Kitty's New Year's Eve

Usually I stay home on New Year's Eve, or maybe go to a friend's house.  I haven't been to a club in years.  However, this year Brie convinced me to go with her to the Spotlight to ring in the new year at Vinnie's.  Since I like Vinnie, and what he's done with the place, and also his hugs, I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea.  Plus it's only like 3 blocks away.  I did warn her that I'd probably leave at 11:59, because who wants to be at a club at midnight with no one to kiss?  Not me.

But that did leave a small dilemma: what was Kitty going to do?  She doesn't go out because she doesn't like loud noise (might be an autism thing) and she doesn't drink.  So I felt really bad and didn't want her to be by herself, even though usually she likes that.  But it was New Year's Eve...so I asked her if she wanted to go to Vinnie's with us.  At first she said yes; but then I think she got so worried about it that she gave herself a headache and went to take a nap.

I had asked my sister if she wanted to come to our house to be withher but she said no; and my mother also declined.  I honestly didin't know what to do; but at around 8 o'clock that evening Kitty announced that she would, indeed, go with us.  Like her sister I was glad, but also a little worried: Kittyis a bit...quirky, and we really weren't too sure how other patrons would view her.  But Kitty put on one of her favorite 'trendy' outfits, which consisted of her Bobby Jack hoodie, wide-leg jeans, sneakers with the neon laces and fingerless gloves, put her ear plugs in her pocket, put on her make-up and declared herself "ready".  So: off we went!

When I parked the car across the street from the venue Kitty was the first one out.  Brie was having an issue with her outfit so I told her to take my car home to change.  By this time Kitty had determinedly already crossed the street so I called for her to wait and hurried to catch up.  Bythat time she was already at the door; and the bouncer asked her for ID because she looks like she's about 15.  When he wanted to stamp her hand she told him she didn't want a stamp and headed inside.  I followed her (since no one asked ME for ID) and Kitty was going in there like she owned the place and she'd never even been in there before.

We walked past the bar (with me trailing in her wake) and when we reached the back wall, she sized up the place.  There was a pretty good band playing and before I knew it: Kitty had taken off her coat, handed it to me and headed for the dance floor.  I thought "oh shit" because apparently she was going to dance by herself amongst the people already out there dancing.  But she just stood to the side and watched, tapping her foot and moving a little.  Then she came back, got her coat and went to the bar where there wwere a couple of free barstools.  She had already put in her ear plugs so it took a little shouting for her to hear me ask her if she wanted a drink.  She decided on a Miller Lite and a Sierra Mist, got an extra cup and mixed the 2.  Let me say it for you: oy vey!

After a few minutes Vinnie came over to give me a hug (Happy New Year to me!) and to say hi to Kitty, whom he had met with Brie at the mall.  Kitty is very shy around men but she had a smile for Vin, although she didn't look him in the eye.  When he left, Kitty decided that she was going to head back to the dance floor.  I was nervous but knew I couldn't hover.  But I also knew that if anyone tried to mess with her, or make fun of her: Vinnie would have to throw me out of the club because there would be a fight.

So Kitty was in the middle of the floor and startes to dance in her own unique style.  After a minute I saw a girl call her over and say something.  They talked for a minute or 2 and then she went back to dancing.  When she came back I asked her who that was and she said, "I don't know."  O-kay...  Brie finally showed up with Nadine and they took the table directly across from where we were sitting.  Imagine their surprise when a few minutes later Kitty was back on the dance floor!  They both turned around to look at me and I just shrugged.  Then, when I looked back Kitty was moonwalking across the floor!  I had to laugh because she was having such a good time; and no one was bothering her or anything!  And it turned out that the girl she had spoken to was Brie's friend Heather, who came over to introduce herself.

The best part though?  She was back on the dance floor, and this guy approached her and held out his hand.  She took it: and they began dancing together!  He was Heather's boyfriend Rick and he waa so cute with her.  After the song ended Kitty speed-walked back to the bar blushing and I had to laugh.  Rick came over to introduce himself to me and talk to Kitty, but she got very flustered.  He understood and we chatted, then he asked her if they could dance again later and she said yes.

The most interesting part of the evening?  When I looked over and the bartender was leaning over the bar talking to her and stroking the back of her hand.  He must have seen the look on my face because he told me, "I was telling her that I like her gloves".  Okay homie: you saved yourself a beat-down!

