Throwback Thursday April 28th 2016 - Because Ken

This is my friend Kenichi Hillis.  We went to college together. 

He had open-heart surgery today, so I'm thinking a lot about our friendship and the time we spent together. 

 



We majored in theatre and both suffered for it. However, we had a lot of amazing times and some hilarious memories to show for it.

 

He's got more charm, charisma, and creative energy than most people I know. And that's saying a lot.

 

I regret many decisions I made in my youth and during my college years, but being friends with Ken was never one of them.

 

Hang in there, Ken.  I love you, and I love your family.  You are forever the brother I never had.

 

 

 Update: Ken made it through and is recovering with his family!

Walking on the Elkhorn Slough

I used to go to Cross-fit twice a week, but circumstances surrounding my son's therapy schedule has made it difficult to attend.  To compensate for my lack of exercise, I've been using my breaks to walk a loop around the Elkhorn Slough. 

It's pretty picturesque.

Don't You Wish You Worked With My Sister?

So, I know some of you read my earlier post about my sister. 

http://creepycompound.blogspot.com/2016/03/trader-joes-anecdote-or-buffalo-wings.html

Awesome, right?  Well, my Dad texted me further proof of her awesomeness.  My sister, a faithful employee of Trader Joe's in Costa Mesa, leaves her artwork around for her coworkers to enjoy:

This inspires me to think of tax-related haikus to entertain my coworkers. On second thought, that might not go over very well.  While I'm thinking about that, look at this:

 

It's a little hard to read, so I'll translate: "We're ever so grateful for all that you do, and for coffee that helps us all do it!  So let's clean up behind any coffee we grind, every splash when we drink, or we brew it!" I do enjoy a clever limerick, but by the evidence of the coffee puddle, it might not be as effective as one might hope.

Sad Anniversary

On April 1st 1999 my mom died.  Her kidneys hadn't been working for a few years, but she was getting along okay on dialysis. However, something went septic in the catheter, and the resulting infection took her down within a week. 

The day I found out she died was probably one of the worst days of my life. I could say it was "the worst," but I've had some zingers, so I'm going to put it firmly in the top three.  It also happened on April 1st, thereby making April Fool's Day the most awkward day of the year for me.  Every freaking year.

Even though she's been gone for seventeen years (that's the age of a surly teenager on the verge of adulthood), I miss her constantly. Especially these days, now that my own son is a special needs toddler, and my Mother In Law is unstable, should be on medication, and is causing me all kinds of problems.  Yeah, I've got challenges and I need my mom to talk to.  I need her yesterday. 

Anyway, I miss you mom. 

Throwback Thursday March 24th 2016 - Photoshopped. Full Disclosure

I found this picture in a box of really old ones. I'm guessing the year is 1980 or 1981. 

It's accurate. Mostly. Yeah, I totally photo-shopped the nightgowns.  They weren't nearly that cute and lacy. 

Throwback Thursday March 17th 2016 + Happy Everybody's Irish Day

Merry Christmas 1997.  It's Bird o'clock.

In other news, Happy St. Patrick's Day. I don't have a St. Patrick's Day picture from any in my past, otherwise, I'd post that.  Today, I am neither getting drunk, nor wearing anything green.  I did, however, remember to send my son off to daycare in a green shirt.  My kid is NOT getting pinched.  EFF THAT.

Also, I'm thinking of a story from my childhood.  Being raised by a Scotch-Presbyterian mother who was fairly well-educated, she felt it her cultural duty to provide me and my sisters with shamrock pins she made herself.  They were green and orange poster-board shamrocks, decorated with green and orange ribbons.  The orange, of course, was to reflect our Protestant heritage.  I didn't understand, or care, really.  I wore whatever the heck my mom told me to (I wasn't very popular). But I remember my sister grumbling, as we climbed into the mini-van, "If we lived on the east coast, we'd get the crap beaten out of us for wearing these."   

Trader Joe's Anecdote or Buffalo Wings

This is my sister. She works at the Trader Joe's in Costa Mesa. Isn't she pretty?

She tells me the best stories.  It may just be because I'm her sister and know her really well, but I find her stories incredibly interesting.  Or maybe her stories really are incredibly interesting.  A few years ago, she was dating a bona fide celebrity and would tell me stories about going to actual Hollywood parties. Some of her other stories are less glamorous, but definitely hilarious.  Like this one:

My sister, as I said, works at the Costa Mesa Trader Joe's.  One of the things she does is cook the free samples.  One day, as she was manning the free sample booth, a woman comes up to her, and reads the sign out loud, "Meatless Buffalo Wings."  She then looks squarely at my sister and says, "Buffalos are not meatless."  Silence.  My sister is not sure how to answer this statement.  Clearly, this woman doesn't understand that Buffalo Wings are not made of buffalos. They're chicken. Except this ones aren't chicken because they're meatless.  So explaining the several steps this woman took to be wrong about this particular free sample seems like a bad idea, because you aren't supposed to argue with customers, even if they're crazy.  So my sister's perfect response is, "No. But their WINGS are."