“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz
I learned this week…
…that, at the ripe age of 40, I’ve finally taught myself to swim. I have kept this under wraps for a while. I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing – not my friends; not my family. I’m sure they are going to be shocked because they’ve put up with my number one phobia for a very long time: drowning. It’s kept me from doing a lot of fun stuff over the years. However, I am thrilled to announce that this week, I did the front crawl from one end of the pool to the other – without stopping. And I did it a dozen times. All by myself. With my daughter cheering me on. Of course, being a 40 year old unaccustomed to the physical exertion of swimming, I nearly collapsed and drowned.
…that my daughter is an evolving enigma. She has quirks and habits that I’ve come to accept, even rely upon, as evidence that she is an independent spirit. Take for instance her hair. She is cursed blessed with thick honey blonde tresses that frizz curl wildly around her beautiful face. She hates every strand, and insists that she not be seen without it firmly secured in a slick-backed pony tail. This is non-negotiable. If, by chance, there is an instance of variance from the norm, there will be long sighs, nasty glares, and even tears. This week she rocked my world. Out of the blue, she announced, as she pulled the band from her hair and let it flow freely down her back, that in a year or two she just might start wearing it down. The truly remarkable thing, and what threw me into a state of shock, was that we were at our neighborhood pool. In public. Surrounded by dozens of strangers. Who have now seen her with her hair down.
…that the next installment in the Jason Bourne saga (sans Jason Bourne) has been unleashed on the nation. In the past, I have railed against Hollywood’s dirty habit of unnecessarily rebooting and remaking movies in order to capitalize on the viewing public’s need for familiarity at the box office. I won’t rehash my feelings – you can read them for yourself, if you are so inclined. I have to admit, I don’t understand the need for another Bourne film, especially one without its namesake. When I first heard rumor of it, I thought it ridiculous. I swore I wouldn’t see it, but curiosity got the better of me. I saw it. I hated. As I write this, I am watching a the original Bourne trilogy in hopes that it will wash away the stench of The Bourne Legacy.
For some additional reviews of the movie, check out:
…that a girl in China was found to have spider living in her ear – for a week. A lot of things creep me out. Spiders, oddly enough, are not one of them. However, upon reading this article (and viewing the pictures), I was struck by a sense of familiarity. Then it hit me – that spider’s brother took up residence in my car two months ago! It may be time to dig out the old bug bomb. I now have serious case of the heebee-jeebees.
…that I can check “staying up late(ish) to watch a meteor shower” off my list of things I must do before I die. I stayed up. I sat in a lawn chair in my driveway, stared up at the sky, and – got nothing. I didn’t see anything, but low flying airplanes. Well, there was that one thing, with the flashing lights and erratic flight pattern. I told myself it was a weather balloon – because they’re always weather balloons, right? By and large, though, I was bored out of my freaking mind. I bow down to my geeky science loving friends who have the discipline for such things. I, obviously, do not.
…that while working on my WIP this week, I discovered that Anna’ brother is a lot more trouble than he’s worth. Luckily my writing group was more than willing to come to my rescue. If you write and don’t have a writing group – get one. You won’t regret it. Unless your group sucks. Then you might regret it. So choose wisely. I did.
…this week’s awww moment is brought to you by these water droplets clinging to a spider’s web. I know, there really isn’t anything warm and fuzzy about it. So what. I like it and it’s my blog. Enjoy.
Of Bears and Boating 