We stayed until a little after 2 and Kitty had a great time.  Because I am so familiar with Kitty's behavior, I know that in her mind she was thinking, "This is what 'regular' people do on New Year's Eve, so I'm going to do it too" and that was the main motivation behind her behavior.  But she enjoyed the experience so much, she'd like to go again.  Well, she didn't enjoy the bit of a headache she had from also having a Bud Lite, but she's not a drinker so what she did drink gave her a buzz!  But it's all good!

So Brie and I didn't have to beat anyone up.  I am glad that anyone who may have seen Kitty didn't think she was out of place or anything like that.  However, what I didn't like was that I got no play at all, while Kitty had the bartender talking to her and rubbing her hand.  Seriously???

Happy New Year Kitty!

New Year's Resolutions?

I have stopped making resolutions.  I know myself too well: why set myself up for for failure?  I start out with the best intentions, but somewhere along the way they always seem to get derailed.  So, with that said, I have decided that I will instead share with you a list of resolutions that I think other people would make for me.  Of course there's no guarantee that I'll do any of them; but it will give us all a litle food for thought:

• Schmoop-Dog - he wants me to resolve to finally marry him.  I broke off our engagement in 2003; yet he still introduces me as his fiancee.  This is complicated; but it won't happen this year.  Sorry Schmoopie.
• My mother - wants me to resolve that I will let her do my hair.  The one time in past memory that I let her do my hair for a big party I was to attend: she did my hair like hers.  My mother is 80.  You paint the picture!  Sorry Marie: that isn't happening either.
• My sister - wants me to dress my age.  I believe in dressing for the occasion and in what looks good on me and is comfortable.  So what if I have skater sneaks with skulls on them?  They are comfortable.  So what if I like South Pole thermals from the men's section of JC Penney?  They are comfy, trendy and they don't have them in Women's sizes.  And if I have a pair of pink Tims: that's my business and I'll wear them with all the Joe Boxer socks I want.  .  Not all of us can dress from the Garanimals section of her favorite boutique!  Sorry sister.  
• Kitty - wants me to leave my job (which pays all the bills) and get a job as a cashier at TJ Maxx so we can work together.  I'd have to work 105 hours a week to make the same money.  Love you honey and appreciate you wanting to work with mom: but we'd end up living in the car!
• Brie - wants me to resolve to use "accoutrements" since I have been celibate for 5 years, by choice.  Why does she want me to cry?  One IS the loneliest number!  So not happening (and I'm blushing)!
• Taryn - wants me to resolve to win the lottery so we can go to L.A. where she will stalk celebrities.  I've been to L.A., and as soon as I got there all the celebrities flew to the east coast.  For real!  Taryn wants to be the 7th "friend" and live Jennifer Anniston's life.  Sorry T, but your fiance would probably object to you camping out on Leonardo DiCaprio's doorstep; and I don't want to spend my lottery winnings on your bail.
• Pumpkin - wants me to resolve to quit my job and stay home so I can feed her treats and rub her belly while she licks her gums in ecstasy.  Don't ask.  Not happening.
• Luna - wants me to resolve to get rid of Pumpkin.  Again, not happening.  Luna hates everybody but she's just going to have to love her baby sister because she's not going anywhere 😁
• The Hockey Guy - wants me to stop being a distraction so he can concentrate on his job.  Don't blame me if I can make you blush!  It's fun and he's cute.

I guess those are the main resolutions others would make for me.  I'm sure there are more, but this entry can only be so long.  Oh I'm sure when tomorrow rolls around, I'll think about a resolution that has to do with my writing.  But last year I said I'd be published in 2010, and I made that happen.  http://www.bn.com/ look for "Southern Hospitality" and "Three's the Charm".  The first name is Rita :o)

BE safe tonight in whatever you do.  I'd hate to lose any of you; or have you out of commission for any reason.  Be responsible, and I'll talk to you next year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Snow Day

Officially, yesterday was my last day of vacation.  But thanks to a lovely snowstorm here in the northeast, I got an extra day off.  Since I live almost 30 miles from my office, with all the snowing and blowing I felt it was best that I stay home instead of braving the unplowed highway.

So having this extra day gave me some time to reflect on my vacation.  And out of all the plans I had, I accomplished pretty much none of them!  Sure I finished my shopping, did a little baking and hosted Christmas dinner.  But did I exercise? No.  Re-arrange my bedroom?  No.  Have my friend Lynne over for lunch?  No.  Finish my latest manuscript?  No.  Clean out my car?  No.  Nap every day?  No.  Clean out my DVR?  Nope.  I'm sure you get the pattern.

