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Mean fish

I hate nightmares, and I had them all night last night. Two in particular stuck with me and I’ll elaborate on the latter one.

I was in a large room with my Mom and Grandmother, who passed away some time ago. I don’t remember how she looked or otherwise, I just remember her presence. At first there were giant aquariums, at least two, in the room. The fish were initially small, but gradually got bigger and bigger. They kept making faces at me, and at first it was funny. Then the fish, which were now upwards of two feet long, were showing their barracuda-like teeth in a threatening manner, all towards me. All the sudden, there was a dog – my dog, Chance. He was upon me and trying to bite me. I kept telling my Mom, ‘We can’t have this, look at him!” At one point I was clamping his jaws together and he was very agitated. When I’d let go, he’d get this far-off look in his eyes and glare straight at my throat. I then woke myself up.

I’m hoping Chance is really okay. There are many different meanings for fish in dreams, so there’s no telling what that one means. My search results were null on a google of ‘mean fish’. 😦

 

Photo credit ©Simon Rogerson

Posted by  |  July 8, 2010 | Categories: Dreams | 1 Comment

Venus and Mars, perspectively

It’s the century-old question. Can men and women have a happy healthy relationship along with having a close friend(s) of the opposite sex? And remain friends, notwithstanding an affair? How about if that ‘friend’ existed before you came along, and you’ve always noticed or ‘felt’ this closeness between the two of them?

There are boatloads of opinions out there on this. Instead of a theological approach on the subject, I’m instead opting to provide you with my very own raw opinion. A Bon-view, as I like to call it. This ain’t gonna be pretty… could even get messy – might be a good idea to go ahead and don those rubber gloves from underneath your kitchen sink.

All joking aside, most man-moves can, are, and will forever be excused in the fact that they are men. I’ve grown not only to expect this, but to accept it as a fact of life.

Now, onto what I’ve learned.

Virtually any area of infidelity is contingent upon the type of woman that is playing along.

That’s right, I just said it. I believe the woman to be the deciding factor in whether an infidelity is to occur in a relationship, whether she’s the relationshipee or the outsider. Folks I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it… it’s a fact. And I seriously beg a debate.

Ladies… have you any wonder about the woman your man speaks so eloquently of, whether or not they were ‘friends’ before you came along? You’d damn well better have. Men… how about that guy friend of your girlfriend’s that she’ll meet for lunch from time to time, talk with on the phone, etc.? Is it really platonic? True enough, it could be platonic in both cases. The end result, though, will be determined by **none other than** the woman’s own moral convictions and willpower.

So by now am I sounding like a paranoid schizophrenic? Okay, I’ll give you that. The paranoid schiz in me was instilled by another, and it’s a daily struggle to keep that part of me buried. Maybe I arrived that way after realizing there will always be certain women out there that need the attention so badly they’ll resort to anything – including infiltration of a known relationship, be it marriage or other. The attention whore, for lack of a better word. Believe me ladies, when I tell you they are out there. Worse yet? They could be the very one that you perceive to be a good friend. Having been on the receiving end of the infidelity stick, I can tell you it’s humiliating and mentally draining – to say the very least.

So to wrap up my little rant for the day, in short – this is what I believe… and this is what I’ve lived. I want so very badly to protect myself in the future from this very damaging act. But just what is the answer? I realize that trust should be the key. Keyword, should.

Ladies, back to you…

Posted by  |  July 7, 2010 | Categories: Emotions, Friends, Life Struggles, Love, Rants, Relationships | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Post Fourth

I finally got out on the water again. After three long years, to the very day… ole’ Bon was able to partake in a day at the lake.

I never will possess the ability to fully explain the depth of my love for boating. When that boat pulls away from the dock, any and all troubles are left on land – it’s the most freeing feeling ever imaginable to me. I can only assume that bikers get this same euphoric feeling while on the road, as I’ve heard it explained to me, anyway. But as for my love, my haven, it will always be the water – and this will remain so forever.

