Wednesday Whatevers

I actually have very little to share today but notice that's not stopping me. I took Mom to the YMCA pool class this morning and then out to lunch. I'd been to the Y without her a few times recently and all of our pool classmates repeatedly asked about her. When one of the elderly members doesn't show up for class, everyone begins to worry which I think is so sweet. Anyway, she was greeted this morning with a great deal of enthusiasm and that made her happy.

In case you haven't been exposed to today's news, the Republican candidates had yet another debate this evening...this one at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California. Thankfully, I managed to avoid any and all of the motorcades I'm sure were cruising through Los Angeles on the way to the Library.

When I got home, the mail had arrived and there was an envelope from our Dept. of Motor Vehicles with my brand new driver's license inside. I've been waiting patiently for it for the last 7 days, anxious to see my new photograph. I had my last license for 15 years (thanks to 2 by-mail renewals) so I walked around with a very young-looking me in my wallet for all those years. What do I think of my new photo? Well...I guess it could be worse...it could look like my hideous passport photo. The new photo definitely looks like me although I have this redness in my cheeks which I can't quite figure out. I'm thinking it might be from the security seals and other markings the DMV is using to help stop fraud. Whatever the case, I guess I can live with it for hopefully the next 15 years.

After dinner this evening, my friend JAM called to coordinate our plans for spending tomorrow together. As usual, neither of us could come up with an idea of where to go and what to do since, once again, the weather is not cooperating. No, it's not raining but it's very cold (for sunny L.A.) and neither of us wants to spend much time outdoors. So we've agreed to meet tomorrow and we figure we'll come up with something fun as we're pulling out of the driveway. I'll let you know.

I Need to Be Kneaded

For years now, Rick has been nagging me about going to a spa. He’s always wanted to send me for a day of pampering with massages, facials, oil treatments, wraps and every other supposedly soothing form of body work. I’ve always balked at the idea. I have this problem with body image and the thought of exposing myself to the eyes of a stranger makes me uncomfortable. I’m shy and modest…what can I say?

A few months ago, we were talking outside to our neighbor and the topic of spas came up yet again. When we were finished with our conversation and back in our house, Rick started in on me…spa, spa, spa. I finally decided he was never going to quit his nagging (who says husbands don’t nag) so I decided to relent.

Since I'm the one who always plans our vacations, this time I assigned Rick the task of finding us a spa resort to go to for a few days. Southern Californians are known for their need for personal pampering and health fetishes so he has a myriad of spas to choose from. We’re going as a couple so he too can enjoy the pampering that goes on at one of these resorts. Maybe we’ll even sign up for some couple massages and other therapies…who knows.

The problem is that the decision to go was made months ago and he still hasn't done a thing about choosing a place or making reservations. Every once in a while he'll mention going to a spa but then drops the subject. Maybe he thinks I'll forget that the responsibility for making the arrangements rests solely on his shoulders. Me forget? Never! So all I can say is..."Stay tuned."

Two Things...And Then Some

I was tagged for this "Two Things" meme by Patches over at Claw~less & Ball~less.

Two names you go by... Joan and Miss Joanie (actually only one person calls me this).

Two things you are wearing right now...jeans (that actually fit) and my sage green glasses.

Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship...Trust and a sense of humor (both of which I'm lucky enough to have).

Two of your favorite things to do... read a good mystery and go shopping.

Two things you want very badly at the moment...a decent memory and good vision.

Two pets you have or have had...Nudnik (a black & white kitty in the 1970's) and Sam (a newt).

Two people you think will fill this out...Lynne and Rosemary.

Two things that you did last night...Re-styled my newly cut hair and went to dinner with Rick and JAM.

Two things you ate today...salmon and currants.

Two people you last talked to...Rick and Lynn.

Two things you're doing tomorrow...going shopping for new bedding for my mom and going to church.

Two longest car rides...Driving from New York to California in the late '60's (via the southern route since it was December) and driving from Colorado Springs straight back to L.A. in 1977 when the ski resort closed due to lack of snow.

Two favorite holidays...when you're retired, holidays just don't seem as much fun.

Two favorite beverages...venti non-fat 2 SweetNLow latte and sparkling water (as long as it has no sodium.)

Two people no longer alive who you'd like to talk to - My dad and my maternal Grandfather (whom I'm named after and who died before I was born).