So what in the world did I do?  I had to run my sister around so she could do her errands.  Man, it sucks when we have the same vacation!  Got my hair done, and I love the new 'do. (shout out to Annette!).  I did go to the hockey game, which I love.  I kind of went off my eating plan, but the doctor and I both knew that would happen and she said it was okay for the holidays. 

But I also did have my wrapping done earlier than ever :o)  I saw my best friend since high school, David. I still owe you that poem I guess, huh?  Well as long as we're on the subject, here's my relationship with David in a nutshell:

Moonlight feels right.

You hold me tight.

Love’s real we feel.

Now what’s the deal?

You cry, I sigh.

Is this goodbye?

You’re gay?  No way!

Okay, I say.

No luck, can’t fuck.

Oh well, that sucks.

Get out! I shout.

What’s this about?

Hate you, it’s true.

What can I do?

You leave, I grieve.

Oh shit, I’m peeved.

I’ll heal, then we’ll

Be friends and deal.

Our fears and tears

Have passed with years.

No blame, no shame.

Still not the same.

It’s past, at last.

No slurs were cast.

Best friends, hearts mend.

Love you: the end.

We were kids in high school, so what can I say?  And I wouldn't have slept with him anyway, because I was a "good girl".  But I am sooo glad we were able to remain friends over the years.  And we're supposed to spend New Year's Eve together and go out.  We'll see how that all works out!

Christmastime is Here...and Gone

It really was a great Christmas...family, friends new & old, and food, food, FOOD!  Not that I ate that much, but there was a whole lot of it.  Dinner was the only meal I ate, and it was so worth waiting for.  However, we never got around to cutting Jesus's birthday cake:  a 2-layer Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.  So that's for breakfast later 😀  Kitty had a piece of cheesecake, and Brie had some Sweet Potato pie but I was too full from mostly my mother's seasoned collard greens and cranberry sauce.  A weird combination to put together on my plate, but soooo good!

As far as gifts: if you felt a vibration in the earth around 9:15 a.m., it was Kitty humming because she got her limited edition collector's expensive as all get out Frozen Charlotte Living Dead doll; and the world's biggest manicure set.  Those were her favorite gifts.  Brie's was her laptop.  Mine, because I'm a freak, was my new set of pots and pans!  And also my Ed Hardy perfume: boy does it smell good! Hopefully someone that I want will come around to...enjoy the fragrance 😉

But it was an exhausting day too.  I had gone to bed at 4 a.m. Christmas Eve, then Kitty got us up at 9 to open presents.  Cooking, entertaining, laughing up a storm and enjoying the day wiped me out!  Plus we had to watch our 2 favorite Christmas staples: Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas and my personal favorite of all time:  Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol!  No one seems to understand my love for Mr. Magoo but I just love it.

With that said: when everyone finally left around 7:30 Brie and I attempted to watch a Chris Rock special but I kept falling asleep and so did she.  Needless to say we were both in bed by 8:20.  Pumpkin was happy because she was exhausted too, poor puppy.  That's why I'm up now doing this blog: I'm pretty much done sleeping!  And of course I'm listening to jazz right now, which will be on the radio until 6 a.m.  But Brie's been in here talking to me because she got up around 3:30 too!  But I'll be kicking her out of my room soon, finish listening to the jazz and then switch to a Christmas CD.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, as I did.  I only wish that I had taken next week off for vacation too!

Away in a Manger

It's almost 3:30 a.m.  Pumpkin has given up staring at me dolefully to get me to come to bed; so she has curled up in her snuggie to sleep.  Presents are wrapped and under the tree and in chairs.  We went to my Aunt and Uncle's for a Christmas Eve banquet: afterwards my dear friend David came to my house to visit.  Sigh...I just love him.  We fell in love in high school and are still best friends to this day.  Probably because we both know where each other's skeletons are buried!  I think I've convinced him to come up for New Year's Eve: I'll keep you posted.  There's a poem about him, but I'll share that with you later since I'm too sleepy now.

I want to share one of my favorite Christmas memories with you, since my girls and I have been reminiscing all day.  Kitty is brilliant; spiritual, and a true artist.  She sees art all around her, and creates some great pieces.  I want to tell you about one of her art "installations".

