RTT: Loose Lips Sink Ships or LONGEST BUS RIDE EVER!

Today’s Thoughts are brought to you by my mom! “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!”

Onward ho!

My nephew Chris, mentioned in this post, has been in the hospital for the last few weeks. He was transferred downtown to the University of Chicago hospital last weekend. Thankfully he is being released today! But for this random story, he was still in the hospital. Me and the A’s and hubby live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. It is about a 45 minute drive downtown to the city without traffic. Triple that with traffic. And once you are there, well, it is nearly impossible to find parking, get around, etc. So we felt it easier and more fun for the boys, if we took the train downtown to see Chris this past Saturday. It is about a 50 minute ride on the train, a 6-7 block walk from the train to the EL (Elevated train over the streets of Chicago) and then another 4 blocks from the EL to the hospital. So all of this and three hours later, we were able to see Chris! He was looking much better and happy to have visitors.

On the way back, however, we decided to take a bus to get back to the north side of the city. The hospital was on the south side. If you know anything about Chicago, then you are familiar with the south side. That is where the White Sox come from – boo! (Go Cubs!) Also, however, some neighborhoods are a little shady. Now, I have raised my children to not see color and to just realize that everyone is different. How boring would the world be if we all looked the same? So, we get on the bus, and we are pretty much the only pink people on it! For some reason, this bus has a lot of mirrors. There were four up front by the driver, and two or three in the back. Maybe a couple of random ones here and there. Little A is like Rain Man right now and needs to count everything. He counted every time someone came or left Chris’ room when we were at the hospital. He counts cars, he counts lights, he counts trains. Whatever it may be, he is counting it!

This story is longer than I thought, and actually not so random, hmmm.

Little A says the word mirrors kind of funny, too. Now, remember, he is just 3 and cannot pronounce everything exactly the way it should sound. He, too, says “L” words like “Y’s” just as Big A does. Yittle A…so the way he says mirrors is kind of like this if you were to read it out loud: ME-ROES. Unfortunately for us, that sounds a lot like the word Negroes. And then there is the counting. And then he is also pointing at all the ME-ROES on the bus. “One ME-ROE, two, three, four. The ME-ROES are ALL over the bus! Yet me count them again!” He says in his not so quiet voice. This is the time when I really could have used that magic chip with a remote that silences the child. YES, there were people staring at us in horror! O. M. G.!!! So, I just kind of pretended that it was not the most embarrassing moment ever and I said, “Yes, baby, look at all those MIRRORS! Why the hell are there so many gosh darn MIRRORS on this bus?!” In his ear I am frantically whispering, “Please stop counting and pointing and saying ME-ROES! No one wants to hear your voice on this bus right now. This is quiet time – people are trying to nap.” Little A yells loudly, “But, Mama, I have to tell you about the ME-ROES!” Back to me whispering frantically, “No! I don’t want to hear about them. You have counted them many times already, please stop, please, PLEASE, for the LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, STOP counting the ME-ROES!!!”

This was the number two bus ride from hell. The first being from the “You’re Dead Meat” post on the way home.

For more random Random Tuesday Thoughts, head over to Keely at the Un-Mom!!

These are a few of my favorite things…

I was tagged by Shay at Auguries of Innocence to do this meme. The rules: I have to list six unimportant things that make me happy; I have to tag six other bloggers; I have to link who tagged me; and I have to comment on the blogs I have tagged. And here we go!

 

1) Bewjeweled Blitz - just can’t get a high enough score. Got to keep playing over and over and over again!

 

2) OMG. My new addiction. Pint shmint, bring on the gallon!

3) My Berry. I have arthritis in my thumbs, but I love my berry. I just discovered Blackberry App World. Craziness – I LIKE it!

4) I don’t have time to practice really, but I love my piano. If I see a song on sheet music that I love, I MUST buy it even though I will probably never be able to play it. And I am always downloading music with great piano in it!

 

5) Seriously addicted. And this is where my Bejeweled Blitz is as well.

6) Got to have my iPod with me at all times. I love music!

