Oh, I was reading a friend's blog about health issues and it reminded me of my favorite movie line of all time: Jack Nicholson in The Bucket List, dying of cancer, looking in the mirror saying, "Somewhere some lucky bastard just dropped dead of a heart attack." I laughed till I cried (but I was really crying, one of those confusing times when it started out funny but it really wasn't). I've always thought I was going to die before I hit 30 - I mean this is when I was 9 or 10 I didn't think I'd see 30. I used to lie there at night and think I'd die of some disease in my teens or 20's, and all my classmates would file by and THEN they'd miss me!
But I'm in my 40's now. My last lipid profile actually showed a really low total cholesterol - everything was perfect! I declared that I had a cholesterol deficiency and needed to take up smoking and drinking (well, heavy drinking). I know it's going to be cancer that gets me - got both grandmothers, one grandfather, and my dad. I knew my dad was going to die of cancer because he smoked so much, I just wondered why his doctor didn't order more frequent chest x-rays. When I was in medical school I used to go home and do physicals on him to see if it had happened yet.
But when he called me after Thanksgiving in 1999 and told me he had something on his shoulder that my sister-in-law thought was a lymph node, I just got pissed and went straight into denial. A lymph node on the top of his shoulder near his neck would mean cancer, so that wasn't right. Then it was hurting him and they finally did a chest x-ray. He called me in New Orleans on New Year's Day and said they saw a mass, so did I think he had tuberculosis? I just sat there and said, "Daddy, you know what it is."
Then there followed the most intense 6 1/2 months of my life, cramming in every possible family gathering while trying to finish fellowship. We all tried to go to every doctor's appointment with him and be there for every test, and we did a good job because the doctor would joke about it at visits. We fit in a week at Pawley's Island, South Carolina (or North?) before things went really downhill, and then we handled that, too. I think my family does cancer well - we got the most out of what we had left with no regrets. We could be consultants now - the top 10 things to do when you find out your loved one has cancer. (It would include going to a hockey game then coming home and re-enacting it in the kitchen with the kids, eating all the oysters you want at a nice restaurant and who gives a shit how much it costs, listening to all the stories you can about their childhood - and here's an idea - videotape it!)
And when Dean and I bought our vacation spot, that was the first thing that popped in my head and I said to the realtor (who probably thought I was really odd) - "this is where I'm going to be with my cancer - sitting right here on this porch." Of course, if I'm sitting alone on that porch for awhile, that's okay too.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query cancer. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query cancer. Sort by date Show all posts
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Cancer Saga Cont'd....
So I left out the part where we decided to take a trip to Pawley's Island for one last week together before my dad died. (That's kinda heavy, huh.) My mom was living in New Orleans with us as our nanny, so she, Drew (4 years old),and I drove over to Mobile to pick up my Dad. Then we got Mamaw (my mom's mom who'd had a heart attack a couple of years earlier) somehow - maybe we drove through Sylacauga to collect her and headed on up to Birmingham for my brother Scott.
Scott wasn't home yet from work even though it was after dinner, and when he came in the door I was the only one sitting in the den. He told me, "It's time for a come-to-Jesus meeting," and he had an MRI in his hand. It is here I should mention that Scott told me about some blind spots in his peripheral vision a few weeks earlier, to which I flippantly replied, "Well that's a brain tumor." (You learn such useful things in medical school!) Well, turns out it WAS a brain tumor, and he'd just gotten his preliminary MRI results. So we set about Fedexing the MRI to my husband Dean in New Orleans (he's a radiologist - you couldn't be married to anyone better when your family's got a cancer epidemic!). But we had to continue on the road to South Carolina to pick up my sister Tracey and 3-yr-old Parker. I said, "Hey! Maybe when we get to Tracey's house she'll tell us she has ovarian cancer!"