There’s something additional about the fourth of July on the lake. I’ve only had the opportunity to experience it once, that was back in 2007 in my ‘old life’. We drove a little further down to a different sandbar, one that wasn’t so centrally located in the ‘mainstream’ of things, and hung out there for a couple of hours. We had a good 40-minute drive back to the River Hills area where the fireworks were being launched, and being the lucky souls we are, actually found a empty dockside spot at the local TBones. Dinner was great, and the fireworks were amazing afterwards.

Upon leaving, thank God for all safety equipment being in check (well, almost) because before we even reached the main channel we were pulled over. Anchors and line, check… personal floatation devices, check… first aid kit, check… licenses, check… navigational lights, NOT ON. Shit. We got off with a warning though, yes sir and thank you officer.

Back to the basics today, hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday!!

Posted by  |  July 6, 2010 | Categories: Entertainment, Holidays, Thoughts, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let ‘Freedom’ Ring…

Another Independence Day is upon us. I could really turn this blog into a political rant, but I’ll save that for another day. I will say that if you had warned our forefathers of the resulted socialistic thumb this country is being held under, they’d have probably packed bags and jumped ship back to England.

The weather has been absolutely amazing, the low was a record 56 Friday night with the highs in the upper 80’s on Saturday. SO uncharacteristic of the 4th of July! And I’ll definitely take it. It’s actually enjoyable to be outside in these temps, we’re all getting a break from hiding behind the a/c indoors.

I’ve really enjoyed the weekend so far, what with all the extra free time and all. Yesterday, a good friend of mine was in my neck of the woods, so she stopped by and I fixed us all a bite of lunch. I’d been wanting her to meet my guy anyway, so it worked out great – it was a good visit.

Yesterday afternoon I packed my bags, grabbed my feline and headed over to my guy’s house for the rest of the weekend. Camille really loves it here and we always get a bunch of laughs out of her antics. Ah who am I kidding, I love it here too. ♥

Just when I think he’s done it all, that there’s nothing left that can capture my heart and make me love him even more, K proves me wrong. Last night, he grabbed me in his arms, looked down at me and said, ‘You know what? After tomorrow, we will have officially spent every holiday of the year together.’ I’ll tell you right now that stole my heart all over again. I should be used to that by now…

I’m loving this life I’m in, and ever-appreciative of the treasure that I’ve found in him. I know I’ve harped on about second chances many times before, but in truth I can never do it enough. We’re older now, and hopefully wiser. When a blessing of this magnitude is bestowed upon you, it can never turn into something that’s taken for granted – and it never will. ♥♥

Miss Priss working hard at what she does...

Posted by  |  July 4, 2010 | Categories: Emotions, Love, Political, Relationships, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rest, Relaxation and Reality

I got a full night’s rest last night without waking up even once, until about 0830 this morning. My guy took me to see the movie Eclipse last night, what a great movie. No, I am not one of those over-40 women who gush over the boy stars (but umm, let me say there’s only one that I still consider a boy…) 🙂 I think what I love so much about the saga is it’s the perfect mix of action, drama and romance. And let’s face it, it’s unrealistic – so the Piscean in me basks in that dreamy part of it too. Anyway, I won’t spoil it for you – just to say if you haven’t yet seen it, it’s a must-see.

A day off, finally. What a joy to not have anything to do or anywhere to go. Pressing, that is. Time is at my own pace, and come what will. The weather is cooler, humidity is down, sun still shining, and hallelujah Praise God I’m off for three whole days. Even a simple trip to the grocery store and to tan was enjoyable this morning. Rode with the windows down and my hair blowing, just like it was spring again.

Now, if someone would just invent a Virtual Vacation to the beach, I’d be just peachy. Everyone I know is either en route there, or on the way back. I’m serious when I say everyone. Well, almost. Most of my friends on facebook are, my daughter is, my cousins are, I don’t need to go on. Guess I’ll be there one day soon, hopefully. My friend is getting married at the beach on August 22nd, so I’ll definitely be there on that day even if I have to drive down alone for that. She so deserves this most perfect day in her life and I’m so happy for her.

I do love fairytale endings… and they happen so rarely in Real Life. Hmmm, maybe the fairytale is what I love so much about the Twilight Saga. ♥

Posted by  |  July 3, 2010 | Categories: Entertainment, Family, Friends, Holidays, Home, Miscellaneous, Ocean, Relationships, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bits and Pieces

I gazed down at myself as I sat down in my car seat this morning and discovered a spider had hitched a ride down the stairs with me. Lovely. I should be used to it by now I so hate spiders.

