Memories

What sort of year was it

Day to Day, Memes and Quizzes, Memories /

Nickie’s year in review was good.  Mine, not so good.  Interesting though.

January:  I mentioned in my ABC’s of 2005 that six MP3 players have come through
our home this year and now you folks get my oh so knowledgable review.

February:  Once again I find myself pining away for a cooking gadget.

March:  Happy Pig Day!

April:  April snuck up on me.

May:  Nuthinfancy
is on vacation so I may be the only one posting "What is this doing in
my house, Monday" but that’s ok because my entry is good.

June: 
Happy National Doughnut Day – courtesy of Krispy Kreme.

July:  July has arrived and that means it is time to review. 

August:  I am still traveling and have very little time to write but I’m getting
really sort of annoyed and troubled by some of the blog posts I’m
reading regarding Blogher’s cliques, celebrities and queers.

September: 
Tomorrow is my sister’s birthday so today’s cupcake topper will be in her honor – Oscar the Grouch.

October:   Since September is about survival around here I didn’t expect to scratch many items off the list.

November:  This post is really just for the Gainesville folks, the rest of you will be bored to tears. 

December:  It’s National Cookie Cutter Week!

Grab the first line of the first blog entry each month and post your review.

What sort of year was it Read More »

Daily Dose of Stuff – Monday

3 Comments / Day to Day, Memories, Monday Meme, Toys & Games /

I’m jealous of Lee’s What is this doing in my house, Monday entry.  No fair! She should definitely send those to Florida!

Shell_002
This little toy I’m sharing today has history, or more importantly, memories.  This was my grandmother’s and everytime we would visit, we’d pull it out of the blue cabinet and we’d make a huge mess with the chips and the decks of cards stored along with it.  Grandma didn’t have a whole lot of toys specifically for her grandchildren.  In fact she didn’t have any.  We played with her toys – the poker chips, huge jewely boxes of Sarah Coventry, her weird stuffed animals, odd little gadgets that I never understood but was fascinated by – and of course, the rubber/plastic fruit.

The "old fashioned" chips are missing from this but the chip caddy still makes me smile an awful lot – and that’s why this weird thing is in my house – finally! (My brother finally handed it over to me on my last trip to Charleston.  Now if he’d give up my secretary…)

Here are links to others playing the game – if you’re playing, feel free to add your link!

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Daily Dose of Stuff – Monday Read More »

Daily Dose of Education – Field Trips

4 Comments / Kid Talk, Memories, Travel Log /

TW is not at work today.  Instead, she  is sitting on a bus with a bunch of second graders watching her most favorite movie of all time, (ha), Madagascar!  The bus is on its way to the Florida Aquarium.  Don’t you just love field trips?  Or not?  I was trying to come up with some fun field trip memories and coming up a little bit empty which seemed odd,  but upon reflection it’s not so odd. 

When Jenn was in pre-school, Kinder and First Grade we lived in the Philippines.  No field trips, except for mini trips to various squadrons to see what the daddies (and the very rare mommy) did at work.  We were there during the time of Cori Aquino and there were constant shootings outside of the base, military members kidnapped, lots of security threats.  We traveled as a family while in the Philippines but buses full of school kids roaming the country was not something the DoD or the DoDDS wanted to deal with. 

Then we moved onto northern California and Jenn and Chris did manage to go on some field trips.  I attended very few which again seems odd until I think about it.  First issue – I had an infant and a husband who was gone all of the time and I didn’t then nor do I now do the daycare thing.  Second issue – I was really not all that into field trips at school because I was constantly taking a Girl Scout troop on some trip, somewhere. 

Then it was onto Panama (think Canal not Florida) where again the field trips were few and far between for both Chris and Jenn, which seems odd and upon reflection still seems odd.  There were some – to the canal, to Panama Viejo, to Summit Gardens but it seems like there weren’t too many.  Michelle was in pre-school, Kinder and First Grade and I did attend quite a few field trips with her class.  But again, I avoided field trips if I could because I was always taking a Girl Scout troop or a Cub Scout troop on some trip, somewhere. 

After that, New Jersey.  Ack.  More field trips for the kids in this location; Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, etc… I attended one trip to the Statue of Liberty and another to a farm and that’s about it.  Again the Girl Scout trip thing.

In SC and here in FL I avoided field trips completely, yea me!  My pre-teen/teen wasn’t all that hot for field trips in either location.  She has crowd issues and noise issues and by the time she hit 12, field trips held no fascination or fun – just anxiety.  I can understand that.  Being surrounded by noisy, over-excited kids can make it difficult to relax, to have fun, or to learn.

I’m betting TW comes home with lots of fun stories about the trip and I know E will.  And I’ll be almost jealous that I didn’t get to go.  Almost.

Technorati Tags: , ,

Daily Dose of Education – Field Trips Read More »

Daily Dose of TV – Dr Who and K-9

3 Comments / Memories, Pets, Sights & Sounds /

K9I was a pretty big Dr Who fan back in the late 70’s and early, early 80’s.  I loved Tom Baker and I adored K-9.  I sooo wanted to name a stray puppy we found in a box after Dr Who’s canine robot but I was out voted.  Apparently my vote counted less because I had previous dog naming experience so it was not my turn to name a dog.  I was out voted again during the naming of the next dog too because Jennifer’s vote counted more than mine.  I even attempted to name a cat "K-9" and Christopher had a FIT because nobody should have a name with just one letter and one number.  (The boy was weird even then)

I’m pleased to see someone has found K-9 rusting in a cabinet and he’s being brought back to life – even if it is only for one episode and a cartoon series.  I’m pleased even if I never get to see his return to Dr Who or his cartoon-self.  Memories of Dr Who marathons and just knowing K-9 is alive and well is enough for me.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Daily Dose of TV – Dr Who and K-9 Read More »

Daily Dose of Memories – Stray Kids

5 Comments / Kid Talk, Memories /

I take in stray kids.  It’s what I do.  When I say I have 6 1/2 kids, the 1/2 child is the stray currently living here part time.  I’ve always done this.  I assume I will always do this.  Luckily, TW is understanding and a stray kid collector too. 

Tonight I’m suppose to be writing a challenge or finishing a report or writing a Blogher post but none of those are happening because I’m thinking about a stray kid from long ago.  We lost track of her along the way and she’s resurfaced today.

Aud "lived with us" when we were in Panama.  She didn’t REALLY live with us, but she may as well have.  Her mom was in the Air Force and no dad had been in her life for a very long time.  Her mom worked the odd hours expected of those in the AF and she was a single woman who wanted a social life, too.  So she was busy.  And I was a mom.  And Jenn (the oldest of the brood) was Aud’s best friend.  It made sense for Aud to live with us five days a week. Well mostly it made sense.  Sometimes Jenn was jealous because Michelle adored Aud.  Sometimes Jenn was jealous because she thought I gave Aud special favors or attention that she didn’t get.  Sometimes Jenn just wanted some time to herself, without Aud.  But mostly it made sense.

Aud and her mom headed for Germany while we headed for NJ.  We saw her again the next summer, she came to stay with us but left early because Jenn had moved on and she felt left out of the crowd.  Mostly I think she left because she had turned a corner in her life and the path she had chosen wasn’t Jenn’s. 

We lost track of her again for few more years and then out of the blue she called to say mom had kicked her out, she was going to join the Army and don’t worry, she’d keep in touch.  Then she vanished again.  Until today.  Thank you My Space.

Jenn and Michelle tracked her down over Christmas but didn’t tell me in case she didn’t want to be contacted.  She and Jenn have been emailing and calling each other for a few days and Jenn called to tell me tonight.

Apparently after her mom kicked her out, there was more trouble.  Trouble that involves probation and a record and newspaper clippings about "incidents".  Jenn told me where to find the whole story on My Space but you know me, I have "Denise Rules" about such things so I didn’t look.  I looked at her photos and smiled and sent her a message asking her to add me to her friends list.  If she wants me to read her blog, she’ll tell me herself.  Until then, I’ll just sit here and look at the old photos and wonder if things would have been different if we’d kept her with us.  Probably not.  But I still wonder.  And I know I would never have kicked her out when she was 16, not for any reason. 

Mygirls2_3

Aud, Steph, Jenn – B.F.F.

Technorati Tags: , ,

Daily Dose of Memories – Stray Kids Read More »

Daily Dose of Kids – Memories

1 Comment / Day to Day, Kid Talk, Memories /

Badgerbag, on whom I have this weird blog crush fascination cause she scares me, wrote an interesting and thought provoking essay on Mommybloggers last week.  It inspired me to talk about a little childhood memory issue we laugh about here at the Flamingo House… Proof that a child’s memory of an event, even at the age of 11, is different from the memory her parents have of the same event.

Picture September of 2001, the week after 9/11.  I don’t know the exact date it was a weekend, still definitely September.  TW drove up to SC as she often did.  Chris was off somewhere with his friends and for some reason I decided we would go to the Clemson Little Theatre and see Cinderella.  With Michelle.  And before that, we would take her to dinner at Friends, our most favorite restaurant in Anderson.

Sounds ok, right?  Well ummm, no.  It was doomed from the start.  First of all, I am not at my best in September.  I’m moody and quiet and sullen and not in the mood to deal with anyone else’s feelings or moodyness.  Always a risk to do something unusual, not in the general routine of things or stressful with me in September.  And of course there was the fact that Michelle and TW were still feeling their way into this weird relationship.  Territorial behavior was always a possibility with them.  Again, not something I deal well with when I’m at my best and did I mention it was September?

We have dinner and that’s fine.  Weird but fine.  We drive to Pendleton and we’re ok.  TW on the aisle, me in the middle and then Michelle beside of me.  And for some reason, 9/11 maybe (?), they decided they needed to have us stand up for the National Anthem and then announced that we’d have a moment of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in 9/11.  This was too much for TW and she did what she always does … she giggled.  out loud.  during the moment of silence.  I wanted to kill her.  Michelle looked like she wanted to crawl under the seats and go sit with a normal family.

We survived the first portion of the play, and at intermission we wandered to a nice little room with food and beverage and I tried very hard not to just walk out and sit in the car for the rest of the play.  Michelle was quiet and stuck close to me and as far from TW as she could get.  It was not pretty.  We went back in, watched the rest of the play and then it was over.  We get in TW’s car – this was back when we still let TW drive lol and head home.

Five minutes into the drive, Michelle my hypochondriac child, began to threaten to barf.  Angel hair onion rings which she loved but we were evil for forcing her to eat.  Threatening to barf these angel hair onion rings because of TW’s driving.  It was making her queasy.  So TW stopped at the gas station, got into the backseat, put Michelle in front and I drove us home.  I was not amused by this.  At all.  I was done with the both of them.

We made it home.  Michelle barfed up her onion rings and swore never to eat them again.  (Even now, the smell of angel hair onion rings sends her to the bathroom.  Even mentioning them will get her to growl at you about barfing).  I collapsed and the rest of the evening in the dark attic bedroom was less than pretty. 

Since then TW and I have referred to the infamous Cinderella weekend – when nothing goes right, but you’re still together and glad to be together.  Michelle, however, often waxes poetic about what a great time she had going to see Cinderella with us at Clemson.  She does not seem to remember the moment of silence fiasco, her mother’s stoney silence or her whining that TW’s driving was what was causing her to feel like barfing.  No.  All she remembers was what a wonderful time she had at that doggone play.  With us.  Her two moms.  Who she loves.

Kids and memories.  You cannot predict what they will remember or what spin they will put to their memories.  All you can predict is that they won’t quite the same as yours.. 

Technorati Tags: ,

Daily Dose of Kids – Memories Read More »

Daily Dose of Diet – Memory

Diet and Exercise, Foodie, Memories /

TW says I have to blog about this and since she listened to me and blogged about gnomedex vs blogher, I will take her suggestion. I guess.

Is There a False Food-Memory Diet?