Anyway, that vacation week was something else with my Dad not feeling well from his radiation and Scott constantly on the phone trying to find out what the tumor was and what they were going to do about it. Scott and I really wanted to sign the guest book with, "Between the 5 adults we have lung cancer, a kidney tumor [my dad, incidentally], a brain tumor, and severe heart disease. The group sessions have been very inspiring." My mom wouldn't let us write that; she wrote something generic like "You have a nice house."
Long story short, we come back home and my dad is promptly hospitalized with metastases to his adrenal gland, and Scott is admitted a couple of days later in Birmingham for his first brain surgery. My dad's employer at the time was an old Sylacauga friend who amazingly offered to fly my dad and me up to B'ham on his private plane so we could get there in time for Scott's surgery. So Daddy got discharged from one hospital and we flew straight to another hospital for Scott. Have I mentioned that Scott and Elizabeth were expecting a baby girl?
Well, Scott is recuperating well after a couple of days, so Daddy and I are heading back to Mobile and go to the hospital to tell him goodbye. Before we leave, Scott says, "Daddy, we've decided on the name for our baby." Daddy says, "What is it?" Scott says, "We're going to name her Kaye." (My dad's name is Kay.) I'll never forget the sound my father made. He almost sobbed, but he nipped it after a second, though the tears were rolling down his face. He said, "Noooo, Scott, you don't want to do that!" Scott said they most certainly were naming her that, and then we had to leave because my dad was breaking down.
As we were driving to the airport, he said, "They don't really want to name her that! She'll hate that name! What kind of a name is that for a girl?" (I hated to point out the obvious - that my dad is probably the only MAN named Kay.) I reassured him that Scott and Elizabeth really wanted to do it, but when you're arguing with someone on a morphine patch, it's really a moot point.
So it's kind of cool that there's still a Kaye Arnold running around this joint, and my youngest son's middle name is Henry, after the man. Bits and pieces...we do what we can to keep him close.
Scott wasn't home yet from work even though it was after dinner, and when he came in the door I was the only one sitting in the den. He told me, "It's time for a come-to-Jesus meeting," and he had an MRI in his hand. It is here I should mention that Scott told me about some blind spots in his peripheral vision a few weeks earlier, to which I flippantly replied, "Well that's a brain tumor." (You learn such useful things in medical school!) Well, turns out it WAS a brain tumor, and he'd just gotten his preliminary MRI results. So we set about Fedexing the MRI to my husband Dean in New Orleans (he's a radiologist - you couldn't be married to anyone better when your family's got a cancer epidemic!). But we had to continue on the road to South Carolina to pick up my sister Tracey and 3-yr-old Parker. I said, "Hey! Maybe when we get to Tracey's house she'll tell us she has ovarian cancer!"
Anyway, that vacation week was something else with my Dad not feeling well from his radiation and Scott constantly on the phone trying to find out what the tumor was and what they were going to do about it. Scott and I really wanted to sign the guest book with, "Between the 5 adults we have lung cancer, a kidney tumor [my dad, incidentally], a brain tumor, and severe heart disease. The group sessions have been very inspiring." My mom wouldn't let us write that; she wrote something generic like "You have a nice house."
Long story short, we come back home and my dad is promptly hospitalized with metastases to his adrenal gland, and Scott is admitted a couple of days later in Birmingham for his first brain surgery. My dad's employer at the time was an old Sylacauga friend who amazingly offered to fly my dad and me up to B'ham on his private plane so we could get there in time for Scott's surgery. So Daddy got discharged from one hospital and we flew straight to another hospital for Scott. Have I mentioned that Scott and Elizabeth were expecting a baby girl?
Well, Scott is recuperating well after a couple of days, so Daddy and I are heading back to Mobile and go to the hospital to tell him goodbye. Before we leave, Scott says, "Daddy, we've decided on the name for our baby." Daddy says, "What is it?" Scott says, "We're going to name her Kaye." (My dad's name is Kay.) I'll never forget the sound my father made. He almost sobbed, but he nipped it after a second, though the tears were rolling down his face. He said, "Noooo, Scott, you don't want to do that!" Scott said they most certainly were naming her that, and then we had to leave because my dad was breaking down.
