Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Normal Life

I've been away from blogging for awhile. I wish I was as faithful/prolific as Fossil Guy or Bookworm. I've been working on a blog about scattering my brother's ashes, which we did a couple of weekends ago (even though he died in 2003). Every time I go back to it I add more. I think it may be less of a blog posting and more like therapy.

Things are normal in my life. I go to work every day, hungrily check my daughter-in-law's blog and the Flickr site for new pictures and anecdotes of my granddaughter, Alison. Solve work problems, answer emails, tell people how to fill out forms, drink coffee (do it myself, not tell people how), eat lunch in my car while I read my latest book. Latest book? The Ninth Life of Louis Drax. Fascinating, mysterious short read. Then something by JJ Jance, because she has 3 books on top of the library hold list and I want to see what she's all about. Why do readers like her stuff so much? I'll let you know if I agree with them.

A normal day means I go straight home after work, put on my yoga pants and t-shirt and get on the exercycle. The goal is 30-plus minutes at Level 3. I can stand it only if I am working on a New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle while I peddle. It works, too. My mind gets so absorbed in figuring out which words fit that I'm past 30 minutes before I know it and the sweat is dripping down my nose.

Then it's make dinner, eat, clean and sit on the couch with my feet in my Mate's lap for 1 1/2 hours of TV. All summer we watched the old 60s series Wild, Wild West and Rat Patrol. Rat Patrol was a snoozer, mainly shot in the deserts of California or Mexico, Mexican towns standing in for Middle Eastern ones. WWW was fun though. I had not liked Bob Conrad in the sixties when I was a young mother. Frankly, I think his arrogance reminded me of my then husband who I'd grown not to like much. But seeing him now I see how handsome he was, with a small, lithe athletic body and pretty blue eyes. All summer I looked forward to sitting down with James West and Artemis Gordon in the evening to relive those swinging sixties!

Now we are watching season four of Seinfeld until the Fall season gets underway. I'll watch Seinfeld episodes as many times as I'm allowed. My favorite character is George Costanza, because his ethics are so fluid!

Then it's off to sleep, perchance to dream and then try to wake up the next day and do it all over again. We aren't raising a grandchild, we don't have our kids close by, right now my 84-year-old Mom is in good health and aside from my brother balking about mowing the lawn, things are quiet on that front. My Mate's Mom is still with her sisters in Greece. Problems are at bay for the present. Venus and Mars are in the right places, all aspects are copasetic (??). Normal can be dazzling!

6 comments:

Clear Creek Girl said...

Your blog has urged me on to try coming up with the TV shows I'd like to "re-see"----George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny (and Rochester), the Groucho Marx show, at least a few shows -what was it? - "You Bet Your Life!" - - and one of the earliest documentaries for TV - "The American Family". No comedies, don't like 'em much - - "but "I, Claudius" and "Elizabeth" - oh, and "Henry the Eighth". Um....old Academy Award Shows would be great.
Love Hearing about your life....

Mom said...

Or how about that one that Jeremy Irons was in that was many, many parts. My stupid brain can't remember the name of it right now, but it was written by Evelyn Waugh--oh, I remember, it came floating in from somewhere--Brideshead Revisited! I loved that and the music in it, too. I Claudius was also a favorite. I am looking forward to Mission Impossible and Man from Uncle which will be coming out in DVD soon.

Clear Creek Girl said...

I've read a few of J. J. Jance's books (including the one just published). Light weight country female sherrif procedurals that are difficult to recall a week later. But I read them anyway.
A couple of her books mention the packed-earth houses that Ken branch and his son Quentin Branch were building in Arizona. In one book, she mentoned Quentin by name, which prompted me to suspect she was a friend of his.

Mom said...

I find the book to be, as you say, light weight. I prefer the books written about Alex Kellerman (or are they written by him? Old stupid brain, again). She does mention the packed-earth house in this book. Had no idea the branches were doing that and I was intrigued as to just what that was.

Mom said...

I will correct myself, now that my stupid brain has dredged up the information: the novels about investigation that I like are by John Kellerman and Alex Delecreux is the main character. I may be spelling Alex name wrong but anybody who has read them will know what I'm talking about.

erinkristi said...

Ah, I rewatched Brideshead this last summer. Wonderful! We're rewatching The West Wing from the beginning, because we missed the last season and a half. The 3rd and final season of Arrested Development was released on DVD, which we bought and consumed in one weekend. We just started watching season one of Huff. We don't buy premium channels (although after Huff we might have to!). Brilliant acting and script. Gorgeous and haunting opening credits. Mission Impossible...that would be fun to watch again.

And, Mom, I love your photo! Would you email me a larger version of it so I can print it and put it in my wallet? ILY, Daughter