Pretty, Pretty

Just like I love to dress up, I love to have my surroundings pretty. So, I spent a bit of time and tried to make my blog look a bit more put together...

Thanks to http://cutestblogontheblock.blogspot.com/ for the template for the background! It's awesome what she does, and I do appreciate it a lot, as I am partially brain dead when it comes to computer tech stuff and after about three tries, I was able to put on the background of my choice!

It makes me feel a bit more....well....finished....polished....stylish.

Yes, There Are Spies Among Us

This morning as I was putting my young son's underwear into his laundry basket, (you know how they get piled up everywhere but in the hamper.) something fell out onto the floor. It startled me and I was a bit afraid for a moment, then I realized that it was just several action figures, rather muscle-bound and small but looking ready for a fight. I took a few deep breaths, reminding myself that as I was a lot bigger than them, they couldn't hurt me.

Well,....that and the fact that they could barely breathe, let alone speak, as they had been trapped for who knows how long in my son's dirty underwear. I definitely had the advantage as they were clearly recovering from whatever scary smells and "smears" that they may have found, stuck there in his dirty underwear pile....

Spies!

That's what they were.
I know this, because my son told me when I asked him if he was hiding them for a reason in the dirty clothes pile... I actually thought him rather smart to "take them down" in such a creative way.... This way I was able to dispense with them quickly and efficiently with no change in our usual morning schedule.

Yep, you guessed it----before they could fight back, and were still reeling from their experience spent in the dirty underwear, I put them quickly into the action figures drawer and shut it tightly.

I'll interrogate them later...when I have more time...

The Life Of A Celebrity

Ok, yes, I will finally admit it.

I AM a celebrity,....of sorts.

Just a few weekend's ago, I got the opportunity to go to Oklahoma City to sing at a HUGE benefit for The American Heart Association. It was first class all the way, baby, with the band staying at the Marriott and chauffeured around in a custom Mercedes from the biggest Mercedes dealership in Ok. City. It was all expenses paid; food, plane fare, and a nice chunk of change for the gig.

But first, before you really start to get jealous, let me tell you of my first class visit to this grand city, and the ball of the year...

We arrived at the Boston airport at about noon for our 2:30 flight. The torrential snow storm or blizzard of the year was going on, so we weren't surprised to find out that our flight was canceled. No worries----we are celebrities, after all, and only the best for the Rod Stewart tribute act and his entourage. So, they found us a flight on another airline going out at 8:00 that night.

Great! A nice leisurely stay at the airport is a treat indeed----I'm sure that is what you are thinking also, as we sat around, ate from the finest airport food----yes, they even had a Panda Express! It was grand! Of course it was rough trying to keep people from recognizing us and bothering us with autographs and such, but I solved the problem with turning on my computer, hooking up my headphones and watching several DVD's that I had brought. Whew, it was close, as I tried not to catch anyone's eye. I was trying to be incognito...

At about 8:00, after we were told that the airport was officially closed down and there wouldn't be any flights out until about 10:00, I was able to dine at the exclusive restaurant, Wendy's, having an amazing wilted lettuce salad and chili with hardly any beans. (that way one doesn't get a "gaseous" experience for one's flight) Ahhhh, how nice to sit with no interruptions, listening to the great sounds of the airport music and then, after eating, once again, listening to the great sounds of the top forty airport music as I leisurely read my book.

Well, they finally opened the airport and we got on our plane to Cleveland, Ohio. It was a great flight, of course, because being a celebrity, we got two pillows and a small blue square that they called a blanket. It was soft, though, and we got a bit of a rest.

When we were arriving into Cleveland, they announced that the motels and hotels in the area were pretty much booked up, and there was a worrisome moment there for a minute. (You see, our flight to Oklahoma wasn't going out until Sat. morning at 10:30 a.m., so we needed a place to sleep) But of course, as we got off the plane and they saw what celebrities we were, they ran quickly and got a cot for each one of us, and...get this....as MANY PILLOWS AS WE WANTED! I knew that we had arrived, also, when we were able to pick out our own blanket, from a neatly stacked pile----and yes, you guessed it,---it was those soft, small blue squares! Heaven!

