First Time For This Water Sport

It was about the same time that I got my newer bicycle, the 26" one, that fit me much better, that I also found myself trying out a new sport, a water one this time.

That morning (which happened to be Father's Day 👴) I ended up joining a lovely group (of just five) pretty awesome people on a nearly three hour hike where we discussed many fun things including linguistics (one hiker's specialty) & movies titled with one word such as this movie & this movie.

After another four hours passed on by, (including a half hour of googling images of what exactly I was in for once on the water), I registered for my rental.

I'd packed light when I got out of my vehicle to go to the rental window. Originally I carried a plastic sandwich baggie of cash & my phone. Then I realized I had this strung around the passenger seat's metal "riser" & walked back passed the short distance I'd walked away (about three vehicles) to grab it. It would work well as a "pocket" I didn't otherwise have, sitting underneath the bottom hem of my top. Luckily for me, I also keep these braided into this. And I instantly realized these would come in handy (Oh! It's a pun!!! 😂) while out on the water, so I grabbed them too.


So, I sometimes joke about the first time I went to rent a vehicle & had just cash with me figuring, "Why not?". I also joke that I'm such a "rule follower" I'd think nothing else than to bring back something I've rented as I'm expected to do.

Here I was again at a rental window with "just cash" & my phone & this & these. 😂 I was asked about having my driver's license on me or a credit/debit card; I had none of these three items with me. Bummer. As I explained that I'd have to run back over to my vehicle to grab my license, the window attendant volunteered it'd be fine to clip my paperwork behind a friend's information. This worked for the both of us, well, three if the rental company is included. 😄

So, out on the water our large-size group went. For me, there were frustrations. Yes, there were. I smartly wore my prescription sunglasses. I opted to skip wearing a hat, figuring there'd be a likely chance of it not staying on my head, & therefore ultimately ending up in the water. I'd covered my limbs & face in this, because, well, the weather that day was a scorcher. On that day, merely by standing still, most everyone had sweat beads rolling down their limbs. It was humid & into the 90s. And the sun was blaring from high in the sky.

This event had been promoted as a "beginner's" event. And many first timers were out on the water right alongside me. This really didn't help much except to have too many people right there & therefore congestion. As a runner & hiker, when things like sweat, etc. get into my way, I can easily "wipe & go". This hadn't been the case in those moments. Also, at least as a runner or hiker I could just step to the side & let others pass me on by - sometimes I do this when I need to stretch for thirty seconds. While on the water, this isn't just not practical, it's not possible; the water moves, & so do you - you're on the water.

So there I was, out on the water, trying to prevent the sweat from burning my eyes, & I was failing miserably. My very-important sunglasses were in the way of wiping the constant sweat away & I was finding it difficult to figure out how to actually be on the water. Alas, yes, I managed. Our group's leader was no where nearby. Despite promoting the event for "beginner's" I didn't actually see the leader until well into our time on the water, & wasn't actually sure where the majority of the group had gone, which did frustrate me since it was a busy, hot day where it was difficult to navigate the scene not even knowing who on the water belonged with our group, which I didn't.

I did, however, successfully have my "first time" with this water sport. And because this conveniently came in the mail the night before, I was able to wear it (it fit me [my figure] great!) which greatly relieved me as my other options would've left me feeling, well, somewhat insecure (which, incidentally means I'd essentially feel plain old - insecure). I wore it with regular cotton shorts. I originally came to find it because I was perusing the lighter blue colored options (as they are my favorite), then I decided to go with the navy color since the lighter blue was so much so I felt it would dirty too easily & too quickly. And by "dirty" I mean markings, not sweat.


To top off the afternoon what was left of our group grabbed a bite at the adjoining eatery. We ordered our drinks. I ordered as I typically do, "water, no ice". After all, water is typically cold when a restaurant adds ice to it. The waiter needed to come back as he was working with a nearby table as well. He admitted it'd be best to get a refresher on our drink orders & we happily obliged. Everyone made sure that he got my "no ice" request; he'd actually remembered that part. 😏 All in good fun, yet an interesting request, I was asked why I ordered "no ice". Our waiter gave the extra minute of his time for my story. So I quickly explained that I'd rather have just water in my glass, no ice in the way, since the water is already cold when added to the glass. As I stated this I realized we were sitting at a table on a patio on a 90 degree day. So I said, "You know what, go ahead, put ice in my glass today! It seems appropriate!" And so he did. 😄

When deciding what to select from the menu I noticed these as an option. They weren't something I typically saw on a menu, just knew of characters in movies or television shows to talk about selecting. So I did; I ordered them. I sort of wish they'd been salmon, though I also realized that would've altered the cost more than I'd have wanted (& may not have selected the option entirely). I found them to be messy. Enough so that I needed ample napkins on what seemed to be a constant basis. And I doubt that I'd order them again, at least not from the same place.