On a brighter note, here comes our holiday finally and with it the three-day weekend. Longer for some, I know, but I’ll take the extra day and not complain a bit. I recently made a friend who frequents the lake (via boat) and she invited us out this weekend. I’m SO STOKED I couldn’t be more excited if I were going to the beach. Wellll, I might be a bit more excited about that – but this is still major to me. I haven’t had a good day out on a boat in well, I don’t count last year because the boat never even moved from it’s stationery spot. So, three years now. That’s far too long for ole’ water-Bon to be a land-lubber. Craving the ocean too, but that’s a whole other story. The lake will most definitely temporarily suffice.

So, Eclipse has come out. All of my New Moon buddies have seen it so far and are telling me it’s mega-awesome, so I can’t wait to see it. My guy said something about Monday and it probably will be less crowded that day. One friend of mine was going to see it for the second time last night. The last movie I went to see more than once was Nights in Rodanthe, which I saw 3 times at the theatre. I didn’t know it at the time, but that movie was to become a staple in my newfound single life.

I have a friend who is taking his girlfriend to the beach this weekend – and planning to ‘pop the question’ to her. From what he said, she’s wanted this for a long time, and what better time than July 4th holiday? I’m such a romantic, so I bask in stories like these. I got all sappy yesterday when I heard what he was planning, and the girls at work were laughing at me. I can only explain it by saying that I’ve never in my life had anyone who actually wanted to marry me, so I guess that’ll make a person a romantic if nothing else will. I can’t wait to hear how he did it when he gets back in town… will he propose on the pier? On the beach? Or maybe at Broadway, standing underneath the fireworks after they start… my goodness, I love that idea….

Stay tuned. 🙂

Posted by  |  July 2, 2010 | Categories: Animals, Entertainment, Family, Holidays, Home, Humor, Life Struggles, Love, Miscellaneous, Nature, Ocean, Relationships, Travel, Vacation | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I spy… an AlpspiX

Here I go with my dreams again. I had a dream last night about extreme heights. I was ‘dangling’ from some place high above I-don’t-know-where, and alongside me was my (don’t laugh) cat… (I heard that snicker). For some reason I was more concerned with Camille’s well-being than my own, as she was more terrified than I. I’m thinking the whole thing was a direct result from that muscle-relaxer I took last night before bed.

Employees work on the AlpspiX viewing platform at the southern Bavarian Alps mountain Alpspitze in Garmisch-Partenkirchen 29 June, 2010. Photo courtesy http://www.daylife.com

Ironically enough, I just heard about the new AlpspiX in Germany. It’s almost finished and set to open on 4 July. Suspended a whopping 1,000 meters (3300 feet) in the air high over the German Alps, the AlpspiX is a viewing platform consisting of two 24-meter long arms that cross each other to form the letter X. The ‘arms’ protrude more than 13 meters (43 feet) over an abyss at the base of the Alpspitze mountain. Each arm of the X is just 3 meters wide and formed of a grid, which will allow snow to pass through it during winter. For your enhanced viewing pleasure, each of these arms will end in a glass wall for an unobscured view. The structure was designed so that one platform slants toward ‘heaven’ while the other element descends toward the valley of ‘hell’, the Höllental.

Don’t forget to pack your nerves.

Sources: Zugspitze and DailyMail

Posted by  |  July 1, 2010 | Categories: Dreams, News, Travel | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments

Mellowing out

Although there have been multiple studies done that actually suggest the opposite – it’s my own experience that we get more emotional as we get older. I’m not talking about the more generalized emotions – being happy, angry, fearful, etc., but the more ‘philosophical’ ones. The types of emotions that tend to make a person ‘linger’ a bit more on the past, or ‘delve back’.

Is it true though? Do we get more emotional as we age? I can only comment on what I’ve seen personally, which is that I’ve seen more than a couple of mature men cry when reflecting back on certain times in their lives – in particular, times they wish they could go back and change. In each instance, the individuals appear different now than how I was told they used to be. Different how? It’s kind of hard to put into words. Softer-spoken, and rarely if ever angered – just to name a few.