This happened maybe 5 or 6 years ago.  Kitty decided that we needed to set up a nativity scene.  I told her I didn't have the money to go out and buy one.  Undaunted, she declared that she was going to make one.  I said, "Have at it" and went into my room to read, figuring that she was just blowing smoke.  After all, we had no figurines, clay or baby dolls that she could use.

To my surprise, an hour or so later she knocked on my door (that was a Christmas miracle in and of itself) and announced that the nativity scene was ready.  Puzzled, I stepped out of my room and stopped in the archway between the hallway and the living room.  There on my long dresser, was her nativity scene that she had created using her stuffed animals!  She had 3 tri-colored bears for wise men, beanie babies for barn animals, brown teddy bears for shepherds, and 2 large rabbits for Mary and Joseph with a little bunny in a small toy cradle for the baby Jesus.  She used ponytail holders to secure the adult "hands" into a prayerful position!  I was so delighted with her creativity that I had to laugh out loud in joy and take a photo for posterity. 

I never should have doubted Kitty's ingenuity.  Anything that she has set out to do: she has done.  She never lets a little thing, like her autism, get in her way. She is amazing 😊

So that's it.  I am exhausted, but looking forward to the morning which is close at hand.  I have some jazz on (Christmas jazz, the jury's still out on how I feel about that).  The girls and I dressed in new jammies for Christmas Eve to be even more festive.

In closing, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.  And good morning!  Remember we are celebrating Jesus's birthday, not yours.  It's not about the presents: but His presence. 

Amen!

Christmas Stay-cation

Everyone knows that one of the best things about being on a "stay-cation" is being able to stay up late and sleep in.  Watching Christmas specials, catching up with old friends, writing a blog, pretending to wrap presents: these are the things you stay up doing.

But here's the downside: what if you're not allowed to sleep in, because since you're on vacation people think you are there to hang out with them and do their bidding?  This what I've been encountering.

Each morning, starting on Sunday, the phone has awakened me.  I was out late Saturday night, so my mother called me Sunday morning to take her to church.  Monday morning my sister called because she wanted me to take her shopping; after I'd sat up trying to stay awake for the lunar eclipse.  Tuesday morning she called again so she could "finish up" her shopping.  This morning Schmoop-dog called to see if I was going to visit his sister and her kids on Thursday.  I can hardly wait to see who calls me tomorrow!

Perhaps the logical thing to do would be to either a) go to bed earlier; or b) turn off my ringer.  But ever since the year my father got sick and died, I never have my ringer off.  And going to bed early defeats the fun of being on vacation!  And before you even say it: telling people not to call doesn't stop them from doing so.  Then they just send a text because it's "less invasive".  Are you kidding me??

Nope, the thing I have to do is just not complain.  It's the holiday season and there's no time to be cranky, no matter how sleep-deprived I am.  However, I think I might at least turn the ringer down.  Who knows: that just might help!

Full Moon

Last night (this morning) was the total lunar eclipse, which started at 1:15 a.m. eastern time and ended approximately at 4 a.m.  I stayed up until 1:05 and then fell asleep!  Who knows when the next one will be?  Ugh!

But since it was a nice full moon last night, it reminds me of a story from a long time ago, when I was a front desk clerk at a local hotel.  I was working one evening when my cousin came in to visit, sitting in the lobby across from the check-in desk.  It was a slow evening, and presently I asked her if she'd keep an eye on the front desk while I used the rest room.   When I came back, there were 2 young men waiting at the desk for me, and they were cute. 

So I immediately went back behind the desk to check them in, being a little cute and flirty and they were mesmerized.  Blinded by my science, if you will.  They were smiling and hanging over the desk, and I just knew they were totally responding to my feminine charms.   When I handed them the keys, one of them said, "Hope to see more of you later."  "Definitely!" I responded coyly, batting my eyelashes at them.

It wasn't until they walked away that I noticed my cousin laughing from her seat.  "What's so funny? I asked.

Gasping for breath, she said, "Put your hand behind you."

I did, and to my horror, I discovered that when I had gone to the ladies' room, I had accidentally tucked my skirt into my underwear!  That was why the men had been just about hanging over the desk; and why they'd 'hoped to see more of me later'.  "Why didn't you say anything?" I asked, mortified.

"I didn't want to embarrass you."

Oy vey: thanks for nothing cuz!

And that's my "full moon" story :o)