Her Name Was Lola...

Earlier this month my last grandparent passed away. She was my paternal grandmother. She lived her entire life in Centerville, Iowa. I remember visiting her often as a child and always being mesmerized with the groovy stuff she had around her house and her booming laugh. She was creator of many delicious pies.

I was unable to return to Iowa for her funeral, but asked my parents to provide me with some additional photos of her. I was thrilled to see the selection and the variety of shots -especially the ones from her younger, less-Grandma-y days. For example...

I was very fortunate to have both grandmothers live to be 91. I hope that means I come from hearty lineage!

-P

"Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting." ~Author Unknown

"There's some drizzle in your future, maybe rain"

This is a headline in the San Diego Union-Tribune this morning. For real.

This past weekend as my visiting-from-Iowa parents & I enjoyed the 60+ degree sunny weather along the beach, it was raining ice, snowing and pretty much nasty back in the Midwest. Living in & visiting Southern California, one can easily assimilate to the pleasant weather very quickly: my dad, who normally watches weather news on television said "I haven't even checked The Weather Channel today." The weather here is hypnotizing, addictive and why San Diegans pay what we do to live here.

-P

"I'm Ron Burgundy. You stay classy, San Diego."
"I'm Ron Burgundy. Go f*ck yourselves, San Diego."
- Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy in 'Anchorman'

What is that sound?

It is the sound of footsteps!

Probably not cleats. It could be sneakers or sandals. Maybe a nice pair of Berluti's or John Lobb's? Regardless of the footwear selections, it is the sound of pitchers and catchers reporting for the 2007 MLB Spring Training!!!

I am planning my travels to Arizona for some Cactus League action. In a few weeks I will be sitting in a small ballpark, drinking a nice brew, eating a hot dog and watching (hopefully) starting players who are so close I can see them conversing about which hot brods in the stands they would pull a "You're with me, leather".

Hooray for Baseball!!
-P
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"Uh, kid, uh, don't tell anyone we are back here, please??"

- Mel Hall/Lee Smith (Chicago Cubs) circa 1983/1984 at Sec Taylor Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. I was a kid and wandered behind a divider at an open, free autograph signing event. They were wearing two of the largest pinstriped suits I had ever seen and even though I was young, I totally knew their beverages were liquor and weren't supposed to be. I didn't tell anyone, but I did get both of their baseball cards autographed that day - fo sho!

DDBs

Dating Deal Breakers

If you do not know what this term means, it is quite possibly due to the fact that you have not been single recently. Single for the last 36 years, I am very familiar with and knowledgeable of this phrase. Dating can be fun. Dating can be frustrating. Some even purport dating to be like warfare. Not dating at all totally sucks.

In business-speak, here is the definition of a deal-breaker (DB): Significant point that could terminate the negotiation.

Dating really is a negotiation isn’t it? Besides being a fancied up interview, w/food and drinks, dating is all about checking each other out. Assessing one’s DBs. What are we willing to put up with? The first round is usually the physical DBs (a guy 6 inches shorter than me). Next are the socio-economic DBs (lives with parents or has no friends). Then come the political DBs (views Tom DeLay favorably) and don’t get me started on all the various religion DBs. These are the easy ones to figure out, right outta the gate. Once the low-hanging potential DBs are successfully passed, one must investigate deeper to get to those flashing yellows/reds. If you do not know what these terms mean, it is quite possibly due to the fact that you have not been single recently. I certainly do not hold this against you, but I do ask that you read on.

For example, I recently had a date with a guy. (Note: I tried several different adjectives before “guy”, but ultimately went with none, which probably tells you that there will be no second date.) He was fine, polite, handsome, employed. He didn’t yawn, chew gum, exhibit poor grooming skills or smoke. There were positives yet there were negatives. Obviously, the negatives won out. And from his viewpoint, I know he felt the same way about me. And this is OK. I don’t know how many times I have stopped and asked myself this question: “Wait a minute, do I really care that (random guy) hasn’t called back?” (Are you curious about the negatives? In random order: told me how much money he makes, enjoys NASCAR, prefers expensive inanimate objects over pets, talked about his job 70% of the time we were together.)

First dates are a funny thing. There can be so much anticipation, excitement, and nervousness that I hear potential-DBs, semi-digest them and tell myself, “eh, I could put up with that”. But really, when I get home or at least out into the beautiful sunshine and really contemplate it, I resolve: “life is too short to put up with that b*llsh*t.”

So, I press on. Chin up. Lip balm in my cute purse. Stylish shoes on my feet.

Dating and pursuing relationships has changed immensely over the years that I have been an active participant. At first it was walking the hallways in high school, timing a stop at my locker just when I knew the handsome-senior-who-always-ignores-me will pass on his way from smoking at the QT to algebra class. [How many DBs did you spot in that sentence?? See, if you spotted 3 then you are learning something!]

Then there was college: we were technically adults and everyone was seemingly single, free of baggage, encumbrances and responsibilities. Oh, the salad days.

Finding myself in 2007, in my mid-30s and in a relatively large city; the playing field is completely different: people have weathered starter marriages, lived out in the real world and some have even procreated. The baggage, encumbrances and responsibilities are oh-so plentiful and oh-so teemed with potential DBs. Granted, these can now be acknowledged and 86d within a speed date or with a click of the mouse. Technology. I soldier on. If you do not know what some of these terms mean, it is quite possibly due to the fact that you have not been single recently. I will try to not hold this against you, you lucky happily-paired up b*st*rds.
-P
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“Life is short -- until you marry the wrong man and then it gets pretty goddamned long!!” - Madeline in “What Planet Are You From?”