Author Archives: Alison

Time Flies Some More!

Time Flies Some More!

I didn’t even really host the holidays, but they do tend to run away with you.

I discovered that the Super Foodtown, while it might not be my first choice as a supermarket, does carry a lot of the things I used to get at Whole Foods. So we don’t have to go without Tazo teas or the Thai instant soups. I’ll have to check if they have Emergen-C. I’ll be running out soon.

There are some coffee joints, I’ll need to visit to see if they sell ground coffee, and if it’s good.

We thought it was a pretty dry town, but in reality, the liquor stores are plentiful, open late, just more discreet. Cool. We do, of course, like to pretend we don’t need to shop there.

I can take the kids a few times a week to the health club and let them swim indoors. It looks like the ice rink will be a good thing too, so we’ll check that out tomorrow.

The carpet for the girls’ rooms was actually ordered less than two weeks ago. That doesn’t mean I’m not still impatient for it to arrive. We’re stuck living among boxes until that carpet comes in. Maybe we can hit Lowe’s with the next month’s fee for storage. Maybe not.

We need a new dishwasher. The local paper has not been delivered. The blinds in the living room need to be replaced. But. . .what the heck. We have time to do all this stuff. We’re not going anywhere.

May I Bitch a Bit, Too?

May I Bitch a Bit, Too?

Oh, yes – I can. It’s my blog.

I’m on the lookout all the time for evidence that people should not be allowed to write in public. Or name their businesses, or write signs. I think that “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves” should be required reading.

I tend to have a very visual imagination, and things that present bizarre mental pictures are both jarring and amusing to me. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, Steve Miller band supplied me with one of my favorites (from “Abracadabra”) “Black panties with an angel’s face”. Scandal’s “Warrior” was another – “your eyes touch me physically”. I need to not be drinking anything when I hear those, because some serious snorting happens when I picture these things.

Now, some of the more local things that have amused me are a contractor’s truck emblazoned with the slogan “Quality is not an option” (call us when you want a really crappy job!) and a beauty salon called “De’Classe'” (we give you only ludicrous and/or dated styles – ask about our special on expired hair dyes!). So, I’m driving around Toms River on a combination destination: shopping/where the heck am I? tour and ahead of me is an exterminator’s truck. The name of the company? “Nuk Em”. I’m picturing all these guys in jumpsuits trying to tuck pacifiers into little insect mouths, and I almost had to pull off to the side of the road. Realistically, I know (partly from the mushroom cloud in the middle of the logo) that the business owner really meant “Nuke ‘Em”, but still. . .a truck full of roach binkies is just too funny!

It’s Thanksgiving.

It’s Thanksgiving.

We’re celebrating tomorrow, though.  Having Friday off makes everything so much easier.  Sort of like celebrating Christmas in January, which we also do.  This way, everyone else is driving while we’re sitting home (enjoying the fire in our new fireplace) and we’re driving when everyone else is at home (or returning gifts at the mall.) 

So, let’s see. . .I’m not thankful at all for my oven (electric, and the stovetop, while easy to clean, can’t boil more than about 2 cups of water without a lid on the pot) or the dishwasher (designed to hold almost three whole pots.  Or dishes.  But not both.  And you still have to hand-wash half of them afterwards.) But I’m thankful for the washer and dryer being on the same floor as. . .everything!  I’m not thankful for the leaky skylight, but I’m thankful for being able to climb on the roof and patch it without being afraid of falling.  Oh, thankful for the fireplace, for certain.  Once we get the kids’ rooms set and all the boxes out of the family room, I’ll betcha I’m thankful for the wood stove, too.  I’m thankful that Audrey helped me make the Thanksgiving vegetable lasagne.  I’m thankful that the dog and the cat ate all the stuff that fell on the floor.  I’m thankful that Wawa and Spirits Unlimited were still open this afternoon. 

To be honest, there are a slew of mundane, silly things I’m thankful for.  I don’t need anything dramatic, anything that moves my world.  Just having things I like and happy family and little serendipitous events is enough to smooth over any rough spots.  So, Happy Thanksgiving!