What changes in us chemically as we get older that tends to make us more ’emotional’? And is it ever possible for a person to ‘change’? I don’t know the answer to the first question. As for the second one, I believe wholeheartedly the answer is yes. Maybe I’m wrong, but I consider being more emotional and ‘in-tune’ with yourself and others to be change. One thing I do know – the pill of regret is seldom swallowed. One of the saddest things you’ll ever see is a person reflecting back on losing the best thing they ever had in life.

Posted by  |  June 30, 2010 | Categories: Emotions, Life Struggles, Opinion, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

May I please have a conclusive?

Well, I’ve gone and done it this time. How I did it is anyone’s guess. I’ve battled it for a little over a week now but instead of improving, said condition is deteriorating quickly. If I were to diagnose myself, I would say I have a pinched nerve in my lower neck / upper left back. But who am I?

I’ve said many times I will not go to a doctor for this because I know the first thing he’ll want is an MRI. Seeing things from an orthopedic surgeon’s view, I do understand the reasoning for an MRI. However, since my deductibles have risen on my insurance from 500 to 1,000, the amount of money they’ll require beforehand is completely undoable. Period. So no MRI. The pain at work today was excruciating, there is nothing at all I can do for relief – and so my hand was forced. I made the appointment.

The doctor I’m seeing has seen me before on a couple of occasions in past years, so I’m not a complete stranger there. I hope to get some sort of relief or ‘answer’… although my medical history is such that an actual diagnosis rarely never happens. Aside from a lone pregnancy test coming back positive 20+ years ago, everything medical in my life (I’m recounting as I write) has been inconclusive. Hell that should be my word of the day.

I hate complaining… furthermore I hate chronic complainers. They’re not only no fun to be around / work with / be friends of / have the misfortune of being your partner, but to me it gets stale real fast. No one wants to be around someone who is constantly moaning about their ailments, let’s face it. We want to be associated with ‘upbeat’ people. Ones who make us laugh, bring out the best in our own personalities. That person used to be me. Simply put – I’ve gotta get my life back.

Posted by  |  June 29, 2010 | Categories: Health, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Tragedy

I have lived and breathed this story since it broke. What a horrible, horrible nightmare…. I have no other words in me to describe it right now. My heart literally breaks for this family.

Saturday they decided to take the boat on a family outing. It will be a decision they’ll forever wish to reverse. On the beautiful river I live near and cross daily, Lake Wylie – a tragic boating accident has claimed yet another life.

It was the life of a child. One of an eight-year old boy who just completed his first football season at his elementary school. I simply cannot imagine the depth of agony and anguish this family is experiencing right now.

Read the story here.

RIP, Tanner Blake Goshen. I’m praying for God to wrap his loving arms tight around your family.

Posted by  |  June 28, 2010 | Categories: News | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Time

Another weekend here? Count me right on in. Full loon moon makes it’s debut tonight at 11:36 EST, and I’ll have to say it’s been a strange week. Just strange.

Tonight my guy and I get to have dinner with my bff and her hubby. It’s gonna be a great reunion, since we all four went to high school together and they haven’t seen my guy in 24 years. It’s funny how so much time just ticks by and leaves us with, well, the memories. It’s great to be able to reconnect again. I’m certain we won’t lack for conversation, and we’re all really looking forward to it.

I can so remember back to that time in my life. My bff Angie was into being a flag girl, while I was into ROTC, rifles and auto mechanics. Sounds like we were worlds apart, but it was only the extracurriculars which temporarily divided us while in school. When not in school we were inseparable. Sometimes we’d hide outside until our mothers went to work, then go back home and sleep all day. We’d wake up refreshed – then after over-nuking a couple of hotdogs in the microwave and gulping down a 2-liter of coke, be ready to party the night away. The belly-laughter was always plentiful, just as it still is today. Best friends always end up with their own lives, but a true one never fades from your life.

 

 

The above picture was taken in Myrtle Beach, SC in 1986, our graduating year. It rained the entire time we were there which is why we’re donning the Bogart hats. Do they even make photo booths anymore??

