Just sayin’…..

October 5, 2010 by 4 Comments

Expressions…we all have our favorites and some are downright annoying after people hear them a zillion times.

Growing up, if I even thought about repeating comments other kids made, much less say them in the presence of my parents or grandmother (who lived with us), the consequences were….unpleasant.  Still, when safely out of their eyesight and away from their uncanny hearing abilities, there were no holds barred on what came out of my mouth.  I was a rebel, saying “damn” in the playground of the parochial school I attended but the guilt of my wicked ways would always send me to the Confessional every Saturday afternoon out of the fear of burning in hell.

The 60’s rolled in along with “groovy” in front of everything; food, clothes, boys, cars…you name it and, if The Mindbenders weren’t on the radio reminding you about love being groovy, Simon and Garfunkel were singing the “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”. There was no escape until the 80’s hit and groovy bit the dust only to be taken over by……”funky”.  This word, a slang term for a bad odor,  had actually been around for more than twenty years in the music industry but not considered polite terminology until some time later.

I, for one, become nauseated whenever I hear….”bling”.  Anyone ever having the misfortune to catch just one episode of “Bridezillas” can attest to the fact that most of the classless, foul-mouthed women who shouldn’t be allowed to marry (much less procreate but most already have their children IN their wedding party) are featured on this program.  The only time every word out of their trashy mouths isn’t a cuss-word is when they’re spewing “bling” all over the place.

      
I gotcha “bling“….right here!!

I’m sharing a great website where you can peruse to your hearts content through a compilation of American Slang; it’s set up for easy browsing.

                                                http://www.alphadictionary.com/slang/

A few samples of what you will find…….

Fab! …….(Today, it’s “Fabulous”…my oldest daughter beats this one to death)

Gag me with a spoooooooon!…..( This became a household phrase after Moon Unit Zappa’s “Valley Girl” song)

Gnarly! 

Take a Powder!

Skank!…..(I happen to like this one and still use it often)

Whatever your word, or chosen phrase, is….just remember that saying it repeatedly will ultimately annoy someone like me.  Worse yet, you might incur the wrath of a fellow blogging-friend who writes the most incredible posts; ticking her off is worse than spitting into the wind!

Just sayin’…..

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Too Little Time….

October 4, 2010 by 17 Comments

Where has the time gone?



Somehow, during the last 45 years together, my husband and I have managed to raise three children, build a home and struggle through life’s inevitable “ups & downs” with the “downs” still leading.  There’s still a faint glimmer of hope that things will improve but there are days when it’s difficult to find any light at the end of that long, winding tunnel.

“Too Little Time”….our wedding song, the love theme from “The Glenn Miller Story”…I was raised on all that Big Band music.  Actually, it was mandated by my father who didn’t allow me to listen to the Doo Wop of the 50’s or any Rock n’Roll that followed.

Or so he thought…

I played his record game while he was around but when he wasn’t, I listened to the few 45’s that I had hidden away like “My Prayer” by the Platters or “Angel Face” by The Neons.  That one ended up getting broken into shards when I got caught “playing my crappy music” one afternoon.  After that it was back to Artie Shaw, Jimmy Dorsey and whatever else the parental leadership allowed.

Have to admit that I did become fond of Glenn Miller’s music, especially after being dragged to see the 1954 movie made about him; that lovely tune, by Henry Mancini, always stayed in my mind.

Back in 1970, the wedding song of almost every-one’s choice was “We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters; it was played to death at wedding after wedding but not at ours.  Somehow, I managed to get a copy of sheet music for “Too Little Time” and it became our song for October 4, 1970 at our small, but elegant wedding reception.

 

It’s been an interesting ride with two Virgos at the wheel, both being backseat drivers to everything the other one does, but… we’ve managed to survive regardless of  family, and other, turmoil.  Our biggest gifts in life, aside from our kids,  have been our incredible, beautiful, genius grandchildren; there is no better reward that God can bestow on any human being.  They are what makes the endless bumps in life’s road almost non-existent.

