Feb 23, 2010
About a bajillion years ago, my brother’s favorite album was called, ‘To Russell, My Brother Whom I Slept With‘. As the much older sibling, he thought all those tricks Bill Cosby played on poor Russell were incredibly funny, and decided to use them against his innocent baby sister (ME!!). I truly believed that I was adopted and the police brought me. I was traumatized. A lot.
There was another part of that album where Cosby talks about “the belt”. It went something like, “The Belt was nine feet long, eight feet wide, and it had hooks on it that would rip the meat off of your body if it ever hit you…” Although my Dad never one time spanked me (much less whipped me with a belt), he did threaten it on occasion. One time in particular I remember vividly…
Dad ripped his belt from the loops and it dramatically whooshed through the air. Mom was on the couch to witness the beating my brother and I were about to receive when Scott whispered, “the belt…” to which Mom replied, “it’s 9 feet long and 8 feet wide…” Dad wasn’t a fan of Bill Cosby and he just didn’t get the inside joke — but he knew he’d lost some momentum and became even more dramatic. He told my brother and I to line up and prepare to be beaten (not in those words, but at the time, I was pretty sure it was going to leave a mark).
My brother said, “Give me Shelley’s whippin’ too Dad. Don’t whip her.” (Neither of us got “the belt” by the way — but it would’ve surely been less painful than the standard “I walked 10 miles to school barefoot and was thankful to get an orange for Christmas and you kids don’t appreciate blah blah blah” lecture we received instead.)
So tonight as I’m following the Misty Croslin saga with Art Harris on Nancy Grace, I hear more recorded jailhouse conversations that reference Misty and her brother (who are both in jail). Talking about bail, I hear Misty say to her father, “get me out first.”
So that is a big ole’ character flaw in my book — and it has nothing to do with Misty being uneducated. My brother and I knew to look out for each other first when we were mere children.
(Taken at about 1:00 AM — the snow is about ALL gone. Yippee!)
Feb 22, 2010
One special piece of furniture in my house belonged to my Nanny, and every single time I see it, it sparks a fond memory. She called it a ‘sideboard’ and kept it in the dining room where a sideboard is supposed to be. It was where she kept the fancy engraved silverware that became tarnished with non-use (unlike mine that can be in the garage for 2 years and look brand new after a 30-minute dishwasher ride), as well as tablecloths pressed neatly and cloth napkins to match.
I can’t remember a time that I’ve fed my crew on a fancy tablecloth, or used fine silver. Ok, so I’ve lit candles, but that’s not something I do on special occasions — I do that often. Of course, now Nanny’s sideboard isn’t really a sideboard anymore, but a piece of furniture that I reference by pointing because I don’t know what to call it. Still, it reminds me of her, and sometimes I think I can still smell the starch she used to press the tablecloth so carefully before putting it away until the next special occasion.
So when I have grandchildren (the first of which is on the way), and I’m dead and gone, I wonder what one thing will be left around that sparks a memory. If it’s Nanny’s sideboard …the tablecloths and fancy silverware memories will be replaced with photo albums and candles and odds and ends that really don’t have a spot of their own — because that’s what is in there now.
Isn’t it funny how time changes everything — everything except our memories of how it used to be? What is your one item that sparks a happy memory every single time you look at it?
Feb 20, 2010
So Saturday is FINALLY here and the sun is shining brightly! So totally awesome for the burg in February because it’s normally gray and bleak this time of year. Today I’m reminded that spring is coming — and how cool is that?
Feeling pretty positive since the burg’s forecast for more of the white stuff has been changed to rain instead, I began thinking about how my favorite brother on the planet, Scott McKain, often mentions this very thing in his speeches. Of course, his message is how it relates to life — that even if you’re going through a winter (personally or professionally), spring is coming.
So I dig through the archives of crap I’ve thrown together much too quickly and never completed or used, and found a quickie clip with a voiceover that I LOVE, but didn’t take time to put photos with it that I liked. Still, it’s worth sharing here at least, and I hope it brightens your Saturday!
[flv:/video/workingscott.flv 500 390]
Feb 19, 2010
Just one of the bajillion reasons I love Libby…
Feb 18, 2010
If you follow the news, you know that a plane intentionally crashed into an IRS building in Texas. It seems as if the man that owned the plane left an online manifesto detailing the events that led to this tragedy.
I read his message in its entirety, and not once did I say to myself, “These are the ramblings of some crazy dude.” Quite the opposite. I found that I am in agreement with a bunch of the points he made. You probably are too, which is pretty scary considering he’s dead now.