As we were driving to the airport, he said, "They don't really want to name her that! She'll hate that name! What kind of a name is that for a girl?" (I hated to point out the obvious - that my dad is probably the only MAN named Kay.) I reassured him that Scott and Elizabeth really wanted to do it, but when you're arguing with someone on a morphine patch, it's really a moot point.
So it's kind of cool that there's still a Kaye Arnold running around this joint, and my youngest son's middle name is Henry, after the man. Bits and pieces...we do what we can to keep him close.
Monday, October 11, 2010
We Interrupt This Jacket...
Yeah, didn't I say I was making a fleece jacket for my sister? Well I actually got the whole thing cut out, then I realized I needed a dress for a cancer benefit we're attending in a couple of weeks. I was thinking of a fancy skirt and top I have...then I was told it should have some pink since it's Breast Cancer Awareness month - doh! A sewing challenge is born. I actually have a chance to sew up that Butterick 6582 retro dress with the smoking hot blonde on the front!
So here's the fabric - it's "polyester shantung" for $12.99 at Joann - I debated the silk at Hancock's, but it was more expensive and even more obnoxious than this color.
And here's the muslin in $3.99/yd jacquard from fabric.com - I considered it a muslin since it was cheap and in the stash for over a year. I think it's a hell of a muslin myself!
Forgive the wrinkles, unhemmed-ness, and hanging threads - I was so excited to finally get it fit that I wanted to take pictures. My mom helped me with alterations and was my camerawoman, but she made me put on lipstick and refused to take any of the poses I wanted. (You know, my attempts at being sexy that are so totally...not. She's so serious sometimes.)
I see a side seam that I need to straighten, but I'm hopeful that the widely spaced shoulders in back will balance the wide load below.
This dress was officially started at 1 PM yesterday and pretty much done by 10 PM, and subtract about 3 hours for dinner, zipper run and Scouting event at 5 PM, and 3 loads of laundry. And this pictured below, which was begun by Lucas at 8 PM and finished at 10 PM after 2 tries. He really did this by himself but didn't understand what I meant by "seam allowance," so the first attempt was half the size he wanted.
The lady at Hancock asked what I was going to make and I told her HE was going to make something, to which she replied, "Are you going to sew on your mom's machine?" He said, "No, actually I have my own machine, but I don't know what I'm going to make yet." She exclaimed that we had a designer in the making (good response, lady, and God bless you!) and asked him to bring whatever he made back in so she could see it.
If you look closely you'll notice his name, and you'll be amazed to know that he freehanded it at the machine. Takes after his mom, that one.
So here's the fabric - it's "polyester shantung" for $12.99 at Joann - I debated the silk at Hancock's, but it was more expensive and even more obnoxious than this color.
And here's the muslin in $3.99/yd jacquard from fabric.com - I considered it a muslin since it was cheap and in the stash for over a year. I think it's a hell of a muslin myself!
Forgive the wrinkles, unhemmed-ness, and hanging threads - I was so excited to finally get it fit that I wanted to take pictures. My mom helped me with alterations and was my camerawoman, but she made me put on lipstick and refused to take any of the poses I wanted. (You know, my attempts at being sexy that are so totally...not. She's so serious sometimes.)
I see a side seam that I need to straighten, but I'm hopeful that the widely spaced shoulders in back will balance the wide load below.
This dress was officially started at 1 PM yesterday and pretty much done by 10 PM, and subtract about 3 hours for dinner, zipper run and Scouting event at 5 PM, and 3 loads of laundry. And this pictured below, which was begun by Lucas at 8 PM and finished at 10 PM after 2 tries. He really did this by himself but didn't understand what I meant by "seam allowance," so the first attempt was half the size he wanted.
The lady at Hancock asked what I was going to make and I told her HE was going to make something, to which she replied, "Are you going to sew on your mom's machine?" He said, "No, actually I have my own machine, but I don't know what I'm going to make yet." She exclaimed that we had a designer in the making (good response, lady, and God bless you!) and asked him to bring whatever he made back in so she could see it.