 

Now, who to tag?? Let’s try these awesome bloggers:

1) Captain Dumbass at Us and Them – he is hilarious.

2) Sammanthia at My A-Cup Runneth Over – hysterical. Anyone that names their blog after their boobs would be!

3) Kweenmama at Kweenmama’s Kastle – oh so wise and what a great mama she is!

4) Will over at Veggiemacabre. He always has a unique way of looking at the world and is a Firefighter – probably looks hot in uniform, ladies!!

5) Kirst over at My Life for the World to See - her daughter Meggers is adorable and she is an awesome mom, too!!

and finally 6) Otto Man at A splendiferous spectacle of supernatural and superfluous soliloquies – a very talented and funny man! And obviously loves the Simpsons – how cool is that?!

 Check out their blogs!!

You’re Dead Meat!

So, back in the saddle again! It has been so long! Hi, Sprite’s Keeper! I’ve missed you!!

This week’s Spin is about memories! Boy, do I have one that stands out…

~~~~~(Wayne’s World dream sequence sound effect)~~~~~~

I was in second grade. I think that made me 7. I lived in an apartment complex and we had to walk through the complex to get to the bus stop. It was the equivalent of about two blocks. My friend Tiffany and I decided to dress up for school one day. I remember wearing a dress and white socks that went up to my knees and black patent leather shoes with a little strap and buckle around the ankle. Very stylish, I know.

We get to the bus stop and wait as usual. When the bus finally came, we noticed that this 6th grade boy named John, that rode in the back seat ALL the time, was absent that day. So we were excited to ride in the very back seat! At the next stop, John’s friend that sits with him in the back, got on and headed our way. Oops. We forgot about him. He stomped to the back and glared at us.

“That’s where me and John sit.” He growled.

I got annoyed. The seats aren’t assigned. There are no names on them. We could sit wherever we wanted to! Right?! Hellz yeah! (I was such an independent and free thinker at the age of 7). So, I said, “It’s a free bus!” And we refused to move.

“John is not going to like this.” He growled again and moved to sit somewhere else.

What. The. Heck. John was not even on the bus. So you are telling me that NO ONE could sit in the back seat EVER? Puh-lease. I looked at Tiffany and we shook our little second grade pigtails. Whatever!

The day went along fine until lunch time. Tiffany and I were eating our PB&J sandwiches and fruit roll-ups happily until John walked by our table.

“You’re Dead Meat after school!” He growled and punched one fist into his other hand. I guess he wasn’t that absent after all.

I looked at Tiffany to see if she caught that. Yes. She did. And so did the rest of our shocked second grade table. I think someone even piddled. Might have been me. I am not going to say one way or the other.

GULP.

The WHOLE school heard about what happened at lunchtime. Kids were passing their condolences out to us when they saw us. I think I even saw money exchanging hands betting on who would get away. I prayed that last period would never end. I prayed that clock would stop and the bell wouldn’t ring. But it did.

We got on the bus and sat in the very first seat behind the bus driver. Seriously. Lesson learned. I remember there was about 3 stops before ours. I started praying that the driver would keep on going and not stop at ours. I chanted, “Please don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” It did me no good. The bus stopped at our stop.

Tiffany and I bolted down the stairs and off the bus and didn’t stop running. It was so hard to run in those little patent leather shoes. I dared look back and saw the bus driver holding his arm across the seats so John couldn’t chase us. But he couldn’t hold him forever. Eventually he would have to let him off the bus and drive the other kids home. Speaking of which, had their noses pressed up against the windows of the bus watching us run away.

I was out of breath; out of shape. I believe I still had the little kid belly situation going on. But I ran like the devil. One block. Finally two blocks. I remember we hit my building first and she had to run on to hers. I veered off to my door shouting, “See ya tomorrow!” As I pumped my arms and legs and ran inside and up to the second floor. I unlocked the door and escaped inside and bolted and locked it. I grabbed the phone to call my mom at work. (I was a latchkey kid.) She just answered and I gasped out, “Mama!” When there was a pounding at my door!

“What is that?! What is going on there? Are you OK?!” My mama asked all worried.