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.
~Author Unknown

Posted by  |  June 26, 2010 | Categories: Friends, Thoughts | 3 Comments

Never can tell…

I’ve been thinking about the word unpredictable. To me it almost always preceeds an unfavorable outcome. Almost.

Unpredictable: Something difficult or impossible to foretell or foresee.

A drive in to work in the morning. I’m in the left lane, cruising along, not bothering a soul. Situated in a nice little flow of moving traffic who I like to term ‘dancing partners’. Everyone seems to know what they’re doing – almost. Enter car on the right that I’m getting ready to pass, just like all my other dancing partners just did… I see the impatience radiating from the car’s body. That slightest move left and quick jerk back right, ever so desiring to be in my position.

Unpredictable. Move on past ’em – quickly now.

How about that family member who all your other family members simply dread to be around. This person lives to create turmoil, speaks ill of you behind your back, and continually strives to be in the midst of controversy.

Unpredictable. Let’s keep on movin’.

I’m watering my many flowers, and along comes a large thirsty wasp like they so often do these days. Don’t even waste your time telling me ‘It’s okay, just don’t panic. Stand still and everything will be fine’. I’m outta there.

Go, quickly. Unpredictable.

Let’s say I’ve been out on the beach a few hours now, and it’s mid-afternoon. I take note of the darkening sky in the distance, and know what will probably be upon me soon – a thunderstorm. Or, maybe not.

Hey I’m at the beach, in this case I’m stayin’. Who cares if I get wet? 🙂

Photo Courtesy of http://campusedgeccu.wordpress.com/

Posted by  |  June 25, 2010 | Categories: Miscellaneous, Thoughts | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

My Freshly Pressed Appreciation

Each weekday, my beloved blogging site WordPress handpicks eleven blog writers to be featured on their front page. Eleven. Out of Millions. They refer to these chosen blogs as “Freshly Pressed”.

This past Monday, 21st of June, was the day. My day. The blog I had written, Summer Solstice, was chosen to be featured in the much-coveted Freshly Pressed section – the headline page of WordPress. I sat there with unbelieving eyes when I received the email stating I had made it.

Little old me making Freshly Pressed status? The news hit me like a bombshell. Many have long sought after and still continue to seek this temporary but prestigious spot. I know enough to be extremely appreciative of it – and I am. I never expected to ever be cast in such a prominent spotlight, and was completely unprepared for the many extras that accompanied the ‘status lift’. I had well over a thousand hits the first day, along with many comments, pingbacks and requotes. I value highly the many public opinions and inquiries that were made, and remain so very deeply humbled.

I’ve always loved to write and those closest to me are aware of how very deep that love goes. One thing’s for sure – this experience has showed me there’s a whole other world out there… one in which the possibilities are endless.

Thank you, WordPress – and all you readers and writers out there who make the site what it is.

Posted by  |  June 23, 2010 | Categories: Opinion, Thoughts, Writing | Tags: , , , , | 6 Comments

Summer Solstice

A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is most inclined toward or away from the sun, causing the Sun’s apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost or southernmost extreme. The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination; that is, the apparent movement of the Sun’s path north or south comes to a stop before reversing direction.

The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the date (day) when this occurs. The solstices, together with the equionoxes, are connected with the seasons. In some cultures they are considered to start or separate the seasons, while in others they fall nearer the middle.

A common misconception is that the earth is further from the sun in winter than in summer. Actually, the Earth is closest to the sun in December which is winter in the Northern hemisphere.

As the Earth travels around the Sun in its orbit, the north-south position of the Sun changes over the course of the year because of the changing orientation of the Earth’s tilted rotation axes. The dates of maximum tilt of the Earth’s equator correspond to the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, and the dates of zero tilt to the Vernal Equinox and Autumnal Equinox.

The reason for these changes has to do with the Earth’s yearly trip around the sun. For part of the year the Earth’s North Pole points away from the sun and part of the time toward it. This is what causes our seasons. When the North Pole points toward the sun, the sun’s rays hit the northern half of the world more directly. That means it is warmer and we have summer.

