Fun Fun Fun ‘Til Her Daddy Takes The T-Bird Away

thunderbird and momWhen I was a kid, my mom had a T-bird. It was her dream car. Maroon red with a T-Bar sunroof (fitting, don’t you think?) and whenever we were in it, we were always listening to Linda Ronstadt. Needless to say, I’ve been belting out ‘You’re No Good’ since I was about 5 and after all these years of practice, I’m good at it. Just ask me. I’ll tell you. At any rate, Linda and me and my mom are like peas and carrots and corn only in a more musical way.

So, my point today — and I do have one, trust me — is what is your dream car? Or not?

Fairly obvious question if you’re a male, because they seem fixated on all things vehicular (at least my male is), but for females not so much, or so I thought until we were visiting with a dear friend and the conversation shifted to DH’s intentions of buying a truck soon and dear friend belted out that her dream car was black, convertible, a year model and type, this and that and my eyes sort of rolled back in my head in surprise ’cause she *so* knew what it was that she wanted.

That got me to thinking that I hadn’t thought about a dream car in a long time.

We’ve been driving dependable Guinevere, our Ford Windstar for almost 8 years now and she’s done us proud. Granted she did blow her transmission 5 minutes after we left my dad’s funeral, but given that that was the week from hell anyway, it was a good time for it to happen. It just sort of rolled into all the other trauma (and bills) with a laissez-faire shrug of the shoulders.

So anyway, right now Gwinnie is worth more to us than anyone else, so I can see us keeping her “forever” (which is about 4 years, you recall) and then we’ll trade her in for something…different.

If I had my way…different would mean this…a Mini Cooper S Convertible — though we’d have to do some customizing to fit 3 in the back, ratherMini Cooper than 2. And honestly, how would I ever fit all my groceries in there if the girls were with me? Or even their piano books for that matter?

And I’ll ignore the fact that my hair would be snarled into a horrible knot after just five minutes of driving because this is the DREAM car. It doesn’t have to be practical. We’re throwing out practical. We’re dreaming.

No budgets, no kids spilling ice cream or slopping french fries, no dogs with muddy paws, no dumps of snow in excess of 1 inch, no nothing, but whatever you want. Add a flashy outfit and a 7 figure publishing contract while you’re at it. Let’s go big, folks!

And don’t think I don’t know that this idealism is a polar opposite of yesterday’s post. It’s okay. We can do this, ’cause we’re not fixated, we’re just having fun. So what’s your dream car? Tell me what you’re thinking Seattle…I’m listening.

Sorry, I Meant to Say…

The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are 2005’s winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

2. Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and a you know what.

3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting some.

7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

12. Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

14. Glibido: All talk and no action.

15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

The Golden Heart

Today’s the day, folks. Honestly, I’ve not been counting done the days or anything like that, just glancing at the calendar every once in awhile noting that the day is closer and closer.

Doing that has made me realize how quickly the time is passing and I find it rather alarming.

I remember the days of my youth when time would draaaaaag out and it seemed I’d never get to that next aging ‘pinnacle’, whether it was getting my driver’s license or turning 18 or whatever. Once you’ve passed all those milestones, it reinforces (to me, at least) that it’s important to keep setting your own goals and milestones so that you don’t become bogged down in a one-step-after-the-other, putting-in-your-time kind of attitude that takes you into old age where you suddenly say, “Where did my life go?”.

Because honestly, that’s scary.

Yes, the bills need to be paid and the housework needs to be done, but there’s so much more to life!
Sea to Sky highwayWe’ve each been given a life to celebrate, so let’s each one of us make the best of it.

Day in and day out finding happiness and looking for the beauty in all the little things…the way the sun glints off water…the way a snowflake falls to the ground…the laugh of a child…the lines of wisdom marking your face or that of someone you love.

Patterns of beauty are all around us. We only need to take the time to appreciate them. And ourselves.

So much to see and do. Pick the important stuff.

Be good to yourself. Be happy.

And if you want to keep track of the finalists for both the Golden Heart and The Rita, I’m told this is the place to be.