actually dreamed one night that I was a gay man that got robbed and stabbed to death in my (or his actually) own home in the middle of the night. What do they put in those pills?? AND, I feel kinda cheated because I knew I was a gay man in the dream but there was no sex, so I got cheated on that. Or did I? Hmm, guess I'll never know.

Any suggestions?

9:11 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Quit date and a happy day all in one.
Current mood: sexy
Category: sexy Life

Well, today's the day! No sweat. Actually, I gave my last cigarettes away yesterday afternoon. Finally, I'm done. This time, just in case I weaken I have a support group to provide back up strength. Some of my 'supporters' promise to be more dangerous than smoking if they see me light up. I would say I'm afraid but I don't think there will be a problem.

So, it is a happy day for many reasons. I think I'll just smile all day. How 'bout that?

7:04 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Personal Goals
Category: Life

March 19th is my quit date. Yes I have been smoking again. Pathetic huh? Well, today is my second day on Chantix. By next Wednesday I will be a non smoker. I feel pretty good about being successful because I don't smoke nearly as much as I used to and I really can't stand it anyway. It stinks. It is obviously unhealthy. It is expensive and we all know that I can't afford an expensive habit. Besides who wants to kiss a smoker? I know I don't. Yes, I'm a hypocrite when it comes to smoking. Even when I have smoked my preference has always been to date non smokers. Isn't that just awful of me? Ha! Oh well, that's how I feel.

So, I have a plan. I am changing habits. I am avoiding going 'outside' at break times at work. I am replacing old bad habits with new good habits. I have recruited several friends to provide support. Everybody knows that I'm quitting and when the quit date is, so no slipping allowed or else I'll get a ration of shit from every direction. There's even a support site and phone number if I feel the need. I'm going to post that list that tells how your body recovers from one day to a week to months then years where I can see it at home and at work.

I think it's gonna be just fine. The countdown has begun.

Rie

1:42 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
Current mood: arrraaagguuhhhh
Category: arrraaagguuhhhh Life

I have just finished the novel Sophie's Choice by William Styron. If you have not read this book and intend to please do not read this blog. I assure you it will have spoilers. If you have not read this book and do not intend to you will probably not understand a word I have to say without knowing the story but I must rant and if you want to continue then you are welcome to do so.

I do not like Sophie. I think that it is possible that most people who have read this book will think that I am a cold hearted bitch to say that. Well, ok.

Sophie was a victim, her whole life. Awful and I MEAN AWFUL things happened to her and her loved ones. Throughout the whole novel I didn't read about a moment, not the slightest moment that she stood up for anything she believed. She did not fight, resist or make any attempt to escape the hell that she was in. Over and over she simply accepted that she was a victim and that her children were victims too. She had opportunity to resist, even in a passive way but refused. She was paralyzed by fear.

I know that in her situation which was sheer hell like nothing I could ever imagine, not in my worst nightterror. But where was the moment that she stood up and screamed at the world that this was not acceptable? Where was the anger, the passion, the fire and the desire to do SOMETHING...ANYTHING to try to change the path she and her family were on?

Shortly after I started this blog a dear friend opened a chat window where I had vented to him offline about this Sophie thing. See, I just finished the book only moments ago and I am fuming. He said to me that not every person is as strong as the other. Not everyone can handle all situations the same way. He is correct. It is unfair for me to expect bravery from someone not cut of that cloth. It is not right to expect strength from one who for whatever reason has none. I guess it all boils down to one thing. When you expect, you set yourself up for disappointment. I know this, but still I hear myself saying aloud "Why didn't she...", "What if she...", "How come she...".

Sophie was beautiful in many ways. I could see how many people would fall in love with her from reading this book.

I can not relate to her. I hope I will never be able to relate to her. (I just heard Karma start walking my way, oh shit!) I am direct and prefer action to stagnancy. Ah hell, there's Karma now reminding me of my sitting-still career.

Guess I better stop preaching and start moving.

I'm still mad at Sophie and I'd love to hear the opinions of anyone who has read this book. It very possible that many will disagree with me strongly, but that's ok.

Rie

Currently reading : Sophie’s Choice By William Styron Release date: 03 March, 1992

10:05 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Impossible word
Current mood: vented
Category: vented Life

How is it possible for any self respecting, English speaking person to use the word irregardless? It is incorrect. There is no way, NONE, that one could use this ridiculous word correctly. Words do not work like Math. You can't just throw all the negatives you want in a sentence and expect anyone to know what the fuck you're talking about. I just can't stand this word. I can't.

No puedo supportar!

Ok, I feel better now. Thanks.

8:01 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment