Tag Archives: play

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Let’s play.

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It’s another Christmas question, so try to get your jolly on.

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When I was a teenager my mother had a close friend she insisted I call aunt though we weren’t related . She was a career woman when women didn’t have careers and rose to a senior position with Time/Life. A wealthy widow with two grown sons, she was extremely intelligent and quite eccentric.

To be honest, she was loaded. Both financially and physically… the old gal liked her scotch.

Having New England roots she was also tight as a tick when it came to spending money. The electric bill could sour her mood for days and she wore clothes that were so threadbare the moths didn’t even bother nibbling. She constantly added milk to chowder to stretch it’s longevity and only went out to dinner if someone else was paying. She cut her own hair, never bought a new car and had drawers full of used tin foil. When she retired she had money enough to travel the world but chose to sit home and clip coupons, waiting for hamburger to go on sale.

But when it came to Christmas? That’s when she really outdid herself. Presents were wrapped in newspaper with leftover butcher’s twine for ribbon. She thought it was fun to give dozens of gifts and watch you squeal with delight when you opened them. Problem was … there was never anything worth squealing about. Quantity not quality made her happy.

Over the years I received toilet paper, toothpaste, tiny bars of soap and shampoo as well as plastic ice buckets. All of which she lifted from various hotel rooms. She traveled a lot for work and the woman never passed up a freebie. I had to say thank you for swizzle sticks, matchbooks and little paper umbrellas. Have you ever pretended to be over joyed with ketchup packets and those little square jelly containers? Trust me, it’s not easy.

So in answer to the question … the weirdest Xmas gift I’ve ever received?

A matching set of barf bags from TWA.

Festively wrapped in the New York Times and the envy of all my friends.

How about you?

What bizarre gifts have you received….

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Uncategorized

Let’s play.

24 Comments

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My husband and I differ greatly in this regard.

He bores easily with vehicles and is always looking for something different. No matter how much he likes what he’s driving, he’s the guy who stops on the side of the road whenever he sees something better for sale. Since he’s always on the move and puts high miles on his cars, we buy him used every few years.

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I, on the other hand… heavily research, shop around and buy new every decade or so. My current ride is a much beloved 2014 Subaru Forester. Her name is Ethel and she only has 75,000 gentle miles. Every year my husband sputters about trading her for something newer, but the supply of new vehicles on the lots is still a problem here and I’m not buying anything I can’t personally test drive.

Ethel will be 10 next year so I suppose I’d better start researching.

How about you?

How old is your ride….

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Uncategorized

Let’s play.

38 Comments

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Because it’s probably more fun than scrubbing grout.

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I think my answer is a wee bit off the average.

6 days.

And that’s only because we had to wait 3 for the license.

Yes, we knew each other for 6 days before we were married… almost 40 years ago. He proposed on day two.

What can I say?

When it’s right, you know it.

How about you?

Did you date a long time….

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Uncategorized

Let’s play.

38 Comments

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You don’t have to….

But you should.

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Looking back… I realize I must have been a strange child because I honestly can’t think of a single thing.

I was never afraid of monsters under the bed. I always slept in a room by myself, in the dark.

I watched horror movies under the covers, I played spotlight in the backyard.

I liked bugs, and snakes and toads.

Thankfully I grew up in a loving stable home in an era where no one had to warn me about talking to strangers or telling my parents if someone touched me inappropriately.

I had an idyllic childhood and happily sailed through it with no fears.

How about you?

What scared you as a child…

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Uncategorized

Let’s play.

41 Comments

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Just a simple question.

No hard thinking required.

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What do you reach for when you’re feeling down?

When it’s dark and dreary outside?

When the world is simply too much… what’s on your plate?

For me, it’s homemade macaroni and cheese with a buttery crumb topping. The ooey, gooey packed with fat and carbs, no such thing as too much cheese kind. I may not be able to fit into my jeans after I eat it… but I’ll be smiling when I reach for my stretchy pants.

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How about you.

What’s your go to comfort food?

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Uncategorized

Let’s play.

28 Comments

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Because it hurts less than having a tooth pulled.

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For long distances I’m going with plane.

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Even though air travel isn’t half as much fun as it used to be.

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It’s odd how much I miss those rubber chicken dinners now that all you get is a packet of dry as toast cookies.

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But while the views out the window can be spectacular, I do prefer driving when it comes to setting your own schedule and stopping at will for local points of interest. Some of the best things we’ve found and seen have been well off the beaten path.

Cruise ships? Never. Floating germ factories crammed full of people with whom I don’t want to converse no less vacation.

Trains? Like them for day trips but no cramped overnight bunks and minuscule bathrooms for this chicka.

How about you?

What’s your preferred method of travel…

Uncategorized

Let’s play.

45 Comments

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It won’t strain your brain, I promise.

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While I’m not a huge tv watcher, I do like a variety of series HBO has developed over the years. Every once in a while I can even get my husband interested… which is what happened with Carnivale.

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It was a dark and wonderfully bizarre show that immediately garnered a rabid fan base.

It’s the mid-1930s, and we’re in the middle of the Dust Bowl, a time when sandstorms and disease were running rampant across the Great Plains. After his mother’s death, teenage fugitive Ben Hawkins is picked up by a mysterious traveling carnival run by an unseen force known only as “Management.” Surrounded by magic, Ben reconnects with his long-dormant supernatural powers. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, an evangelical preacher is plagued with apocalyptic visions. What the two of them don’t know is that they’re set to become players in the great (and heretofore hidden) battle between Darkness and Light.

We loved it and though it was immensely popular with its followers and slated for six seasons, it was cancelled after just two leaving viewers with an awful cliffhanger and no resolution. When asked, HBO said the reason was falling ratings but I read the religious right took an instant dislike to it and pushed for it’s removal. Funny when you think about all the other shows that are filled with blood, gore and rampant sex.

That’s my pick.

What show do you want to see return?

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Uncategorized

Let’s play.

29 Comments

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You don’t have to, but you should all the same.

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I’d have to say being a New Jersey fast talker.

I was born in Jersey and lived there until I was 15. I don’t look like Carmela Soprano or a blinged out housewife, no leopard print leggings or teased shellacked hair … but I did retain a bit of New Jersey twang in my speech (think dawg and cawfee) and I’m most definitely a fast talker.

Jersey people have places to go and people to dump in the Meadowlands swamp, we don’t like wasting time with slow conversation .

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How about you?

What stereotype do you embody.

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