the pattyo

“You’re not ugly, you’re fat.”

Okay. Thank you for that, spam sender.

The things I get spam-wise never cease to amaze me. How stupid do these people think we are? It’s all just beyond belief, really.

But of course the above subject header wins the Absolutely Most Bizarre award.

In Other News…
Someone is going to be twenty-one tomorrow! Woo hoo to our hamster girl! I don’t know where the time has gone, but at some point it sure got away from me. How can my baby girl be 21? It’s just not possible! Especially since I’m (still) only 29.

One more symphony rehearsal and then two concerts. We are doing the Grieg Piano Concerto. Ah, the memory … remember, Mom? Not the best memory in the world, that’s for sure! (To those not in the know, I absolutely bombed on the first movement of that piece in a middle school concert. Such is life.)

It’s March 31. It rained again today. This has been a very wet month. I wonder what April will bring. (May flowers, perhaps?)
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Putting a skylight in a location with a big tree right above it makes for a messy (and often gross) skylight. I know. I’m sitting under one right now.

It was warm and lovely out this morning. I thought, “Gee, mom and I can walk to lunch.” Now it looks all yucky.

I don’t understand what is so wonderful about Liza Minnelli, but I figure it must be my problem.

Not only does Donald Trump have Bad Hair, but he nearly yells on the radio commercial I keep hearing (something about getting us to some seminar). He sounds sort of crazy. Is this all put on?

Tom Cruise seems crazy too. I don’t think that’s a put on.

Johnny Depp seems crazy but only in a most perfect way.

I think it takes a vacation to recover from a vacation.

Yard work is my desire when I can’t be near my yard.

Practicing is always my desire when I’m away from my oboe.

Cooking is sometimes my desire when I’m looking at a cookbook at a bookstore. (Eating is always my desire when I’m looking at a cookbook!)

I think I have problems.

These thoughts are brought to you by one who is avoiding all work. Because I can see my yard (although I’m choosing not to), my oboe is within my reach, and the kitchen is in sight. But I was on vacation and I’m recovering.
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I’m home, safe and sound. I arrived around 7:15 … not bad, since I said goodbye to Kelsey & Mel at 12:45.

The drive was just fine … and the visit with Kelsey was great! It’s always so much fun to go down for a visit and do a bit ‘o shopping with my girl! Mel joined us for meals on both Saturday and Sunday, and that was fun too. :-)

Thanks, Kelsey, for letting your old mother hang out with you for a weekend. Love you bunches!
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… well, from Santa Ana, really. (That’s where the hotel is.)

I woke up early, and actually managed to exercise. It was great! Then I went across to the street and had a cup of coffee and muffin. When it was time, I drove to over to Kelsey’s place and picked her up, and we had quite the full day. Shopping. Food. Fun. Yay! We met up with Mel for dinner right here at the hotel. After a lengthy dinner (I think there aren’t as many staff here on weekend) Kelsey and Mel left and I went back to my room. It’s nearly time for bed.

Fun day!
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The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.

-Flannery O’Connor, born on March 25, 1925 (American writer 1925-1964)

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I’ve arrived at my hotel. Didn’t manage to get on the second floor with the free internet this time, but it looks like they are now charging even in the lobby, so I guess I’d have to pay no matter what. (I wonder, Dan, if that’s because they found out people were sending junk mail in the lobby of the hotel … remember that problem?)

Anyway, the drive was sloooow … hit an accident that caused problems beginning at 6 Flags for a while, and then, of course, traffic through LA was the typical junk. Silly LA. I stopped only for a bathroom and to fill the car with gas; I had brought crackers along with me and they served me fine for lunch. I’m cheap that way! ;-)

And to think people want to live there. I don’t get it!

Right as I was getting the luggage out of the car Kelsey called. Good timing! So in about 10 minutes (I need to catch my breath) I’ll be heading over to her place. Yay!

UPDATE:
Kelsey had me over for fondue and it was great. Thanks, Kelsey! We had such a fun time yakking, and now I’m back in the hotel, hoping to rid myself of my restless leg syndrome fun.

Note to self: Never buy gas at the last station before you go up the Grapevine. It is 25 cents higher than you will find in Lebec, and Lebec is only 7 miles ahead. Be patient!
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So … if you believe in God and believe He is in control of everything and all that jazz … isn’t everything an “act of God”? And don’t insurance companies cover everything except “Acts of God”? Therefore, isn’t it foolish to have insurance? ;-)

And before anyone responds to tell me I should have insurance and all that, please know I’m just being silly!
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How do I stay so healthy and boyishly handsome? It’s simple. I drink the blood of young runaways.

William Shatner, born March 22, 1931
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was a bad day for driving.

As I was going to pick up Jameson a guy who was turning left (I was going straight) honked at me for going through the intersection rather than letting him go first. (No, there was no left turn light.) Um. Okay. Then, on the same drive, I was nearly hit by a woman who didn’t see me and was planning on moving into the left lane, right where I was driving. Fortunately I saw her and slammed on my brakes, and she noticed me at the last minute and didn’t change lanes. We were nearing a stoplight, and when we stopped she rolled down her window. I thought maybe she was going to apologize. Not so. She was rolling down her window (it was raining) so she could rest her arm there, and THEN she proceeded to remove her seatbelt. Hmmm. Considering her driving I thought that was, perhaps, a rather foolish move!

But people do weird things when it rains here. It’s not like we don’t get rain, but it seems that Californians forget how to drive in the rain very quickly. Go figure.

Today is a dry day so far, although there are clouds that look like they might drop some rain soon. Still, I’m hoping for a safer driving day.

And my kitchen is still looking nice and clean. That makes me happy. (Yeah, I’m that easy.)
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Ahhh … I just finished cleaning the kitchen counters! Not just the sponging up sort of cleaning, but the remove everything from the countertops and use stuff that takes all the oil off of the corian. They look so much better, and everything on top of them has been cleaned too. It’s a rainy day, and it’s my day off, so it’s the perfect day to do this! I also opened our shutters that open to the east and I see that our gutters must be clogged. (Oh Dan …?!) I’m not surprised; the jacaranda is such a messy tree and it is right over that part of the house. Such is life.

As I cleaned the “fish plate” I had paid someone to make for a gift for Dan years ago, I couldn’t help but remember a friend of mine commenting on how it didn’t exactly match the dark green of the counters. Funny how every time I pick up that plate I think of her and her words. It’s the same with anything like that really; if a friend has said “I can’t stand her voice!” (as a friend said once) about a particular singer I then hear that comment whenever I play the CD of the singer. Dan knows that saying he wasn’t exactly thrilled with counted cross stitch meant I took the pictures down (for the most part) … and sorry Dan! … but it’s the same thing; every single time I see one of my counted cross stitch pictures I hear his comment. The same goes for comments about anything I wear. It’s a curse, really! I know most people don’t hear those voices … I know it’s a problem with me, not with the people who make the comments. But there you go. How to make the “memory voice” go away is a mystery to me!

I’m listening to Yo Yo Ma play the music of Ennio Morricone right now. I love this CD. The music really gets in my gut. Or however you want to say it. It’s so moving. So I guess this should be fair warning to all of you—best not to say anything about it if you don’t like it! ;-)
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