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Appreciating All of the Hours

Like this current hit with the rather welcome opening line of, "24 hours, I need more hours with you...", this Netflix Original Movie expands on the idea that we need to make the most of the time we have here on this Earth. We need to live & be in the relationships we have, as we'll never know when any of them (relationships or people) will perish.

This movie touched me so much that I physically cried [at the end] while watching it. And I didn't even cry at the end of this movie. I did adore that there is a nod to my ever-adored crochet. It's evidence that there's "no time like the present" to learn a gift like this.

The storyline expressed the importance of laughing through life. And appreciating each minute & moment as it is, for what it is. It's a message that each of us needs to consider from time to time. Though with life & all its usual distractions, it's also obvious why it takes a movie to be reminding us (& likely why we ultimately do cry during it!).

No one is getting any younger, & not one of us can create a particular life for anyone else - no matter how much they matter to us. Living in the moment & loving what we've got right in the here & now, that's what's most important.

I also enjoyed the obvious, yet subtle, strong "in-law" bond that her brother has definitely developed with her fiancé. There's no mention of it, & there's really no reason to - it goes in hand with depicting how their families were well intertwined; members leaned on one another naturally.

These are the thoughts that occasionally dwell in my mind, especially while I'm enjoying the craft of crocheting myself. Like with the movie I posted about yesterday, it was at this point, at the beginning of the unofficial start of summer, when I sat down for a bit, crochet hook & yarn in hand, creating another work of art, watching a lovely movie.

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Essentially Everyone's Back to School Now

Considering Memorial Day to be the "unofficial start of Summer" & Labor Day to be the "unofficial end of Summer", & considering my unintended leave of absence from this space since Memorial Day, let's start off with the stereotypical First Day of School question: "What did you do over Summer vacation?"

Obviously I did a bunch of stuff that kept me from posting anything here! 😂

Really though, I've kept a pretty busy schedule. I've accomplished some pretty awesome & amazing things, & I've managed to squeeze in some silly, not-so-smart-things. (Alright, alright! They were down-right dumb things! 😁)

We should start at the beginning, after all Mary does say it's a "very good place to start"!

*****

One of the very last things I did as the official school year ended for local children was watch this Netflix Original Movie. I watched it because a movie with a wedding theme starring a couple of comedians, seemed bound to have reasonable results. I was not let down.

To top things off, a musician for which I would recommend on my own, not this BJ, rather this BJ, had this album of his highlighted throughout the movie. It created a chuckle all its own. Sandler's character also references this song when telling the young woman playing his daughter how much he loves her (to which she gives him a hard time while they enjoy their Father/Daughter Dance to this song).


Even when I was younger it took me some time to come around to enjoying Sandler's work. The styles of his movies hadn't been much for what I'd care to watch. I've certainly been glad the years have taught me to keep an open mind with regular references to various things & frequent stereotypes most all of us struggle to shake (Cousin Leonard & Cousin Jermaine 😊).

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Into The Light

She wrote this song after taking a year to heal from the crash her family had been in where she was left with a broken vertebra. Check this link for more on that. She then titled her album "Into the Light" to reflect the positive, rather than the negative, of the overall situation. Today, most of the nation is also reflecting on the positive by gaining more daylight & adjusting our clocks (those which don't automatically adjust themselves).

We might've just lost one hour of sleep, though this time change is the easy one; at least for those of us who did have a clock or two to manually adjust. I keep one of these next to my bed, which is how I listen to the radio & jam a little whenever the DJ puts on a few good tunes.

Don't scrunch your nose or eyebrows, roll your eyes, or crinkle your forehead. 😂 I keep one of these battery-operated babies in the bathroom behind the sink's faucet, & leaning against the mirror. It's a simple one that helps keep me on-par whenever I'm in there cleaning, or combing [my hair], or brushing [my teeth], etc.

And then there's also my vehicle's clock. Which is sorta simple to adjust since it's just a push of the "set" button, a slight scroll to the "clock", & then the down/up arrow to the current/corrected hour before tapping the "set" button again to resume normal functioning. So, technically, as long as I know which buttons to tap & where to scroll, my vehicle's clock is a no-brainer no matter if it's the first Sunday of March or the first Sunday of November.

If you're in a similar situation to me & you're training for a few upcoming marathons, then you didn't lose any hours of sleep. Rather, you realized you were completely wiped out long before the average person your same age, despite it being that early in the evening AND on a Saturday. Whatever. 😏

I headed back to my bed because I needed oodles of rest & recuperation. (Though not before putting this movie on my laptop to watch/listen to [yes, again 😜] while I slept until I could convince myself my muscles & bones were ready to be upright again.

I'm running a double in less than two months &, to prepare, I ran 15 miles on Friday morning, then 10 miles on Saturday morning. This I did just before I began my brick & mortar store hunt for a replacement inverter because the awesome one I'd snagged from Amazon two years ago, well, I'd used the darn thing so dang much that it up & stopped being useable (& it's no longer available on their site). I've, what I call a throw-away phone, a generic flip phone like one of these, for those times when it's no one's beeswax what my number is, but I need to give them a way to contact me anyway, or to just be logged into their company's system. It beeps a special pattern whenever it's low on charge. I plugged it in to the inverter on which I've been charging my laptop, smartphone, the flip phone, & once or twice used my super-basic shredder (similar to this model). Not only did the inverter not light up to signify success, the flip phone continued the "give me juice" beeping. Dang it.

I'd been lucky because I drive a compact hatchback vehicle. The SUV I used to drive had ports which charged without the vehicle's battery being on; it was an SUV after all. This tiny compact hatchback is, well, tiny. It came with a USB charging port aside from the adapter slot for separately purchased inverters. I've not really used it because the inverter I got myself two years ago had space for two outlets. I used one for my laptop & the other for my phone. Both of the phones I have use an Android charger (because, well, one is an Android! 😂😍) Also, the inverter had space for two USB ports on it - which I never needed to use. I just really needed a way to charge my laptop while in my vehicle.

And I didn't want to always have the engine running - cause that's expensive & not great for my vehicle either. Well, for these two years now, I've been winning at that one. After my exhausting visit to several brick & mortar stores, & canvasing Amazon's options (as well as their Q&A sections & reviews), I learned that I'm most likely going to need to accept that my engine will need to be turned on to activate the inverter - & well, this might be a very good thing. After all, it's sorta protecting my vehicle & its battery & the overall life of all of them. I've picked out this one. It's wording ["Not recommended to use for a long time when vehicle is not running."] suggests to not use it too much without the engine being turned on - which does give me a notch of hope that it's similar to one I currently have, which no longer works, yet could work with the engine turned off.

All of this just in time for all of this upcoming daylight. Yes, I'm certainly glad...No, I'm ecstatic that we're back in "DST" & shifting our days' hours in so that we're making the most of our daylight. It's more opportunity to be "out there" making the most of the weather (even if there's a little precipitation from time to time 😊) & the fresh air whether it be to run, to hike, to bike, or even just going for a simple stroll, a.k.a. a walk. 😏 Bring on the Vitamin D! ☀

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Definitely Didn't Hear That!

Back in the day before Dr. Google & any other type of quick, online referencing mechanism (or, online for that matter), sometimes things just weren't clarified.

Thus is the case for me with a particular song. I really hadn't thought much of it. When we were young, we simply listened to the radio. Our family really didn't purchase records, cassettes, etc. They were always transitioning to the next medium anyway. I mention this because I know certain artists & their recording companies would elect to include song lyrics in the jacket's data. Many years later, I remember this song's lyrics to be an example of said liberation.

It's a regular joke that's been played plenty of places that this song of Elton John's can come across sounding as if Elton is singing about this celebrity. I believe Phoebe had been part of a related joke in an episode of this.

For me, however, my dawning happened just this morning. That's right. During a rebroadcast of Casey Kasem's Top 40s from a week during the early 1980s. I heard the song & I heard it as I always have heard it. It's never made sense, though that's just the way it's always been & I've never questioned it because I didn't love the song; it was just another well-played radio hit.

I'd always heard the refrain as "With you I'm gonna gag." And by "refrain", I'm talking about the name of the song. This song. Really. I did. Yep. I'm still shaking my head too. 😞

Nope, it doesn't make any sense the way that I hear it. Obviously I've not really listened to it. It's not a song with such a story like this song, the only #1 hit of Harry Chapin. Yet, I believe it still lacks enunciation the same as this song...After all, are we really sure what Tim's saying the bull's name is? 😎😂

There was a time period of my life, possibly close to a decade, where I'd make such a special point of being able to tune in to listen weekly to Casey's countdown. When I knew there'd be a good chance of a song or two I'd really want to hear, I'd make sure to be right there at the radio. Also, if I was certain there'd be a consecutive set of songs I didn't care too much for, I'd make a break for the bathroom. 😂 Such were those simple years when this was all there was for the worry. 😏

There's been a few weeks recently where I've been in the vicinity that my radio's antenna has been picking up an "I Heart Radio" station from time to time, thus the memories. Speaking of memories, doesn't Babs sing about them here? Okay, that was corny.

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So Many Nicknames

Unlike her sister a year & fifteen days before her, she showed up during the month before she was due shortly after 1 a.m. on a Saturday morning. And then their household had four birthdays - all to be celebrated during the month of February! 😍🎂

I used to joke & say, if you're not sure who it is you've on the phone, if you're telling her the story (asking questions & probably getting quick, simple answers) it's her older sister; if she's telling you a story, it's the younger sister.

They've always gotten along & had many a project together, though when you're young it's still possible to get frustrated, & that, her older sister (click here) did. "Frankie-socka" is the audible of what we adults all heard. And that's from where "Frankie-sockie" originated.

With her name supporting her half Italian side to a tee, & her nickname giving a nod to a great-grandfather on the family's other side, due to her variable child-like goofball nature, she's another nickname in this character. Of whom, she's really nothing else in common, because, although in her complexion she does take after her mother's Italian side, she's simply not quite that dark skinned. 😂

She's likely to have a "couple rips in [her] jeans", though this marks her fifteen birthday; she's not twenty years old just yet. 😊 She does enjoy singing, so she might be crooning a similar tune to this in five more years.

And then there's this adorable movie, though both a boy & deaf ("He's a champion lip reader!"), it's a lovely movie (IMDb synopsis here) with a delicate touch, much like the birthday girl.

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"That's How You Know She's The One."

Let me tell you about a movie I’ve watched quite a few times. It’s an adorable movie. I first caught it on Netflix. Recently I had enough Wi-Fi access to catch it on YouTube. (you know, to get “my fill” 😂). I’d like to own this DVD, though, as supply & demand do go, its cost appears to be roughly four times what I’d expect it to be. And when I’ve recently checked – there’s been such demand that there’s hardly any copies in stock. Which means that plenty of others are adoring this flick just as much as me.

There's no headlining actors in this movie as there are in similar "rosy feeling" flicks such as this one where Sandra Bullock takes the lead along with Bill Pullman.

I especially enjoy watching the characters (Josh & Molly) adore one another while they share meals in their upstairs apartment/loft space. They're so real; they're so loving. And they've plenty of amazing family support to boot.

To have a sister-in-law who's there for you in the way that hers is-is something worth really treasuring. It's obviously part of the "family appeal" & a portion of the plot building where the family "gathers 'round" to support the scenario. It's cute how she's there to "set up" the surprise bridal shower - & that they have such fun in the dressing room scene just being gal pals - as when the music montage over this song, which I also highly enjoy enough - I've already purchased the song 😎😁 (complete song listing with certain details here).

So, as with any movie, there's a plot twist, & it's not just them realizing their personal love for one another. And, of course, as stereotypes go, the plot's twist comes with a broad smile with the best pearly-whites as well as the best hair 😄...And when we first meet her, she's in "just the right outfit" to derail the leading man.

His dad, while chewing on a cigar when he wants to be smoking it, asks him about how he's getting along with the woman to whom he's "engaged". His dad shrugs off the "sex life" part & asks his son about their personal relationship. If their disagreements are relatively menial, or if they've problems.

"What the Hell are you doing?"

"Relax, just gonna chew on it."

"Look, I'm not Mom. If chewing on a cigar makes you happy..."

"Smoking it would make me happier, but I'm not complaining." "How 'bout you, Josh? Are you happy?"

"You mean with work?"

"No...I mean with Molly."


...


"Your sex life is another thing. I'm talking about the rest. You happy about it? Do you fight a lot about the little things? Or, is it mostly good?"

"You know, I have to say, it's been...mostly good. I mean, we fight, but..."

"Listen kiddo, if you're married, you're gonna fight. The secret is knowing how to fight. You think it's easy being married? Hard enough living with your own insecurities. Then you throw into the mix a kid or two. And you realize you want to be with a person who choose to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Do you get that feeling around Molly?"

"yeah...Yeah...yeah."

"I guess if I'm really honest about it, I'm more comfortable around Molly Mahoney than just about, than just about anybody."

"That's how you know she's the one."

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A Drug Called Love

In catching up on some not-so-new-releases, I discovered this flick. I don’t consider it to be a “top pick”. And it’s certainly not a “new release” (it’s from 2010).

I’m a fan, in general, of the work of both main characters. Not so much along the lines of love would be her work in this book-turned-into-this-movie. And this work of his.

This picture, in my humble opinion (imho 😂), has a poor poster for its advertising. Ultimately, it’s a storyline about love; about each of them completely realizing, as well as accepting, that they’re in love with one another … and allowing that to actually be.

To her he says:

“I’m full of shit.”

…

“I have never cared about anything or anyone in my entire life.”

“…and everyone just kind of accepted that…that’s just Jamie.”

“And then you, geez. …You. …You…”

“You didn’t see me that way.”

“I have never known anyone who actually believed that I was enough till I met you. … And then you made me believe it too.”

“So, uh, unfortunately…I need you.” “And you need me.”


She interjects:

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes. You do.”

“Stop it…Stop saying that.”

“You need someone to take care of you.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Everybody does.”

“I’m going to need you more than you need me.”

“That’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. It isn’t fair. I’ve places to go.”

“You’ll go there. I may just have to carry you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t.”


And there it is folks …

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