not-so-sticky

It was pure laziness that I brought 2 rolls of black and white 35 mm film to Walgreens for processing. I had Dad, Lil, and Liam in tow and didn't feel ambitious enough to go to the Artcraft , which is sad since this store is walking distance from Walgreens... I could have waited altogether...but I had been holding onto these two film canisters for a few weeks now. They had made several journeys back and forth in my laptop bag to USR and around again and I was afraid if I didn't drop them off soon, they'd end up lost entirely. And I have good reasons to support this fear. In the last 24 hours, I have misplaced both my digital camera and my cell phone. In the past month, I have misplaced both of these items countless times - along with my ATM card, my wallet, and my keys. Last night, I pulled the cushions off the couch. I found many odd things, but none of these things were either the camera or the phone. Lil was standing by, excitedly announcing each 'find'. I unco...

In what universe is it less obnoxious to yell at someone over an intercom 'no talking on cell phones!' than the actual person talking on the cell phone? I am not a fan of cell phone use in public, particularly restaurants, but I'm not a Nazi about it, either. Dana embarrasses me immensely when he answers his phone and starts talking on it when we're out somewhere. It's not so much the cell phone that is annoying. It's Dana talking on the cell phone that is annoying. Dana seems to think that it is necessary to yell into a cell phone - because his hearing is poor and he can't hear the caller, it follows (for him) that the person he is talking to is also hard of hearing. I called Dana so the kids could say goodnight, not realizing he was out at a restaurant having dinner. Dana can't resist answering his phone anytime that it rings, even if it's inconvenient for him to do so. I, on the other hand, have no such qualms. Mine is often on silent or abandon...

A friend of mine (not Kyrce) recently left her laptop at work and had to go back to work to fetch it. She was ashamed she had forgotten this, though she shouldn't have been. Only a couple of weeks earlier , she was also the same person who reminded me that I was 'human' not 'stupid' when I sought help from her with my head hanging low when I had forgotten to track time against all of the projects I'd been working by the deadline. Nor did forgetting the laptop actually surprise me, either. I know several who have done the same thing (though it's usually the other way around); I think this happens far more frequently than one would realize. I don't think there is any shame in this, although I completely understand the frustration she must have felt - particularly so since she didn't remember until she had already made the hour commute and had to promptly turn around to do it all over again. In the super, fast-paced lives we have created for ourselves, ...

Even now, Dad tries to hide the issues with his memory. It's embarrassing to him and I think it was for a long time before anyone could identify a 'problem' with Dad. In some ways, Dad is still very clever so it's hard to tell when he's kidding and when he isn't. And I think because of this, I am uncertain the problems with Dad's memory really began. A couple of Friday afternoons ago, Kyrce and I wandered Uptown to Hudson Coffee Traders with Dad to meet an old friend of ours we hadn't seen in a year. No one was around to keep an eye on Dad so I decided to bring him with me. I thought he might enjoy tagging along and getting out of the house for a bit. Dad was truly in rare form on this afternoon. I don't think any of us could get a sentence out without Dad interrupting. When I asked him to please not interrupt, he insisted that if he didn't interrupt, we'd never let him get a sentence in! Disgusted with us trying to quiet him, he decided he...

Trying to be economical, I vied for the generic bar soap over the shower gel I typically buy. 59¢. What the hell. Why not? The savings equaled at least a cup of coffee. The width of the bathroom, between counter and wall, is little more than a 3 foot span. At the far end of the bathroom is a shower, which itself is not much wider than 3 feet and is no more than a stall; there is no basin for bathing. Four of us stood going no where fast. Lily was the furthest in, then Dana, then Liam, then me. Lil had already stripped down but refused to get into the shower until Liam was in the shower. "But Lil! We can't get past you. You have to get in so then Liam can get in," I pleaded. Lil didn't get the logistics of it and refused to budge. The plan was to get Lil and Liam in the shower. Dana and I believe the angst and frustration is far lower if we tag-team child-wrangling. Dana will take Lil, I'll take Liam. Dana once said to me, during a bout of sleeplessness and sick ...

The ride that once took you to the future now takes you to the past. I can't do this one anymore, though the Starship 2000, known in ancient times as the "Gravitron", was once my favorite ride. I could go on this over and over again, without feeling ill. I was proud of this. It had been such a mysterious ride. What would happen to you inside of there...? I'm firmly planting my feet in 2008. Since I value my life and these traveling rides are now antiques, I don't think I'm too disappointed about this.