Archive for the ‘Thoughts’ Category

A Ride on the Wild Side

Posted: October 14, 2014 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , ,
13

There are times when I can’t help being a little bit bad. Like the other day. First of all, it was a beautiful autumn day with the bright blue sky and orange & yellow leaves falling to the earth like feathers. The air had a chill to it, but the sun was still warm enough to take most of the chill away. I was leaving Thrasher Development and something just pulled me over to the corner of the parking garage where Ramos kept his motorcycle. I stopped and stared at it, feeling a rush of longing to go for a ride.

With a sigh, I turned to leave and found Ramos standing behind me with a lopsided grin on his face. “Babe,” he said. “Looks like you’re drooling just a little. Want to go for a ride?”

My breath caught and, even though I knew I shouldn’t, I nodded my head, grinning like a fool. See what I mean about being a little bit bad? I didn’t have any control when it came to Ramos and going for a ride on his motorcycle. What was worse, Ramos knew it. “I have to take a message to someone for Manetto,” he said. “But it shouldn’t take long.”

“Perfect!!”

He popped the trunk of his car and got out the gear I’d need, and I quickly put on the helmet and leather jacket. Before I knew it, I was on the bike behind him with my arms wrapped around his waist. As we pulled out of the garage a thrill went down my spine and my stomach churned with butterflies. We didn’t go far before stopping, and I was a little disappointed. But I shouldn’t have worried. After Ramos delivered his message, we got back on the bike and he said over his shoulder. “We’ll take the long way back.”

“Woohoo!” I shouted, and felt his stomach muscles wiggle with laughter. We left the city behind and took a loop around the University past some big homes with huge trees lining the residential streets. The leaves kicked up as we drove through them and rained down from above as well. It was a timeless moment, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Then we hit the main road and traveled back to the city.

Parking in the garage, I got off the bike like an expert, and stowed the helmet and jacket back in Ramos’ trunk. “That was awesome!” I said, grinning widely. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” he said, thinking it was the best part of his day.

“Me too,” I agreed. “So tell me… if you were going to a Halloween party, what would you dress up as? I think I’d want to go as a biker chick.”

“Babe,” he said. “I’d just go as a hit-man, then I could wear whatever I wanted.”

We both laughed and I was still chuckling in the car on my way home. Then it hit me that not too many people could say that, and here I was, a normal soccer-mom housewife…who’d just taken a ride with a real live hit-man. See what I mean about taking a ride on the wild side?

How I Saved A Wedding

Posted: September 16, 2014 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , ,
7

I recently attended a bridal shower for my cousin’s daughter. I don’t normally like showers where they play silly games and all that stuff. I prefer the drop-in, open the gift, give a hug, eat the goodies, and get the heck-out-of-dodge-kind. Not very sociable, but there it is. I would have skipped this shower all together if it hadn’t been for my mom. According to her, this was one shower I couldn’t miss, or I would get blacklisted on that side of the family. So, of course, I sucked it up and went.

Interestingly enough, there was some tension between the mother of the bride and mother of the groom. Turns out, they knew each other in high school, and the mother of the groom blamed the bride’s mom, my cousin, for something bad, but I couldn’t pick up what. On the outside they were acting all happy and nice, with big smiles that showed lots of pearly white teeth. But inside neither of them wanted this marriage to take place. Especially considering their thoughts that sharing grandchildren was making them both sick. YIKES!

I checked out the bride and groom and, after listening in on their thoughts, there was no question they were in love, so I just had to hope things would work out. But it really bothered me that these two women held so much animosity toward each other. Maybe I could help? Who knew? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding?

“That’s really something that you two knew each other in high school,” I said. “Weren’t you guys like best friends or something?”

Their surprised gazes turned to me, and the whole room got quiet. Then my cousin narrowed her eyes and took a breath to ask me how the hell I knew that. Oops. Before she could utter a word her daughter gasped with surprise.

“You guys knew each other? You went to high school together?” she asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

My cousin’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. As she took in the curious glances of everyone there, she turned toward the groom’s mother with a tentative smile curling her lips. “We had a falling out,” she admitted. “It involved a boy, as I recall.”