If you look closely you'll notice his name, and you'll be amazed to know that he freehanded it at the machine. Takes after his mom, that one.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Father's Day - Too Busy to Post!
But here's a little preview of what I've been working on. My niece spotted a jeans purse at a craft fair with Auburn details, so I figured I could make that myself. This won't be Auburn, but I have 2 belts that coordinate, so she can change the look up if she wants. The color in the second picture is the true color - it's not red.
I got the okay for the fuschia lining from my SIL first, because I don't know what girls are carrying these days, but she said hot pink was in, so this is the leftover fabric from my vintage Butterick dress I wore to a breast cancer benefit.
I looked at EVERY image of "jeans purse" on the internet this weekend, and this is the strap I like - I sewed the wrong sides of the silk shantung to a strip of denim and turned them inside out with the plan to do some topstitching and sew them in the ends of the purse tomorrow, hopefully.
So when I finish that, I'll get back to that 70's dress I was so excited about...and then the baby clothes! Hope y'all had a great weekend. I supervised Drew cooking steaks for Father's Day dinner and Lucas setting an elaborate table complete with "silk" napkins (they're cotton, but if they're not paper he apparently thinks they're silk) and tall candles. He actually wanted to use the real silver, but I talked him out of it because I haven't polished it lately. Fancy, schmancy! (Drew told Dean that he would take responsibility for the steaks, but he had nothing to do with the candles.)
I got the okay for the fuschia lining from my SIL first, because I don't know what girls are carrying these days, but she said hot pink was in, so this is the leftover fabric from my vintage Butterick dress I wore to a breast cancer benefit.
I looked at EVERY image of "jeans purse" on the internet this weekend, and this is the strap I like - I sewed the wrong sides of the silk shantung to a strip of denim and turned them inside out with the plan to do some topstitching and sew them in the ends of the purse tomorrow, hopefully.
So when I finish that, I'll get back to that 70's dress I was so excited about...and then the baby clothes! Hope y'all had a great weekend. I supervised Drew cooking steaks for Father's Day dinner and Lucas setting an elaborate table complete with "silk" napkins (they're cotton, but if they're not paper he apparently thinks they're silk) and tall candles. He actually wanted to use the real silver, but I talked him out of it because I haven't polished it lately. Fancy, schmancy! (Drew told Dean that he would take responsibility for the steaks, but he had nothing to do with the candles.)
Monday, March 30, 2015
Now Commencing Running Blog....
Yeah, forget all that fashion stuff I was talking about. This blog originally started as a place to tell funny family stories, then it segued into more of a sewing blog after the kids got too old to say really funny stuff and I got a new sewing machine for my birthday. Then a little bit of fashion started to creep in, but I just ran my first Azalea Trail Run 10K, thank you very much, and I AM ADDICTED! I FINALLY got a runner's high, and it lasted all day long!
Now I'll be honest with you, Dean and I started running as a way to get Drew off the couch since he was applying for an Air Force ROTC scholarship, which involves a fitness test, and the kid hadn't done PE in a few years. We downloaded the C25K app on our iPhones, and Dean was much better at running 3 days a week, so he finished the program weeks ahead of me. He and Drew did a Spartan race in Mississippi, then the 3 of us signed up for our first 5K at Brookley Aeroplex's "5K on the Runway". I found it a little bit boring because it was a RUNWAY, and I was pretty gassed at the end and did a bunch of walking, but still looked like I was having a stroke when I finished. They missed doing obstacles, and signed up for a Tough Mudder next. I'm not into hoisting myself over walls, etc., so I opted for the Azalea Trail Run next, but was planning on the 5K since I hadn't been running a whole lot. Dean pushed me to do the 10K, and I was terrified I couldn't finish. The longest I had run was 35 minutes with walk breaks, and I did 3.25 miles the week before the 10K. Of course, all the "training schedules" show 10 weeks of training and several runs of 6-7 miles, so I was a'skeered!