A Shameless Promotion

I live with a very clever man. Through all of our years together, I've always marveled at how quick-witted Rick can be. He'll come up with the funniest and cleverest sayings, stories, quips, puns, and other highly amusing creations at the drop of a hat. Oh sure...some of the time, all you want to do is groan when he's done sharing his latest brilliance but other times all you want to do is laugh out loud.

So what to do with all these wonderful witicisms? You guessed it...let's start a blog! We're looking at our newest blogging creation as a team effort. Rick is in charge of content; I'm in charge of posting and managing the whole thing. So what's the name of our new "baby?" It's called The Witty Wordsmith and you can find it here.

Together Wherever We Go

Rick and I live fairly separate lives. Oh, we live in the same house as husband and wife; we drink coffee and read the morning newspaper together; we visit friends and family generally as a couple; we go out to dinner fairly regularly. But our day-to-day lives seem to go down different paths and our time at home is generally spent in separate rooms doing separate things. It's not that we don't get along...trust me...we love each other. It's just that we don't have many interests in common, down to what's on TV, so we've found that doing "our own thing" most of the time actually makes our life together quite nice.

So how amazing is it that, for the past three days, Rick and I have played like a married couple. We've gone to the YMCA together twice; we had breakfast at our favorite deli Sunday morning; we went shopping together on Sunday and Monday; and, most surprising, we actually went to the movies together this afternoon.

Now going to the movies is a big deal for us. While we were sitting in the theater waiting for the coming attractions to begin, we finally agreed that the last movie we saw together in a theater was the first "N*tion*l Tre*sure" released in late 2004. So, what did we see today...the second "N*tion*l Tre*sure." Why, after three long years, did we finally decide to see a film on the big screen? The simple answer is that the setting was perfect. It was a rainy day; the movie had been out for quite some time meaning the theater would be empty; and the first showing was at the perfect time...1:00PM. There were exactly 9 people in the theater (including the 2 of us) so we had our little seating area all to ourselves. It was a wonderful experience.

So now we're already talking about which movie we should see next. It's all very exciting...just like dating again. Maybe we'll discover we have more in common than we've thought for the past 25 years.

A Little Linky Love

This link loving in 2008 came from Are We There Yet??.

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!

The benefits of Viral Linking:
- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!
- Increase your Google PageRank fast
- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
- Build your community
- Make new friends!

Add your blog url here...The Strategist Notebook/Link Addiction/Ardour of the Heart/ When Life Becomes a Book/The Malaysian Life/ Yogatta.com/What goes under the sun/ Roshidan’s Cyber Station/Sasha says/Arts of Physics/And the legend lives/My View, My Life/ A Simple Life/What Women REALLY Think/Not Much More Than This/Jayedee/Jenn/Beth/ Christie/Marla/Cailin/Simone/FlipFlopMom/Katrina/Gill's Jottings/Work of the Poet/ Wakela/Modern Day Goddess/Livin With Me/Are We There Yet??/The Erstwhile Librarian /You are next...

Now, add/tag 5 of your friend's blogs…
Lynn @ A Tired Mama
Renee@ fefyfomanna
Patti @ Late Bloomer Boomer
Lynne @ Lynne's Little Corner of the World
Michele @ The Rocky Mountain Retreat

When All Else Fails...Go Shopping

JAM and I decided today to have a Retired Girls Day out but trying to decide what to do took us quite a while. We went through a list JAM had compiled of interesting places to visit around town but many involved outdoor activity and it was just too darn windy today to attempt anything outside. So, after much time sitting on her sofa dithering, we finally agreed to go shopping. Yes...I know...not very creative.

Anyway, we ended up at one of our local malls and visited N*rdstr*m and M*cy's. Rick's sisters gave me a gift card for N*rdstr*m at Christmas and lucky me found two pair of jeans which fit perfectly and, most importantly, were on sale so I still have money left on my gift card for my next visit. Yeah! JAM found a great pair of black sandals which I might just have to order myself (with my narrow width, they almost never have my size in stock).

Then we went over to M*cy's. We wandered around but didn't have much luck...maybe we just were too tired by then to rummage through the sale racks. While we were walking around, however, JAM pointed out the following sign:

Now, pardon me, but did someone have an "oops" moment when creating this sign? What made this even more amusing was the fact that, on the other side of the entrance to the furniture department, there was the very same sign with the very same mis-spelling. I'm thinking that, if either of us ever need a part-time job, proofreader comes to mind.