The other woman raised her brows, and was thinking that if my cousin was going to spill the beans, she’d better make sure her side of the story got told first. “He was my boyfriend,” she stated. “You knew how much I liked him, but you got him to go out with you while I was away on a trip. He broke up with me because of you. That was pretty low for someone I considered one of my best friends.”

“Is that what you thought?” my cousin asked. “I didn’t go after him. He asked me out. I admit I shouldn’t have gone, but he was really persistent, and I didn’t think you’d ever find out. It was just supposed to be one date.”

The other woman huffed out a breath. “Yeah, right. As if that makes a difference.”

My cousin dropped her gaze. “I know. I was a bad friend, and I felt horrible about it. I really did. I wanted to explain, but you wouldn’t talk to me after that. If it helps, he dumped me pretty quick and moved on to someone else.”

“But we were friends. You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I know, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Dating him wasn’t worth losing your friendship. But you never gave me a chance to tell you I was sorry. I tried hundreds of times, but you always blew me off.”

The groom’s mother licked her lips, realizing that for the sake of their children, and with everyone looking on, it was time to get over it. “You’re right. It was a long time ago, and really…it doesn’t even matter anymore.”

My cousin smiled, then asked. “Whatever happened to him anyway?”

After that it was hard to pry those two apart. Not only did they have a lot to catch up on, but their children were getting married and now they could finally be excited about it.

I left that shower with a grin on my face, knowing I’d done something good. It was one of the few times my mind-reading skills had really paid off, and was just what I needed. Especially since right after the shower, I had to stop by Uncle Joey’s office. It was after eight-thirty at night and I really didn’t want to go, but he was meeting with someone from his past, and after this experience, I knew it could get tricky. But on the bright side, since I’d helped my cousin resolve a sticky issue, I was sure I could help Uncle Joey. I’d just have to make sure I stood out of the way in case they pulled their guns.

Summer = Family Reunion

Posted: August 15, 2014 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , ,
3

I look forward to summer all year, mostly because of how great it is to be outside and enjoy the fun outdoor activities. The one thing I don’t enjoy so much is the family reunion. That probably makes me a bad person, but ever since I got my mind-reading abilities, family reunions have been quite stressful. Just think about it…do you really want to know what your Aunt Beverly thinks about you? Or how about your cousins? It always seems like a big brag party about who is doing what, who has the smartest kids, who has won the most awards, or what great vacation someone went on, etc. etc. etc.

It’s also a shock to see that the cousins you played with as kids turn up bald and not looking a bit like you remembered them. It makes you hope you don’t look as old as they do. The reminiscing part is kind of fun though, as long as it’s about good memories and not the bad ones. Like the time my older cousins took turns sitting in a rocking chair that belonged to old great-aunt Lucille who had just died, and acting like they were being choked while I watched. Everyone took their turn and the same thing happened. Then they dared me to sit in it. Of course, great-aunt Lucille kind of scared me while she was alive, with her missing teeth and whiskers, so I could just imagine her choking me for sitting in her chair. I refused, and naturally, they called me all kinds of names for being such a chicken, and then later they made fun of me for believing them since they just made it all up to scare me.

That’s why it will be so tempting this year to listen to their thoughts. Just imagine the juicy details I could pick up from their minds to tease them with…but do I really want to know what they’re thinking? What if I pick up something really bad? Probably not a good idea. I’ll just have to put my shields up and act normal, although it might be fun to see if they’re thinking the same things about the reunion as I am. Now that would be something.

Flowers? Chocolates? Jewelry?

Posted: March 21, 2014 in Advice, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , ,
6

I made a dumb mistake when Chris and I first got married. Probably the stupidest thing a woman could ever do, but at the time, I thought I was being considerate and practical. You see, Chris would give me flowers for our anniversary…and they were great…but that really made it easy for him…just give me flowers every year, right? Maybe it came through that it wasn’t quite doing the job for me because he asked if I liked flowers, or did I think they were kind of a waste because they just wilted after a few days and then got thrown out. Practical me said “yes, you have a point” and maybe something different would be nice. Well, what ended up happening was a card and dinner (which we mostly did anyway) and no flowers.

He always scoffed at those silly jewelry commercials too…like they were just soooo over the top and who could afford that, and thank goodness I wasn’t like ‘those’ women. (To be honest, I have gotten a nice necklace here and there, but you get the picture) I got chocolates a few times as well, but I probably complained that eating chocolate was bad for my figure, so that soon stopped.