Here's a crappy pre-race selfie, and sorry if I was impersonating a breast cancer survivor, but my headband was pink and my ears started out cold.
Well, apparently adrenalin is a hell of a drug (uh, yeah, it's used to restart somebody's heart, so DUH!), because I never felt terribly short of breath or exhausted the whole time I was running. It was 50 degrees with very little humidity, so that couldn't have been better. I pulled off my ear-warming headband at mile 2, took my hat off at mile 3, and was contemplating removing my long-sleeved overshirt at mile 5, but the wind got a little chilly so I kept it on. I just enjoyed running with different people - a ton of whom were also doing Jeff Galloway's "run-walk-run" method. Their watches were beeping and I'd pass them when they walked, then they'd pass me when I walked, etc. There were also tons of people in their yards cheering with signs, or just watching the runners, and of course the Azalea Trail maids, plus some female convicts who apparently did some of the barricade work, so they let them hang out and dance and cheer. Good times, and I finished in 1 hour and 14 minutes, which is an 11:57 mile, I guess - not bad considering the walking. Here's a bad post-race shot, which we forgot to do until we were leaving.
So I didn't have my phone to take any in-race pics, but here's a guy's drone footage of the start, if you're interested. I'm under the interstate overpass at the start, just FYI, in the blue cap - ha!
So, does anybody wanna run an "8K by the Bay" on the 11th?!
Now I'll be honest with you, Dean and I started running as a way to get Drew off the couch since he was applying for an Air Force ROTC scholarship, which involves a fitness test, and the kid hadn't done PE in a few years. We downloaded the C25K app on our iPhones, and Dean was much better at running 3 days a week, so he finished the program weeks ahead of me. He and Drew did a Spartan race in Mississippi, then the 3 of us signed up for our first 5K at Brookley Aeroplex's "5K on the Runway". I found it a little bit boring because it was a RUNWAY, and I was pretty gassed at the end and did a bunch of walking, but still looked like I was having a stroke when I finished. They missed doing obstacles, and signed up for a Tough Mudder next. I'm not into hoisting myself over walls, etc., so I opted for the Azalea Trail Run next, but was planning on the 5K since I hadn't been running a whole lot. Dean pushed me to do the 10K, and I was terrified I couldn't finish. The longest I had run was 35 minutes with walk breaks, and I did 3.25 miles the week before the 10K. Of course, all the "training schedules" show 10 weeks of training and several runs of 6-7 miles, so I was a'skeered!
Here's a crappy pre-race selfie, and sorry if I was impersonating a breast cancer survivor, but my headband was pink and my ears started out cold.
Well, apparently adrenalin is a hell of a drug (uh, yeah, it's used to restart somebody's heart, so DUH!), because I never felt terribly short of breath or exhausted the whole time I was running. It was 50 degrees with very little humidity, so that couldn't have been better. I pulled off my ear-warming headband at mile 2, took my hat off at mile 3, and was contemplating removing my long-sleeved overshirt at mile 5, but the wind got a little chilly so I kept it on. I just enjoyed running with different people - a ton of whom were also doing Jeff Galloway's "run-walk-run" method. Their watches were beeping and I'd pass them when they walked, then they'd pass me when I walked, etc. There were also tons of people in their yards cheering with signs, or just watching the runners, and of course the Azalea Trail maids, plus some female convicts who apparently did some of the barricade work, so they let them hang out and dance and cheer. Good times, and I finished in 1 hour and 14 minutes, which is an 11:57 mile, I guess - not bad considering the walking. Here's a bad post-race shot, which we forgot to do until we were leaving.
So I didn't have my phone to take any in-race pics, but here's a guy's drone footage of the start, if you're interested. I'm under the interstate overpass at the start, just FYI, in the blue cap - ha!
So, does anybody wanna run an "8K by the Bay" on the 11th?!
Monday, December 30, 2019
Christmas 2018
So I danced at the hospital's Lights of Love with some volunteers before Christmas vacation....