We were told to pick any area at a certain Gate. I'm sure that they were concerned with fans interrupting us in the early hours of the morning and disturbing our sleep. I was lucky enough to find a space to tuck my cot away behind a tall giraffe, that was advertising some park in Cleveland. I laid down and realized that we were also going to get to listen to that lovely, piped-in top 40 airport music again, with those ever important public service announcements----ALL night! How thoughtful of them... And then, to keep us safe and just in case we were afraid of the dark, they left ALL the overhead flourescent lights on, ALL NIGHT LONG!

I know what you are thinking...such luxury you have never known, right? I know...and I am ashamed to say that I couldn't sleep very well----its hard sleeping in such grandeur, in such a large room, when one is used to a small dark room. So, I read for a while, listened to the music, chatted with a one of my band mates, and took a few cat naps.

After a great breakfast at one of the high end restaurants in the airport, we settled in and waited for our flight. It was truly amazing how the accommodations were so comfortable, that several of my band mates slept on, even as people were coming to get on their flights. Oh....and the paparazzi would have had a field day with those big guys sleeping on their cots, with their oh, so, smallish comfy blankets barely covering them. But, the airport did their job and kept the paparazzi away.

Our celebrity time wasn't up just yet. We got on our flight, had some tremendous pretzels, and tomato juice, then were able to take a quick nap in our luxurious coach seats before landing in Cleveland. We were met by Jimmy, our driver, got our luggage and away we went to the Marriot!

Sound check was next, but was done pretty quickly and we were able to relax in our sumptuous rooms bef0re the performance, which was held in a ballroom at the Convention Center adjacent to the Marriot. The room was filled with about 600 people----all dressed in black tie and formal gowns and so happy that we were able to be there and made it out of the Boston blizzard---they even had a special dressing room put up behind the stage using curtains, so we could have extra privacy.

After the show at 12:30 a.m., I went to my room, exhausted, but excited that I was going to get two hours of sleep in my luxurious Marriot bed before I had to get up at 3:00, get ready and be taken to the airport at 4:00 a.m.

Well, I must admit that the rest of the trip was a blur. I believe that we visited two more cities...or...rather...two more airports---you know how it is on these celebrity tours,----before we returned home to Boston. I know that I was able to sleep immediately on each and every flight home. I was an exhausted celebrity. I also think that all that star treatment left me a little tired, and it took me most of the week to recuperate.

Well......now.....all I can say about the weekend is....I now understand why those big celebrities have such a hard time getting rest.

It's hard work being a celebrity.

To Bathe Or Not To Bathe...

...or to shower or not to shower. Same difference.

As I was standing in the grocery line a few days ago, thinking about my evening ahead,---I was hosting a "Cooks Du Jour" night at my house (its a cooking class type church thing)----I noticed that an annoying smell kept permeating my thoughts. It wasn't exactly a "B O" smell, but more like the smell of unwashed hair and clothes that had been worn too many times without a good washing. I could have sworn that I could even tell what the couple (yes, they were standing behind me) had had for dinner the night before. It was there---I believe it was chinese or pork.



As I tried to turn the other way and breathe upwind of them, I started thinking about how many times a week that I am put into this situation and then that got me to wondering...

Are people not bathing or taking showers every day anymore?

Now, you have all read my pet peeves about the way society is not dressing up anymore and how it is so rare to see women look nice and wear makeup, but is it getting so bad that people don't have good hygiene either, anymore? I happen to think that if I don't take a shower every day-----at least----that I can HARDLY STAND myself, let alone anyone else having to stand being near me! This is even if I don't leave the house, people!! (well, there has been that day or two when I was really sick and stayed in bed, but that is about once every 5 years or so...)

And of course, it doesn't help that I happen to have the most acute sense of smell of anyone that I know. I can walk into the house and smell that there is something going bad in the fridge.... Really! I have been known to get on my hands and knees and smell the floor until I can find a pee spot from one of the four animals in my house. It will drive me crazy until I find it!

So, I guess that I happen to be more annoyed by this...ah....granola/grunge habit than the normal human being walking around. So, whats a girl to do? I try to smell good and keep my self clean and perfumed (only clean smells, though, can't stand those cloying over spicy matronly perfumes) and am not really surprised when people say to me, "Oh, you smell good!"

So, what do you think? Is it just my imagination or are we going back to our roots----you know, those pioneers who go for several months before they even take spit baths.

Let me know, because I need to prepare for the worst....