So now, at nearly fifteen years of marriage I don’t get flowers, chocolate, or jewelry. I never thought I wanted or cared about those things, but now? Yes…I do. Mostly, I want flowers. Not the cheap little arrangement either…but the nice kind that brighten up the room and make me feel special. Why did I ever tell him I didn’t need flowers?

I know…I’ll tell him about my seventeenth birthday when the really hot guy I was dating gave me a dozen red roses and how excited and thrilled I was to get them. I’ll tell him that I even took pictures. That should work…right? Or maybe I should just tell him I’ve changed my mind and would like flowers once in a while. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be relieved to finally have something to give me that he knows I want.

This year I’m…

Posted: January 8, 2014 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , ,
6

I am not a ‘new year’s resolution’ type person. Mostly because I usually fail, but this year, I’m going to make a goal I can keep. I hope. Not too long ago I got shot in the arm. Not a shot like you get at the Dr.’s office. I really got shot by a bullet! It went right through my arm! It hurt like hell! If you’ve ever been shot, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I hope that you never do. Although my arm still twinges now and then, it’s mostly better, so I feel pretty lucky. Still, it could have been much worse. So this year, I’m going to make a resolution not to get shot again. I’m also going to start training in a martial art called Aikido. I’m kind of excited about that. My friend, Billie Payne is meeting me at her dojo tonight for my first lesson. I’m eager to learn how to defend myself, and I think it will help me feel more in control of my life. I could turn into one of those cool ninja’s that no one wants to mess with. So now I actually have two new year’s resolutions. One, not to get shot, and the other, learn how to kick ass! This should be fun!

The Lights Went Out

Posted: December 4, 2013 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , ,
2

Yesterday, I decided I’d better get some Christmas shopping done while things were still on sale. I went to the mall, even though it was snowing pretty hard, and got started. Of course, the first thing that caught my eye was a gorgeous red dress. I’d always wanted a dress in that color and thought, what the heck? It wouldn’t hurt to try it on. Half the time clothes like that didn’t look good on me, so I probably wouldn’t buy it anyway. Even with all my rationalizations, I couldn’t help the twinge of guilt that I was looking at something for myself when I should have been shopping for my family. Before I could change my mind, I found the dress in my size and hurried to the dressing-room. I had just taken my clothes off and was standing there in my undies when the lights went out. I let out a little yelp to find myself undressed and surrounded by total darkness. As my heart raced, my eyes adjusted and I realized a faint light was coming under the door. At least it was enough to see my hand in front of my face. That was when I heard footsteps approaching my door. They stopped right outside and, as the knob turned, I prayed I had actually locked it. “Don’t come in!” I yelled, and rushed to throw on my shirt. The rattling stopped and without a word, the footsteps retreated. What the freak! I quickly threw on my pants, shoes, and coat, then grabbed my purse and high-tailed it out of there. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized my shirt was on inside-out, but at least I was in one piece. And the red dress? After that, it didn’t really matter. Who needs a red dress anyway? So maybe from now on, I’ll try harder to listen to that little voice in my head. The one that’s usually right.

Birthday Surprises- Not for me!

Posted: May 22, 2013 in Thoughts
Tags: , ,
3

It was my birthday a few weeks ago. My first with my recently acquired mind-reading abilities. It was a little frustrating, because even though I tried to block everyone’s thoughts, I still managed to ‘hear’ what everyone was getting me for my birthday. It was so exhausting to keep my shields up all the time and I just couldn’t do it. The worst part was acting surprised when I opened them, mostly for my kids. Though I have to admit, even though I knew what I was getting, I was still excited with my gifts. I got a kindle fire from Chris that I’d wanted and only had to hint a couple of times to get the biggest one with HD, so that worked out great. And I knew that my parents were giving me a certain amount of money, so I already bought the clothes and sandals I wanted, and was able to wear them on my birthday – so that worked out good too. I was surprised about the gift that my aunt gave me, mostly because she couldn’t remember what she got me, and it turned out to be a surprise for both of us! The only other gift I was surprised about came from Uncle Joey and Ramos. It was heartwarming to get a big bouquet of roses with a nice little happy birthday note from Thrasher Development, which everyone signed. But the biggest surprise was what came with it. A toy alligator was attached to the bow. It had a note stuck in it’s mouth. Once I got the note out, a big grin spread over my face to read the message. It said, “Remembering Orlando” with the initials “A. R.” underneath. I stuffed the note way down inside where it wouldn’t get out before my family saw it, since I didn’t really want to explain what it meant. The alligator now rests in my jewelry box, next to all the small momentos that I’ve saved over the years. Someday when I’m old and gray, I’ll take it out and read the note again. I’m sure it will make me smile.