The day of the summer solstice is the longest day of the year. The length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a maximum for the year. In the United States, there are about 14½ hours of daylight on this day.

~Wikipedia.com, Calendar-Updates.com

Posted by  |  June 21, 2010 | Categories: Astronomy, Freshly Pressed, Miscellaneous, Nature, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , | 61 Comments

She’s gone country

I love country music. It calms me… soothes me.

It amazes me how we all change with age. The fact is, we all do change – even if it’s only something others recognize in us. If you’d told me even a year ago that I would want to listen to nothing but country, I’d have slapped you then told you to go find your mama. Seriously though, I was a metalhead growing up, all the way through my twenties. Still love that era, and pretty much all the 80’s music. Once in my thirties, I increased my musical genre by adding in alternative to the mixture. As well, I’ll always love my alternative. None of this will ever fade or go away, I’ll always consider it my musical ‘roots’.

It amuses me to watch people’s reaction who haven’t seen me in a while when they hear me singing or listening to country music. ‘I can’t believe you listen to country now!? All the time?!’ (jaw dropping in succession). ‘What on earth made you change to country?’

Hmm. Good question…

Back to my theory that we all change in time. Well, sometimes that change comes about in unexpected venues. My most recent ‘growth’ just happened to manifest itself within my music selection.

I find myself craving it. There’s almost always something a song offers that I can relate with. The morals seem high, the love always radiates from them, at times they can be hilarious, and they’re not shy about their love for our Lord. So many of the songs actually mean something personal to me, or signify a person or time in my life. There’s too many instances like this to even start listing, so don’t worry, I’ll spare you the boredom.

The sweet melodic tones of country music seems to soften, or at least take the edge off of life. For me, anyway. 🙂

Posted by  |  June 19, 2010 | Categories: Music, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , | 6 Comments

Six legs too many

It’s spider season again. Time to break out my double-wammy industrial-strength pow-wow… ummmmm, concoction.

Spiders??? Oh Bon, surely you can’t be talking about now… it’s June!!!… simply can’t be.  In any case, I’m sure the problem is minutely miniscule…

Ahem. Never mind the Fall season when you see all the Wolf ‘writing’ spiders. Ole Bon’s spiders say the time is now. Every morning I go down two sets of stairs looking like a zombie – left arm filled with my workbag, purse, lunch and sometimes trash, and right arm waving back and forth in front of me like a freaking moron. If I try to throw in a glance around myself to make sure no one’s watching, I lose balance and almost fall down the steps – it must be hilarious to watch. As recently as this morning, I was clotheslined by yet another invisible web on the second floor. I promptly **dropped** everything and completed two full 360’s all while appearing to have a seizure, all done in order to entertain the average viewer. You are welcome.

This takes me back to when I first moved in my current residence. It was May of ’08, and the first thing I noticed was a spider infestation. The couple that resided here for ten years prior to me were elderly, and it didn’t seem to bother them. Enter Bon. Believe me when I say it did bother me. Apparently my predecessors either a) didn’t care about the spiders or b) literally couldn’t see them. I’m shooting for the latter. I mean, these people were in their 90’s…

I was absolutely horrified. Here I was, finally, in my own little condo – perfect in every way except for a spider infestation. The balcony seemed to be the worst, so that’s where I picked to start. I made a trip to the local hardware store and bought a gallon-sized industrial strength pesticide which even came equipped with a strong pump-stream system. Just pull back on the external trigger nozzle until completely loaded, and that baby’ll spray for a full 20 seconds at warp speed.  Once I positioned myself on the stepladder and started spraying through the rafters, I completed the first two walls rather quickly. All the sudden the damn things started coming out by the dozens, spinning their long silk and swinging towards me. I immediately felt like a character out of a Stephen King book, already visualizing myself taking that accidental fall from a ladder over a third story ledge. I’m not talking small spiders – the littlest ones were about the size of my thumbprint, and that doesn’t include legs. These ‘things’ had been allowed to infest the place for so long that they had ‘morphed’ into some sort of amazon gargantuan thing not from this planet. A mega-spider, if you will. I panicked screamed. Ducked left, ducked right, and finally ducked inside – all while cursing myself for spraying more than one wall at a time, in turn pretty much barricading myself out of my home. Finally, after a couple of days of exterminating (one wall at a time from here on out, thank you) the porch was wiped clean of spiders.