And then we flew to Vail for some skiing with the boys and Drew's girlfriend, Camille. My ski boots did not fare so well...being apparently dragged behind the plane on takeoff and landing.
And my longjohns were in the same bag, sadly.
While in Vail, I succumbed to a hawker selling youth, and can you tell which eye she spent 30 minutes rubbing serum into? Camille guessed the wrong eye. I did not buy the serum (but found it later on Amazon and bought one for me and one for my MIL - teehee!).
Here we are in the gondola....
And the boys on the street....
And all of us after a snowmobile ride - lots of fun!
Now back home for actual Christmas. This was a crazy moon at the beach... not a Harvest moon, maybe a Blue Moon? That's not it....I don't remember.
So everybody came to the beach, thus the Foosball games began. Joe remains the reigning champion.
I hate waking up early but sometimes it has its rewards.
This made me think God just woke up behind that condo.
That water was like a mirror - so cool.
Later Tracey stitched while Jake guarded.
And the weather was nice so we decided something different than the usual Christmas activities was called for.
So we went to OWA!!!! Of course the boys had to try out the kiddie rides just to be funny.
And if you're doing Owa for Christmas, why not the Florabama!!! Bushwackers for Christmas!
They encourage graffiti, so when I saw these cigarettes sitting on the table, I had to leave something for my Dad (who died of lung cancer back in 2000 at the age of 58, so of course that made me cry a little).
And I think my neice sat on my brother's shoulders to write all our names on the banner.
So aside from that bit of sadness, 2018 ended up being a great Christmas all around - look at these happy cousins.
Postscript: I don't remember if this was Tracey hydrating me after Owa or after the Bushwackers...
And I finished the green socks that were started in Belize!
And then we flew to Vail for some skiing with the boys and Drew's girlfriend, Camille. My ski boots did not fare so well...being apparently dragged behind the plane on takeoff and landing.
And my longjohns were in the same bag, sadly.
While in Vail, I succumbed to a hawker selling youth, and can you tell which eye she spent 30 minutes rubbing serum into? Camille guessed the wrong eye. I did not buy the serum (but found it later on Amazon and bought one for me and one for my MIL - teehee!).
Here we are in the gondola....
And the boys on the street....
And all of us after a snowmobile ride - lots of fun!
Now back home for actual Christmas. This was a crazy moon at the beach... not a Harvest moon, maybe a Blue Moon? That's not it....I don't remember.
So everybody came to the beach, thus the Foosball games began. Joe remains the reigning champion.
I hate waking up early but sometimes it has its rewards.
This made me think God just woke up behind that condo.
That water was like a mirror - so cool.
Later Tracey stitched while Jake guarded.
And the weather was nice so we decided something different than the usual Christmas activities was called for.
So we went to OWA!!!! Of course the boys had to try out the kiddie rides just to be funny.
And if you're doing Owa for Christmas, why not the Florabama!!! Bushwackers for Christmas!
They encourage graffiti, so when I saw these cigarettes sitting on the table, I had to leave something for my Dad (who died of lung cancer back in 2000 at the age of 58, so of course that made me cry a little).
And I think my neice sat on my brother's shoulders to write all our names on the banner.
So aside from that bit of sadness, 2018 ended up being a great Christmas all around - look at these happy cousins.
Postscript: I don't remember if this was Tracey hydrating me after Owa or after the Bushwackers...
And I finished the green socks that were started in Belize!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Ladies Only
We'll start sad and move up to hilarious, if that's okay. Have you read Still Alice yet?
I saw it in the bookstore and bought it on a whim, but couldn't put it down and finished it about 24 hours later. I cried 4 times during the book. Some of this may be because I've been joking about my Mad Cow disease for years, hoping it's not really early Alzheimer's, because I'm supposed to die of cancer, of course, given the family history and my low cholesterol. Anyway, you should see the movie first then read the book, in my opinion. I only had 2 napkins for the entire movie, and one tear drop rolled down my face, off my chin, went down my chest without hitting my shirt, and made it all the way through my bra before landing in my belly button. (Apparently I need a better-fitting bra.)
