Get Use to it Kid

Damien came by yesterday and before he even got Desi out of the car, he shows me something similar to this....



"Do you see that? It's a gray hair....feel that."

It's got a wiry texture to it and it sticks out there for all to see.

Nut up buddy. It's only the beginning.

So why is seeing a gray hair on my 29 year old son's head more disturbing to me than my own?

Maybe cause mine have the decency to hide under bangs.....oh and also hair dye.

The Prom is for Assholes Extravaganza

I was reading Vodkamom's post on her daughter's broken heart and being dumped weeks before prom. It reminded me of Anjleika's prom fiasco and it pissed me off all over again. What the hell goes on in the mind of these teenage boys? Seriously, what possesses them to do this to a girl just before prom? After the dress is bought and arrangements made, not to mention the fact that the girl looks forward to her big night. It's suppose to be magical, her chance to get all dressed up and feel like a princess.

When this happened to my baby girl (she is now 22), I was out for blood. I was fuming. But nothing prepares you for the hurt and sadness you see in your daughters face. I, as usual wanted to fix it. I suggested she go stag (nope), I offered to take her out (nope), then I had a brilliant idea. We would throw our own prom party and call it... TA DA...Prom Is For Assholes. ( Yes, I set a great example). She got a kick out of that and started the party planning. Everyone would be dressed in prom attire. At least she would be able to wear her dress. Her oldest brother offered to be the DJ. Word spread that it was the party to be at. Her best buddy, Kirby was her date, who happened to end up being her boyfriend a couple of years later. I set up a backdrop for "prom" pictures and she made a banner.....

Prom is For Assholes.

There were over 40 people all dressed up and ranging in ages 17-50. There was Jamba Juice for those 21 and over and punch for those under. We had a great time and the party ended in the wee hours of the morning. We had a bunch of kids spend the night and the adults gave rides to those that had to go home.

The best part was seeing just how happy my daughter was and telling her friends that this was better than any damn prom she would have gone to.

To those stupid boys....in my daughter's words....hell with you, I'll throw my own damn party.

Prom Queen

and her date

Her BFF

Damien the DJ

Prom Pics:

Prom is over and the princess sleeps.........

Brother-Sister Love; Photobooth Proof

So.... maybe it's because they share a love for music by Lucero,


Maybe it's because they are adults now and embrace the brother-sister bond,


Or maybe it's because it was 2am and they were both really drunk.


Anjelika's birthday present from Damien and Emilie this year was a Lucero show at Metro, and a night out partying at Smartbar and at Gingerman. Emilie ended up leaving early. With the joys of motherhood come the fact that you can't hang like you use to. At this stage in Desi's life, she is tired earlier and partytime isn't what it use to be either.
Before Lucero went on they ran into Damien's old grade school buddy who happen to be out with his little sister too. Then after the show they headed downstairs to Smartbar where they ended up meeting and talking to Ben the singer/guitar player in the band. Damien spoke with him for awhile and Anjelika is convinced that he is her brother's man crush.

So between Lucero, Gingerman and Smartbar, they bonded. They shared the love.

And at 6am I awoke to my darling daughter eating a sandwich and smiling from ear to ear in a drunken stupor. She had just gotten in and wanted to let me know that Damien was able to get out of the cab without falling onto the sidewalk. She made sure he got home okay.

Awww, how sweet.....they DO look out for each other.

Hello Ritz? Death here

Friday's always bring me great joy. I bounce into work proclaiming it to be "Fun Friday" no matter what kind of day I know I'll have. It's all in the attitude. This past Friday was going to be better than any I've had in the past 6 months. Why was this day so special? David got called back to work. YEA!! We can now start climbing out of near financial ruin. The best news? My boob test is NORMAL! Hell yea. I was doing the happy dance and riding the happy train.

Then it happened....my"Fun Friday" turned into "Fuck Friday".

It all started with an incident at work, towards the end of the day and then I got a phone call from my aunt. The phone call changed everything. My emotions, attitude, priorities, my view on family and life. It's strange how one phone call can do that. At that moment the situation at work was trivial.

Roberto, my dad's best friend died. He had gone to walk the dog. His wife found him sitting in his chair with his coat still on. She thought he had fallen back asleep. He wasn't breathing and there was no pulse. By the time the paramedics came there was nothing they could do. He was 79. The same age my dad would have been today. I just saw him last Monday when he had stopped by my office to say hello. He would do that when he was in the neighborhood. He would come in say hello and then go to my aunt's house to reminisce and talk politics. He was 79 but looked like he was 60. A good looking 60. The type of man that made younger women's head turn. Charming? Very. I remember bartending some Christmas parties at the hotel he worked at when I was younger. He was the bar manager then and women would line up on his side to order drinks. We made a game out of seeing who had the most tips at the end of the night. Though I raked in some serious cash, he always won. He was 59 then.

My dad and his sisters were friends with Roberto before I was even born. He is in all the pictures of any of our family occasions. My favorite picture is of my dad and him at a picnic when I was 6. Something about that picture says so much about their friendship to me.

My emotions are more than just about his passing. It's about my dad, my two aunt's who are in their 70's also, and my own mortality. I left work and went to my aunt's house. There they were with Roberto's other best buddy, Ray. I walked in to find Ray crying. I've only seen him cry one

other time in my 49 years. That was when my dad died.

I miss you both.