I explained what happened and she said she’d be right home. I hung up with her and that John kid banged on my door for a little while longer. I curled up in a ball in the kitchen and started rocking until my mama came home. I was so scared. I might have even piddled, but I am not going to say one way or the other.

The worst part was having to go to school the next day. My mom called the principal who called John’s mom, but what are they going to do at the bus stop?? So, my big sister, Sherri-Bob, walked us to the stop. She was 8 feet tall and 8 months pregnant. She was a force to be reckoned with. I remember at the bus stop, she glared at all of the kids to even take one step near me or Tiffany. She has this look that is super scary with one eyebrow raised and a fierce scowl at the same time. I felt safe when she was around. She dropped us off and picked us up for the next few days until the situation blew over and he was on to some other poor kid.

But that was one of the scariest times in my life. I have never dared mess with any type of bully since. I have definitely learned my lesson.

It is not a free bus.

 

*For more great spins on memories, visit the Sprite’s Keeper!*

Train Wreck

That is my family right now. My ginormous family that you have read about. There is calamity going on in all parts of it. I won’t go into details as it is not for me to blab all over the Internet, but there is a lot going on. I ask that everyone put in a good word in general with the Big Man Upstairs for them. It’s been pretty rough.

Just had to get that off my chest. I want to write about it but I don’t know if any of them would appreciate that so I won’t. But if they are reading this, then I hope they know that I love all of them deeply and am praying for recovery of body, mind and spirit for each of them. Things can only get better from here. I love you guys!!

I said I’d be bach

And so I am. Calgary was fun. Daylight lasted until around 10:30 pm. Thus, most nights I didn’t go to sleep until after midnight and then had to get up to work the registration desk at 6:30 am. Not so fun. I met some new people. I even went to a Casino and taught a colleague how to play Blackjack. I’m out $5. But it was Canadian dollars so not as bad as you’d think. And, I found some old Canadian money of Hubby’s that he brought into the marriage from when he lived in New Hampshire. He lived just a few miles from Quebec. In fact, the closest McDonald’s was in Quebec so he is technically part Canadian. And this is why he had some money lying around. So, I brought it with, not even sure if it would work. It looked pretty old. They took it.

I found that some of the Canadians I met didn’t appreciate my grammar. I guess I say “Huh?” a lot. A. Lot. Instead of, “I’m sorry?” or “What’s that?” or even just “What?” It annoyed them. They said I sounded like a Canadian goose. Hence, I was very aware of how much I actually did say it. Now that I am back, I catch myself saying it but no one blinks an eye. Nobody cares here. As if Canadians don’t have anything that they say often. At the end of almost every sentence. No offense, ye goode and proper English speaking folk. I mean you no harm.

Can I just ask, however, what is up with Zed? Americans say Z as in zebra. Canadians just say Zed. One person I did have the gall to ask said that was the proper way to speak. They speak the proper English and that is why they say Zed. How come they only say Z differently? What’s wrong with all the 25 other letters? Just wondering.

There is always one in the group that thinks my accent is adorable. These types usually ask me to say certain things like college or possible. With my emphasis on the O sounding like a nasally ”ahhh”. Of course, being from the Midwest, I didn’t really think that I had much of an accent, but there are certain things I say that are very Chicagoan. People from downtown Chicago that grew up and live there still have a very thick accent. Very different from my own. It is similar to a New York accent. Kind of tough, know what I mean, Vinnie?

In my adventures in Calgary, sadly, I did not meet the Queen. Turns out that she is the Queen of England. Huh. Stealing someone else’s Queen. Interesting. I hear that they do have a Prime Minister. But who’s is it? France’s? Just kidding, folks. I KID, DON’T SHOOT! I do know someone that works at the University of Guelph. That is pretty cool. Not everyone gets to work with Gnomes and Elves at the same time.

Anyways, I LOVE CANADA! I want to have dual citizenship! I want to be able to say Eh! freely without funny looks. But especially, I want to meet Captain Dumbass.