Ahhhh… I am victorious!! And so was born the quest for a huge superhero applique for the front of my t-shirt. SB, for SuperBon. Or maybe even SpiderBon.

What I neglected to address in my extermination efforts was the fact that I may well have pushed some most of them indoors. Maybe they existed beforehand, I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that within those couple of days, more and more spiders began making their glorious appearing indoors – and that didn’t work for me. One night, I pulled back the comforter and sheets to get in bed – unveiling two very large black spiders smack-dab* in the middle of my bed. Realizing their newfound exposure, one shoots off to the right and the other to the left (again, like something fresh out of a nightmare). To this very day I maintain those things were mating in my bed. I managed to kill one, but never found the other. As for me, I remained in a light-filled room sitting upright in the fetal position for the rest of the night. Tucking my knees under my chin, I balled my eyes out. And come morning, I was completely unrecognizable by the people closest to me – although by this point it was questionable as to whether I had actually been bit by spiders and might be having a bad allergic reaction that swelled my entire face up.

I can laugh about all of this now. It wasn’t at all long after the ‘bed incident’ that I was completely spider-free… thanks once again to the heroic efforts of SuperBon/SpiderBon.

(But I wouldn’t want to do it all again.)

*Southern Slang definition of the day:  Smack-dab: squarely, and directly.

Posted by  |  June 18, 2010 | Categories: Humor, Life Struggles, Miscellaneous, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Visit from beyond

I was ushered in through the foyer, past the living room and down the hallway. The doorknob to the right was turned, and the door opened for me to enter the room.

Their room.

The room itself was bigger than I remember, and had a radiant, almost heavenly look about it. I immediately noticed that it was cleaner, whiter, and less congested. It was almost pristine – with much extra room to move around. Just as quickly as the door closed behind me, they appeared.

The dogs.

My dogs. The dogs I had to leave behind through a marriage separation, now well over two years ago. And they were smiling. C’mon now, no bashing… any dog-lover out there knows what I’m talking about. They DO smile.

I don’t remember actually getting down on the floor, but in the next moment that’s exactly where I was, and where I remained. Chance and Rebel were all over me, and I was all over them. They were both clean as a whistle and smelled so good. There also was no gray in them whatsoever. The dogs weren’t pups, but they certainly weren’t old men, either! Along the empty sides and corners of the room, there were lots of clean blankets and sheets, all neatly folded – there must have been 8-10 of them scattered throughout the room. As time went on I kept grabbing them, unfolding each one and spreading them out for us, all while continuing to love on them. I remember thinking, ‘boy is someone gonna be mad at me for unfolding and messing up all these linens…’, but the dogs were loving it, and loving me. All three of us were so happy and comfortable, in that room.

The tears continue to fall as I write this. This particular visit occurred in a dream I had last night, on Tuesday night.

I believe it all started when I asked my daughter to take a picture so I could see them. I was at work Monday when I received them, and it immediately made me cry. My girlfriends at work saw this and were very sweet and caring – they are good friends and fellow animal-lovers to boot, so they understood without even saying anything. Just to see how gray the little and big guy’s faces had both gotten in two years was shocking – in particular Rebel’s, the boxer.

I’ve tried to force them out of my mind for a long time now because it’s just been too painful to think about. That still remains the case. I guess somehow, unfortunately, love really is associated with pain. Whatever the case is, I do still miss them greatly.

It was a good visit. No, it was better than good. The visit was awesome, even perfect. I hope they visit me again soon. Or should I say… allow me to visit them.

One of the pictures my daughter sent me

Posted by  |  June 17, 2010 | Categories: Animals, Dreams, Emotions, Home, Life Struggles, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wednesday isn’t a fish

My stylist cancelled out on me yesterday. I was disappointed, but understood. Her son had not completed the necessary credits to graduate high school, and come graduation day (yesterday) it hit her hard – she was just crushed. I can only imagine how she felt. So, I will go Friday instead to get the ‘hair did’.