Oh, and speaking of warding off Alzheimer's, I finally finished the pirate ship puzzle today - a moment of silence to bathe in it's 3D glory!
Okay, now to the shoes I bought yesterday to go with my new stylish outfits - and yes, I wore the gray cigarette pants all day yesterday with these suede booties. I always hated booties, but now I see their point.
Okay, are we alone now ladies? Do you watch Black-ish? It's my favorite TV show - up there with Modern Family now. Geez, maybe you better have a glass of wine and come back; Dean is surprised I'm posting about this.
So the boys and I were catching up on episodes. Well, Dre is talking to his wife (this is Diana Ross's daughter!) while she's shaving her legs in a bathrobe, and he says, "Oh, you got a gray hair." She starts going through her hair saying, "Where is it?" and he says, "Oh no, it's not up there, baby." I nearly fell off the couch laughing, and the boys were just shocked and appalled. It goes on and on after that - he says, "You got a little Frederick Douglass action going on down there," and "You need to abolish something else below your Mason Dixon line!" Aaaaaagh! That's great stuff! Then there's aNOther scene where she's in the locker room telling an older anesthesiologist (so cool) that a "white person moved into my neighborhood," and asks her, "How long till the whole neighborhood is gentrified?" The woman says, "Oh, it'll happen quick. Yep, when you get to be my age, it looks like a Dave Matthews' concert." She goes to the spa after that, and the owner asks if she's getting the usual. She tells her something about getting it ALL done, and the lady says, "Oh, is it somebody's birthday? Well if we're taking it down to the deck, you've got laser or hot wax to choose from." That's just such good stuff - I AM surprised it made it past the censors! Okay, let's go watch Julianne Moore win best actress at the Oscars....
I saw it in the bookstore and bought it on a whim, but couldn't put it down and finished it about 24 hours later. I cried 4 times during the book. Some of this may be because I've been joking about my Mad Cow disease for years, hoping it's not really early Alzheimer's, because I'm supposed to die of cancer, of course, given the family history and my low cholesterol. Anyway, you should see the movie first then read the book, in my opinion. I only had 2 napkins for the entire movie, and one tear drop rolled down my face, off my chin, went down my chest without hitting my shirt, and made it all the way through my bra before landing in my belly button. (Apparently I need a better-fitting bra.)
Oh, and speaking of warding off Alzheimer's, I finally finished the pirate ship puzzle today - a moment of silence to bathe in it's 3D glory!
Okay, now to the shoes I bought yesterday to go with my new stylish outfits - and yes, I wore the gray cigarette pants all day yesterday with these suede booties. I always hated booties, but now I see their point.
Okay, are we alone now ladies? Do you watch Black-ish? It's my favorite TV show - up there with Modern Family now. Geez, maybe you better have a glass of wine and come back; Dean is surprised I'm posting about this.
So the boys and I were catching up on episodes. Well, Dre is talking to his wife (this is Diana Ross's daughter!) while she's shaving her legs in a bathrobe, and he says, "Oh, you got a gray hair." She starts going through her hair saying, "Where is it?" and he says, "Oh no, it's not up there, baby." I nearly fell off the couch laughing, and the boys were just shocked and appalled. It goes on and on after that - he says, "You got a little Frederick Douglass action going on down there," and "You need to abolish something else below your Mason Dixon line!" Aaaaaagh! That's great stuff! Then there's aNOther scene where she's in the locker room telling an older anesthesiologist (so cool) that a "white person moved into my neighborhood," and asks her, "How long till the whole neighborhood is gentrified?" The woman says, "Oh, it'll happen quick. Yep, when you get to be my age, it looks like a Dave Matthews' concert." She goes to the spa after that, and the owner asks if she's getting the usual. She tells her something about getting it ALL done, and the lady says, "Oh, is it somebody's birthday? Well if we're taking it down to the deck, you've got laser or hot wax to choose from." That's just such good stuff - I AM surprised it made it past the censors! Okay, let's go watch Julianne Moore win best actress at the Oscars....
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Mojo Missing...Story at 11
Well, I had it, then it was gone. I basted up some pants after tissue-fitting my Palmer/Pletsch pattern using the Craftsy class, and I still had some wrinkles, so I lost interest. I had an extra pattern, so I decided to start over from scratch, but couldn't face it just yet, so I threw the pants under the machine and took up the side seams a huge amount, which ended up making a decent pair of pants. If I can get back up there and throw a waistband on them, they'll actually be wearable - invisible zipper's already installed in the back! I just hate fiddling with patterns and rulers and measuring - bleh.
In the interim, I finished the neckband on the AC dress I started in the summer with Robbie - remember all that airbrushing? Well here's how THAT ended up...oh, it's precious!
The back is a little awkward despite my swayback adjustment....
And I THOUGHT I was standing up straight with the gut sucked in, but I look amazingly frumpy! I honestly just think I'm not meant to wear certain styles of dresses....or it needs a belt....or the length is wrong...I have no idea why it doesn't look good. It's only one layer of fabric, so that could be it - my Mardi Gras dress was 2 layers and thicker...and full-length....and beaded.
Here's some of the stitching I started on it..
then decided maybe I should take it out and leave it unembellished...whatcha think? So after THAT letdown, I got sidetracked by this Jalie pattern, and decided to make some running pants!
So after watching 2 Project Runways in a row, I made it to Joann's to get this nylon lycra:
The black is the main fabric, polka dots for the back, and purple for the calf. It's in the washer now, but my serger is at the shop, so I don't know how far I'll get. Hopefully at least cutting it out!
And here's something funny. The other morning I kept hearing something hit the window, so I thought the crazy cardinal was back that used to divebomb us all the time. I checked 3 times and never saw anything till the 4th time - imagine my surprise!
And he had a buddy in the bush, who was apparently daring him to steal our Honey Bunches of Oats.
OHHH - and I did wear my AC couched skirt to a big cancer benefit downtown (everybody was wearing wild stuff, so no comments were made), where the Prancing Elites were performing! Have you heard of them? We only got to see a little dancing, which was quite professional, and everybody had to sign waivers because they're filming a reality show for Oxygen - cool!
Alright, the washer's done, so let's see if I can do some sewing tonight...
In the interim, I finished the neckband on the AC dress I started in the summer with Robbie - remember all that airbrushing? Well here's how THAT ended up...oh, it's precious!
The back is a little awkward despite my swayback adjustment....
And I THOUGHT I was standing up straight with the gut sucked in, but I look amazingly frumpy! I honestly just think I'm not meant to wear certain styles of dresses....or it needs a belt....or the length is wrong...I have no idea why it doesn't look good. It's only one layer of fabric, so that could be it - my Mardi Gras dress was 2 layers and thicker...and full-length....and beaded.
Here's some of the stitching I started on it..
then decided maybe I should take it out and leave it unembellished...whatcha think? So after THAT letdown, I got sidetracked by this Jalie pattern, and decided to make some running pants!
So after watching 2 Project Runways in a row, I made it to Joann's to get this nylon lycra:
The black is the main fabric, polka dots for the back, and purple for the calf. It's in the washer now, but my serger is at the shop, so I don't know how far I'll get. Hopefully at least cutting it out!
And here's something funny. The other morning I kept hearing something hit the window, so I thought the crazy cardinal was back that used to divebomb us all the time. I checked 3 times and never saw anything till the 4th time - imagine my surprise!
And he had a buddy in the bush, who was apparently daring him to steal our Honey Bunches of Oats.
OHHH - and I did wear my AC couched skirt to a big cancer benefit downtown (everybody was wearing wild stuff, so no comments were made), where the Prancing Elites were performing! Have you heard of them? We only got to see a little dancing, which was quite professional, and everybody had to sign waivers because they're filming a reality show for Oxygen - cool!
Alright, the washer's done, so let's see if I can do some sewing tonight...
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