Dad

Roberto

The Twins are Pissed But They Got Lovely Parting Gifts

About two months ago, while showering I found a lump on my left breast. I ran my fingers across it as I was taught to do. Yes, it is there, it's not my imagination. I also found another smaller one on the same one. Then, I did the other breast. Okay, there's definitely something there, because the right one is lump-free. I'm quietly freaking out in the shower trying to calm myself down by telling myself that I've always felt something. In my 20's every month I was convinced I had breast cancer. I felt all kinds of lumps. My doctor told me I had fibrocystic disease. Basically, I'm lumpy. So at some point in my 30's I stopped going to see my gyne. I know, I know, I'm stupid. I've scoured the internet to make sure that I did the self breast exam properly. Everywhere I looked, I read the same thing.... From the Mayo clinic on women's health:

"The best time to perform a breast self-exam is about a week after the start of your period. That's when your breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen. Your breast tissue undergoes changes each month during your menstrual cycle. Changes in hormone levels associated with menstruation cause your breasts to swell. Once your period starts, the swelling subsides and your breasts return to normal."

So what happens when Mable stops her monthly visit? Or in my case, comes whenever she feels like, stays as long as she feels like and brings more chaos? When is the right time? Does it make a difference when I do it? Does this mean that since I missed yet another period, the timing for self breast examination is up for grabs?

Last month I made an appointment with a new gyne. Why? Because it had been so long since I've gone, that my old gyne died. New gyne is great, she has wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She is around my age. She understands everything I'm complaining about, not because she learned this from some medical book but because she is going through the same shit. Yea....I can bitch and complain and she'll get it!!!

She asked me when I had my last period. Mabel? Oh that bitch hasn't come to visit since I think December, or was that November? Hmmm, somewhere around there. But then last month I don't think it was really her, it might have been have evil sister Bertha. The one who drops in for a day, is a lightweight and just makes enough of a mess. I'm sure all of you have met her at one time or another. She tells me I have to count her too. I'm told to diligently keep track of my period. Really? I haven't done that since I decided to do my part and stop contributing to the world population by having a tubal ligation. In order to be menopausal, Mabel and Bertha stop coming around completely for a full year. Time to start tracking again. I'm perimenopausal... a prelude to the big M. So everything I'm feeling can get worse?? Greaaaaaaaaat.

Yesterday, I had my mammogram. The technician was sweet and helpful. She showed me how the new machine is now digital. Well that's cool but does it still squish the boob? That's all I cared about. Yes, it still does. I wasn't too pleased that after I was contorted into an uncomfortable position (and humiliated when she had to push my belly fat out of the way) I had to go through a redo, because I didn't relax and muscle obscured the image. Relax??? Are you *&($#@# kidding me?

Well, I got through it. I will get my results next week. Unlike my husband, I'm not too worried. I had my freak out, now I'll deal with whatever comes my way. My advise now is to follow the rules. Have a yearly checkup, mammogram and pap smear. Early detection is crucial.

The highlight for me? They now give you pasties. Well, the technician called them something else and what they were for. Please......whatever, they are pasties in my book. I couldn't wait to get home and flash my husband. Yes, of course I left them on. And of course I had to take a picture. Okay, maybe not of me actually wearing them, (cause besides my husband, who would really wants to see natural 49 year old boobs that breastfed three times?) but close enough.

AH HELL NO!!! She's Moving Back In

Baby girl has been busy rearranging stuff in the basement. She is clearly impressed with the job she is doing. The announcement to "come see what I've done so far" and " look at how I'm cleaning your basement" are regularly heard around here. But seriously, how impressed can I be when the crap she is clearing up and rearranging, is the crap she left here when she moved out....TWICE!

The child moving out doesn't necessarily mean that all their crap goes with them. Oh no. Why should it? Mom and dad have enough space in the big old house. House, yes....storage facility it is not. Do any other parents with adult children have these problems?? The kids get apartments that don't accommodate all the stuff they have accumulated through their years. But of course they can't get rid of it, so it stays here. I have to admit I did the same to my mom but what did she do? She gave it all to a friend to sell at the flea market. When I found out, I was angry and appalled that she took this upon herself without asking me first. She told me that it was in her house and that I hadn't even realized it was missing in the first place. She was right. Anything really important she shipped it to me in California, at her expense. After all it had been 7 years since I had moved out of her house.

David is thrilled his little buddy is moving back to the nest. Me? Not so much.

Don't get me wrong. I love her and all, it's just that..... how do I put this.

SHE SUCKS THE LIFE OUTTA ME!

Her sarcasm and bitchiness is more than I can handle these days.

And to be honest....there can only be ONE sarcastic bitch around here.

ME!

Death of The Easter Bunny

That was the news we (meaning me) had to tell our kids this weekend. The oldest(29) took it in stride, the middle one(23) is in Denver and was missing out anyway ( meaning he doesn't care this year), the baby(22)...well, she feels since the oldest is 7 years older than her, she is entitled to 7 more years of visits from the Easter Bunny as well as Santa Claus. She is still hoping those wisdom teeth come in wrong, so they can be pulled and the tooth fairy will visit.

David says the recession killed the Easter Bunny for us.... I think he did it. He's been planning it for years just because the kids grew up. Pfffft!

Damien is with his in laws this weekend out in the burbs. The Easter Bunny will visit Desi there.

But I know that the Easter Bunny left him an egg with a little cha-ching inside and put it in the mailbox. The bunny will live on!

Happy Easter to all.

Spring in Chicago

There is snow....now......in Spring......in April......in Chicago.

It's still coming down, and the weather channel says we are getting 1-3 inches.

I just put my winter stuff away dammit!