Here’s a little Wednesday humor (thanks Christen)…

An illegal immigrant picks up a hooker.

“Hey, how much you charge by da hour, sister?” he asks.

“$100,”  she replies.

In broken English, he says, “Do you do immigrant style?”

“No” she says.

“I pay you $200 to do immigrant style.”

“No,” she says, not knowing what immigrant style is.

“I pay you $300.”

“No,” she says.

“I pay you $400.”

“No,” she says.

So finally he says, “OK, I pay $1,000 to do immigrant style.”

She thinks to herself – well, I’ve been in the game for over 10 years now. I’ve had every kind of request from weirdo’s from every part of the world. How bad could  immigrant style be?

So she agrees and has sex with him. Finally, after several hours, they finish. Exhausted, the hooker turns to him and says, “Hey, I was expecting something perverted and disgusting. But that was good. So, what exactly is immigrant style?”

The illegal immigrant replies, “You send bill to Government.”

Posted by  |  June 16, 2010 | Categories: Humor, Political | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

My way

It’s beautiful out today – true summertime in every since of the word. Honestly it seems like the first day of summer was over a month ago, never mind the fact it’s still a week away. Back to the days of leaving your windows cracked two inches and placing that anti-seat/steeringwheel-burner-device-thingy in your windshield.

I get a treat today, going to ‘get my hair did’ after work. I consider it a treat because I haven’t been for a haircut since January, and haven’t had it colored since last summer. I ought to just shock the hell out of everybody and go short and red. Being that my stylist knows me personally, I don’t think she’d do it even if I asked her.

Cooked a big old pot of s’ghetti last night. I really enjoy cooking it ‘my way’ (great, now I’ll have Sinatra in my head all day). For 20+ years, all I was ‘allowed’ to have in it was the meat and sauce, and that sauce better not have any visible onions in it or said meal would be ruined. Oh, I could add some garlic salt, forgot about that. Even too many tomatoes in the sauce would constitute a 10-minute period of ‘picking them out’, one by one, until a nice little pile was accumulated beside the now lukewarm/cool plate of spaghetti.

I now put fresh minced garlic in it, and cut up a vidalia onion and green pepper. Add a can of mushrooms to the sauce, throw in a large can of diced & spiced tomatoes, and my little array of spices don’t forget the cayenne pepper. Let that puppy sit in the fridge for a day and have it for dinner that next night… simply delectable. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. 🙂

Posted by  |  June 15, 2010 | Categories: Food, Home, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My Brightness

Whoever first told me life gets harder as you get older sure knew what they were talking about. I believe it was my mother. We live in an age of a failing world (okay I know that sounds drastically morbid – but it is, let’s face it). We’ve done so much damage to the environment that it’s irreparable, with the continuance of damage ongoing still – today, tomorrow, next week, next year. The economy sucks, and people are struggling financially. The entire world is crime-ridden and it seems even more so in the US. Too many people have lost their religion, that is if they ever had it to begin with.

For these reasons it makes me that much more appreciative of the soul that has come into my life. My brightness. The person who actually makes me better. Brighter.

It all started last July 29th when we started messaging each other (I still have every email correspondence we’ve ever sent). Our first date was August 1st. Man, were we ever both nervous. I’ll never forget coming down those stairs and seeing him leaning back against the hood of his car… lookin’ so cool. 🙂 It’s one of those memories that I hope never fades with age.

No one is perfect – but I’m so beyond perfect that it’s hilarious. I have so many little quirks and eccentricities that need tweaking. I get agitated and worked up easily. He keeps me grounded. I frequently find myself trying to accomplish too much and freaking out when my goals aren’t met. He is teaching me to take life slower. We both have trust issues when it comes to relationships, and have since learned that it’s okay to let our guards down with each other. That in itself was a feat that took some time – time that we look back on and smile at now.

Yep, we’re getting older all right. But that’s not always a bad thing. After all, if we’re lucky enough, we might can capture a little wisdom from it. The kind of wisdom that allows us to be appreciative of the best things in life – that which is right in front of us.

Hats off to second chances….

Posted by  |  June 14, 2010 | Categories: Emotions, Love, Relationships, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments