|
navigation
current
archives
links page
profile
|
|
ant-iPod
March 31, 2008
Spouse set off Saturday morning on a fact-finding mission. Looking to buy a nice used car as replacement for the Grand Prix, since the lease is ending in a month.
He called me at 10:30 to tell me they were wrapping up the lease paperwork on his 2008 Pontiac G6.
HuhWAH?
Sigh. After living in a car-biz family for 44 years, I know nothing should ever surprise me, right? But still, somehow, it always does.
But this was the deal, and it�s affordable, practical, economical, and a nice size (roomier than the GP). And the bottom line is�he left in a white Pontiac, he came home in a white Pontiac, and in the end it�s all the same to me.
Since I�m still fighting the terrible drowsies, I didn�t get a whole lot done on Saturday. I managed a few errands, a load or two of wash, and a honking big nap in the afternoon. Which sucks, because I feel like I�m feeding my whole life into the chipper-shredder of unconsciousness. Forget having any fun�I can�t draw even with the housework, let alone have time to enjoy myself.
So I got up yesterday, cleaned the kitchen, re-started the laundry chain, and made a pot of coffee and a pan of cinnamon rolls, figuring I�d just relax, putter, clean a little, and do some self-maintenance.
Wrong. And the funny thing is, I knew that it was wrong, back in the dark recesses of my mind, because Monday the 31st is Mom�s birthday. I wasn�t going to get completely off the hook.
Daddy called. Let�s meet at Crandall�s in Hebron for brunch, since your mom�s birthday is Monday. She wants to see you.
And I appreciate that�and I want to see her too, but Mom is not easy. When I spend time with her, I feel like I have to make a particular effort with my appearance, and there�s just no friggin� way I �d even think of seeing her on or around her birthday and not having a gift for her.
So agreeing to meet them for lunch wasn�t the effortless sort of thing it would be with some people.
And I didn�t have a gift for her, since I�ve been planning the big sewing machine pressie for Mother�s Day. Eeeep!
Fortunately, I had paper, ribbons, a box, and a really nice choker necklace I made a long time ago but had never worn�and she hadn�t seen it! Presto-Gifto! And also fortunately, my manicure still looked presentable. But I still had to get the laundry more caught up (I needed clean pants!), figure out something to wear, get myself cleaned up, properly accessorized and made up and drive all the way out to Hebron.
But I managed. I wore the new raspberry-colored spring sweater I bought a few weeks ago, and I made up my face (This makes three time in a week!) and I got her gift ready, and we would have even been on time if Spouse hadn�t tried to go the back way and gotten lost. Good chance to try out the new car�s OnStar! Once we had some directions, we sorted ourselves pretty quickly and ended up only being about 5 minutes late for our 1:00 meeting time. Mom and Dad, of course had been there since twelve-thirty, but since dad had set the 1:00 time, there really wasn�t much complaining he could do.
Brunch was good, the place we went has really good chicken and fish, as well as a small-but delicious Sunday Brunch assortment. Daddy bought, since he�d sold four cars last week. But it�s a little country place, and we got there around the end of the brunch service. They were taking it down before Mom even finished unwrapping her gift�which, by the way, floored her. Even old Pops was pretty impressed with it. I have to say, it is a gorgeous piece.
So we skedaddled out of there, and we all ran up to Lake Geneva to shop, since Spouse and I needed to pick up some things and since my dad wanted my mom to pick out a �nice� watch as her birthday gift. He said he was sick of they way she always buy cheap, $6 watches. She picked out a lovely Elgin, with a wide gold bracelet band. Very pretty, and very �Mom�. Bold yet tasteful, and saying �money� in an audible tone, without screaming it. And while we were looking at watches and other jewelry, Spouse disappeared for a while.
Once we wrapped things up at the jewelry counter, Dad went out to the car to keep the dog company, and Mom and I drifted over to the perfume counter to talk and fiddle around. Dad and Scott just can NOT process and accept the shopping style of women, so we were left alone for a few minutes before they were ready to go home. Then they started pestering us (who the hell gave Daddy a cell phone, anyway?) So right after she pestered me into switching scents (Sung by Alfred Sung, which I like way more than I thought I would), I gave Mom a hug and a kiss goodbye, then Spouse and I finished picking up a few things and checked out.
And Spouse gave me my surprise. Turns out the reason he disappeared for a while there, was he was buying me an MP3 player.
Naturally, since he surprised me, he didn�t get me the one I wanted, but I�ll forgive him for that. (And in six months, I�ll buy the one I want, and he�ll inherit this one.) It�s a Sandisk Sansa Clip, black, 1 gig (FYI: I wanted the red 2 gig), an internal battery with USB charging, with an FM radio.
It�s very tiny, but has good sound and a nifty little clip on the back so you can hook it onto yourself. It really is quite nice, and I like it a lot. Once we got home yesterday, it took me a while to figure it out, and then a while charge it, so I actually have only put a few songs on it so far. I�ll be spending most of my free time looking for cool stuff to fill it up for a while.
I can only assume that he was A) sick of me continually saying I wanted one but finding excuses not to buy one or B) guilty over the whole �coming home with a new car� thing. Or possibly both, I suppose. Anyway, I love it.
But with this, that and the new toy to fiddle with, I never got the chance to catch up the wash, get much cleaning done, or bleach my teeth, do my nails or (ahem) perform my ritual tweezing ceremony yesterday, which means I�ll probably do all that tonight while I catch up on John Adams�which I also didn�t get to yesterday.
One thing I did make sure to do yesterday was go online and order the sewing machine. To get the one I want at the price I like, I had to order it, and I had to do it ASAP. But I�m having it delivered to the store, since that�s something I�d have to be home to sign for if I had it shipped here. This way, I get an email when it gets to the store, I go over, sign for it, and I�m done.
Reading: "The Survivors Club", by Lisa Gardner. I gave up on Pearson; the stories just weren�t interesting enough to wade through that dense prose.
Surfing: Recipes of the Damned Time-killer AND diet aid.
Listening: My new Sansa! Specifically, downloads of Steve Goodman (The Dutchman), a Jann Arden & Leonard Cohen duet (If It Be Your Will), and Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah (Lakeshore Drive)�among others. I�m so esoteric and yet catholic in my tastes.
At Random: click here
|
|
|