Chased by Children

Best Friends Part II - Lola

In honor of Lola's 29th birthday (ahem) I am finally publishing Best Friends Part II.

Lola and I met when we were young professionals in Chicago.  Our paths crossed a couple of times and we just clicked.  We started being lunch buddies and from there grew a friendship that is unlike any other.

Lola was born in New York city but came of age in Connecticut.  Politically she is Liberal with a capital L.  She is Jewish.  She is thin.  She's good with money.  In every way, she is my opposite.   Did I mention that we just clicked?  It would be more accurate to say, "inexplicably we clicked".

We've had some amazing times as friends.  Her birthday that we celebrated in Las Vegas was both memorable and horrifying (on the way home she got so ill that I wheeled her through the airports in a wheelchair).  We met Cindy Crawford together (and Cindy asked if she could be best friends with us too--true story).  We watched Sense and Sensibility in the hospital while she was bedridden during her pregnancy with her twins (and her ankles were the size of truck tires). 

Lola has a unique capability as a friend.  Any old friend can commiserate, empathize and listen to you complain. And while Lola does all these things well, she also runs up along side you and picks up part of your burden and helps you carry it. 

She and Thurston make time for me and my kids on occasions big and small (At MiMi's christening they were the only attendees on my side of the family).  As a family they've taught us Jewish customs and blessed us by inviting us to Shabbat.  She has been an amazing example of a strong, ethical and loving woman for my girls. 

I love you Lola, and I can't wait to be one of those little old lady couples who frequent Florida with blue hair and matching outfits....we are going to set that place on fire.

Happy Birthday Friend!

The Cure for Cellulite

It's not an entire pint of chocolate peanutbutter ice cream by Haagen Daaz.

It's not biscuits and gravy (bacon gravy using my grandmother's recipe)

It's not chili with cornbread.

It's not a chimichanga from El Molino's.

So, we can rule those things out.  But trust me when I tell you that I will continue my rigorous testing until I find the cure.

Volleyball Goddess.....

No, not me (although it does sound like me, right?).  CoCo's team won a tournament this weekend.  It's been a tough season so far for their team and this win meant A LOT.

I have to say that she is really talented at Volleyball, but more than that, she is just so unflappable during volleyball games. And that does NOT sound like me.  I was always a bit of an emotional player.  ahem.

It is really something to see.  Especially since this is the same kid that I see melt down on occasion (read that: daily).  She's in that pre-teen hormone-induced weirdness that makes her a little difficult at home.  I've been threatening her with military school for the last year or so......I digress.

But not on the volleyball court.

She is steely and determined.  Nothing phases her.  She stays focused and calm.  Even with the game on the line, she serves with confidence and perfection.

I marvel at her. 

I'm pretty sure it won't be the last time.

Friendship

Best-ie:  The first person you call when something bad happens to you.

Frenemie:  The first person you call when something good happens to you.

Friend: Person you call when you're having a party, having a baby, having a coffee...

Acquaintance: Person you call when you want to carpool or need to fill a committee.

Interpeeps: People you know from your blogs who you tell everything to about the others on this list....

America's Got Talent Results

I don't watch a lot of television that isn't on the Disney Channel.  However, this year the girls and I watched America's Got Talent whenever we got the chance.  We especially loved Prince Poppycock. We also loved the sister act where both sisters were victims of Cystic Fibrosis.

The wind up is that Prince Poppycock did not win.

The lovely sisters with cystic fibrosis did not win either.

The incredible 10-year-old who sings as well as Pavaroti did not win.

The amazing fraternity brothers who did an eye-popping black light show did not win.

The unassuming Michael Grimm who spoke so movingly about his sainted grandmother.  

Am I disappointed? yes. 

Will I be tuning in next season?  you bet.

AL joins Blogosphere

Well, over the course of this blog I've discussed my Aunt Linda A LOT.  That's because she's awesome.  She's not really my aunt but she's my Mom's BFF, and she is my aunt in every way except the whole "related to each other" detail.

Anyway, she's FINALLY (after much begging, cajoling and gnashing of teeth) decided to put her brilliance out on the internet for the rest of us mere mortal.  She humbled me with the sheer cleverness of her first post.....here's a quote about us talking her into this blog...

"I explained to them that I just didn't think I was clever enough to keep a blog interesting. Jenny gave me that look. You know the one. It says, "What you talkin' about, Willis?"...only my name isn't Willis.

I can't stop laughing to comment more....please go see for yourself:

To Behold the Beauty

Great Book: Little Bee

Little Bee was sitting on a shelf at my local bookseller.... it was an interesting book jacket because it didn't tell you anything about the book.

I didn't buy the book (poverty sucks, remember) but I did thinking I would look for it at the library. 

Then I forgot it's name and moved through my summer reading (The Help by Kathryn Stockett was excellent).  Then I ended up at a friends house and saw it sitting on her coffee table.  She couldn't recommend it highly enough.  She said to me, "it changed my life".

So I borrowed it.

I read it in two days.

I will not go as far as to say that it changed my life but I will say that it changed the way that I look at my life.  And that is really something.

I did not play basketball today.

So, I finished working out this morning (did I ask you for your comments? no.)  And while I was waiting for one of the trainers to return my watch (which I dropped off with her the last time I worked out in 1997) I decided to shoot baskets in the gym.  Oh. my.

It started off well enough.  It was just me and one other guy shooting baskets (and he had wisely chosen to shoot at the other end).  I was using all my best moves (basically, I just kept shooting, missing, rebounding, shooting, missing, rebounding....it was the secret to my success in high school).  I was feeling pretty good.  It's actually not a bad workout, I was counting up the calories I was burning. 

And then another guy showed up.

And another guy.

And then a small group of guys.

Ummmm....it was pretty clear they were all there to PLAY. 

They were all mid to late twenties.  They were all in really good shape.

I'm in my late, late, late twenties......(shut up).  And in a shape (they call it a pear).

I briefly thought of grabbing the piece of paper they were all signing their names to get on a team and show those younguns just what was what.... but I was pretty sure their wasn't a defibrillator near by......why risk it??  right??  Maybe next week.  or . not .

Am I allowed to celebrate Labor Day?

Being one of the mass unemployed people in the U.S. on Labor Day, I wonder what I should be celebrating.  Does that sound bitter? (what? shut it). 

I just hope that before this year is over, I have found a beautiful professional job that fills me with satisfaction (and fills my bank account with moocho cash) but allows me to continue to coach and be involved with my kids school.  Is that too much to hope for? probably.  But I hope next labor day I get the day off work. 

Happy Labor Day!

The Common Enemy

Last night as I was shopping with my mother and oldest daughter I was reminded of the old joke, "Why do grandparents and grandchildren get along so well?  They have a common enemy"  Ha.  Ha.  Ha......

I'm not a great shopper.  I'm a decisive shopper.  It's one of my charms (what?  shut it).  The problem is that my mother and my daughter are equally decisive (and better shoppers than I) so they were always immediately sure that they DID NOT like my suggestions.  

Ironically they both like bold color and pattern (I wear black or beige almost every day with no pattern ever....well, maybe a stripe or two). It was magical to see the two of them giggle conspiratorially at my blander suggestions.  And I have to say that CoCo came home with the most adorable outfit, which fits her great. In fact, it would be suitable for a job interview.....hmmmm....is 12 too young for me to suggest that?