Willpower

Posted: January 8, 2013 in Thoughts
Tags: , ,
3

At the beginning of a new year lots of people set goals. I don’t know about you, but I hate setting goals, mostly because I usually fail. So this year I decided to set a goal I could actually achieve. Lots of self-help books are out there to tell us how to do that. My husband, Chris, likes to read these kinds of books, but I wouldn’t be caught dead with one. Why is that, I wondered? What makes me so against them? Looking at my life, I know I could certainly use some improvement. So I picked up one of his books and quit reading after the first page! Why didn’t I make it past page one? Thinking it through, I realized this was because everything I read did not motivate me to do better…it only made me feel worse. Then I found a great article in Newseek Magazine by Oliver Burkeman. It basically said that many resolutions will fail, mostly because repeating “affirmations” makes people feel worse; visualizing your ambitions can make you less motivated to achieve them; that goal setting can backfire; and that emotions can’t be controlled through sheer force of will. WOW! This was stuff I could relate to! So from now on I will concentrate on “small wins” over the big stuff, and resolve to perform at around 60% of my ability. By doing this I should out perform myself everyday! Maybe it is true that giving up on yourself can let you be who you are at this moment in time, thus allowing you to be enthusiastic about the “little things” you can actually accomplish! So…I’m off to the gym. I may not go the two or three miles on the elliptical that I’d like…buy hey, I’m there, right? Plus, who knows, once I get going, I may even go four miles, just because I don’t have to.

Moonlight

Posted: December 3, 2012 in Thoughts
0

As the days and nights get colder, the stars and moon seem so much brighter. I love the full moon in the winter. It reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows that was cancelled after only one season… a real bummer. It’s called Moonlight. It came out when all the vampire craze was going on, but of all the vampire movies, stories, you name it, this is my very most FAVORITE. Of course it doesn’t hurt that it stars Alex O’Loughlin. He is one HOTTIE.. and makes the best vampire ever. So, I got it out the other night while Chris was working late and watched a few episodes. That’s when it hit me…Mick St. John (O’Loughlin) in this series looks a lot like Chris. Same wavy brown hair and eyes (although Chris’ hair isn’t as long) and every once in awhile it’s like they have the same smile. That’s when I decided to make going to the gym a bigger priority…mostly for Chris. Sitting at a desk all day had made him a little soft, but I knew that with just a bit of weight training, I could have my very own Mick St. John! Woohoo… now I’m actually looking forward to going to the gym and taking Chris with me. I think we’ll start tonight. I just hope he isn’t too tired when he gets home…

Old Movies

Posted: October 29, 2012 in Thoughts
0

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to watch some old scary black and white movies. I found one called Village of the Damned and thought I’d try it out. It’s about this little village in England where everyone sort of blacks out for about four hours and the next thing you know…all the women are pregnant! When they all give birth to white-haired, glowing eyed kids they know that something is amiss. What’s so crazy about this is that these little kids can read minds and control people with their thoughts. The village people finally figure it out and the school teacher decides he has to block their mind-reading abilities, so while he’s teaching, in the back of his mind he’s saying “think of a brick wall…think of a brick wall,” and he’s building a wall brick by brick in his mind. The kids are all going…wow, something’s wrong…what could it be?  Anyway, at this point I burst out laughing, and my whole family is looking at me like I’m a crazy person. (Except for Chris) But seriously!! It was so funny. So lately, when I’ve thought about blocking people’s thoughts I say to myself, “think of a brick wall” and I can’t help it, I burst out laughing. So if you see me laughing to myself, I’m not crazy, I’m just thinking of a brick wall.

Older Entries
Newer Entries