Would we do it all again?  Hard to say.  Maybe…John and I would,  if given another chance and the opportunity to do many things differently.  Hopefully, if we manage to survive this dreadful economy and make it through another five years, we might have a 50th Anniversary bash or, like today, just let it pass and be somewhat thankful that we made it this far…. while we both scramble to hold onto time as it speeds past us with a vengeance all its own.

 

   Happy Anniversary to us!

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                  

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Labors….of Love

September 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Carol Burnett once described giving birth as similar to…”taking your lower lip and forcing it over your head”.  I’d say that was a pretty fair assessment of the entire process.

                                                              

When my first daughter was born, in 1972, the Lamaze technique wasn’t encouraged by my Obstetrician regardless of how much I insisted on using that method.  Little did he, or I, know that Jennifer would make her entrance 61 minutes after the first labor pains started but drugs were administered just the same.  Once I emerged from anaesthesia, “Dr. Bozo” had the audacity to comment “how we could have done this drug-less” since, in his opinion, I was one of those women who have fairly spontaneous deliveries.  Jennifer Ann weighed-in at 8 lbs. 4 oz.

I changed physicians after that….

My husband and I attended Lamaze classes when our second daughter was on her way, carrying pillows each week to sit on the floor and practice along with twelve other couples.  I remember one husband constantly asking what the best method was to “cut the umbilical cord” and everyone in the class cringed at the thought of this man delivering his own baby.  He spoke endlessly, as well, about employing the Leboyer method of delivery, in the bathtub; his wife had a due date before any of the others in our group.   Much to everyone’s relief, our birthing coach later informed us that he managed to deliver his son without incident.  Those of us who were still in the class practiced our breathing, timed fake contractions and each couple looked forward to the experience.  

Shortly after our last session,  I awoke to rumbling labor pains during the night and we rushed to the hospital, anxious to put all our birthing knowledge to the test.  The only issue was…each stabbing, gut-wrenching, teeth-grinding jolt of pain came in two-minute intervals and…our second child was born 31 minutes after our hospital arrival.  No drugs and little chance to use the calm, controlled birthing methods that we learned in Lamaze class.  The delivery room nurse probably never realized how close she came to serious bodily injury after she kept patting my hand while telling me to take deep breaths and NOT push!

Push I did….. Jill Amanda weighed-in at 8 lbs., 7 oz.

Three years later, I was pregnant again.  Why not?  As an only child with a mother who thought I was out of my mind to do so…..I liked having babies

Really…I did!

Working late into the night on September 23, 1978, my husband and I were preparing to open our new business. A warm, muggy Saturday night had me staining doors, standing on swollen ankles complete with a big belly that had smudges all over it as I kept bumping into freshly-painted walls.  Now and then, what I thought were Braxton-Hicks contractions took my breath away but I continued painting, and paining, until 2 in the morning.  Finally home, I climbed into bed only to have my water break; shortly after, contractions started coming less than 3 minutes apart.  A call to my doctor brought a response of “it’s probably false labor, go to the hospital if you feel the need”…and we were off!  To this day, I remember my husband driving on the wrong side of the street as I almost gave birth in the car.

My doctor never made it to the hospital in time; a Midwife delivered our son and also kept my husband from the delivery room; “hospital rules” according to her that didn’t allow for a birthing coach when the physician of record was not present.   When “Dr. Know-It-All” finally arrived, he complained to my husband that I had…”waited too long before calling him”.   I was surrounded by a cranky doctor and an even-crankier husband who still complains that I kept him from seeing his son being born.  I remind him that at least he was there for the conception…

Water breaking + Contractions =  16 minutes- total time elapsed – start to finish!

John Alexander weighed-in at 8 lbs., 4 oz.

Today…..is his birthday and I can honestly say that having each of my children has been a labor…of much love!

I have to be nice to each of them because they will be taking care of me in my old age.

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