People develop food preferences as children and their food memories often determine their choices as adults. Well ummm, yea, that’s why the phrase comfort food actually means something to most people, right? This part of the study makes sense. What doesn’t make sense to me as what kind of students are these that would look at fake survey results, surveys they filled out, and not realize something was wonky here? I don’t think I could adopt a memory as my own based on a survey result paper handed back to me from some grad student or something. I’d need my mother to tell me some long drawn out story about my strawberry ice cream illness (would you like me to tell you about canned Franco American Macaroni & Cheese, cause that’s a memory I’ve got about food and illness…).

I am just not buying it that these students didn’t choose ice cream on the follow up simply because they decided to believe a piece of paper was true even though they didn’t have a vivid memory or a mom telling them that this was what happened. You notice they still chose chocolate chip cookies, right? Could it be that strawberry ice cream simply isn’t all that popular of a dessert item, especially not next to chocolate chip cookies which probably hold a lot more positive and REAL childhood memories than some fake strawberry ice cream memory?

This study goes further and suggests that students selected asparagus (on a form, they didn’t serve these kids actual food – they’re college students who may be starving and will in reality eat almost anything generally) because they were given fake positive childhood memories. Couldn’t it just be that 20 year olds have grown up and actually had a decently cooked asparagus rather than some floppy and soggy thing from a can that they’d been served in childhood?

I think it probably is possible to give people false childhood food memories over time and/or through hypnosis but by handing them back a fake survey that they supposedly completed themselves? That just makes no sense.

And besides, if this did work, would you really want to trade off 25lbs of fat for the loss of real memories and live your life with false ones? There really are better ways to lose weight, trust me, I know these things.

, ,

Daily Dose of Diet – Memory Read More »

Daily Dose of Books – and food? and memories?

Foodie, Memories, Sights & Sounds /

I am not a foodie, let me make that point right up front. TW and my job have done an excellent job of allowing me to get a fairly respectable score on foodie tests but I am really NOT a foodie. What I am though, is someone who has learned to find memories through food and that is something that I was never able to do before.

I’ve asked a million foodie type questions in my life and I’ve encourage thousand upon thousand of people to connect their memories to food and address emotional eating issues but as many have noticed, “Denise rarely answers her own questions.” It’s true, I don’t. And in the case of food and memories questions, it is generally because I didn’t have any decent answers.

But now, I can read a book like Garlic & Sapphires, (which I truly enjoyed, except for the ending), and not say “huh?” And I can read a really good book, like The Language of Baklava and almost relate! Well ok, maybe relate isn’t the right word.

I can read these passages about family dinners and father’s cooking and do more than see a hazy memory that brings nothing more than a shrug followed by the “what’s the big deal? People are weird. (That is generally what I’ve done when reading these types of books and message board posts, too!). I can now think back to Plain Grandma and Grandma-Grandma in the kitchen bickering back and forth while making Beef n Noodles and I see what the big deal is. I can immediately get the giggles when I think about me and my brother going around for hours on end saying “pork chops and applesauce” in poor imitation of that Brady Bunch boy every time my mother told us we were having pork chops for dinner. I can smile and chuckle at the memory of my mother making fried apples for us after seeing the episode of Family Affair where Mr. French made these while trapped in a blizzard (the episode is called Marooned).

I may not be able to pull up long rambling memories of exactly what people ordered at a particular restaurant 15 years ago, like TW and her family can, but I do have some very good family food memories!

And by the way, The Language of Baklava brought back more than just family food memories. It reminded me of the time I was on a children’s television show with my brother and friends. That Happy Raine memory just came tumbling back right there in the first chapter of Diana Abu-Jaber’s book. And I enjoyed it, almost as much as the family and food memories.
Pst, I’m not really a Debonair Diner, as suggested by the Foodie Quiz,  but I do a good job of playing one on the internet! 😉

, ,

Daily Dose of Books – and food? and memories? Read More »

Daily Dose of Memories (and Progress?)

Memories /

Yesterday was a day to celebrate “progress” in my hometown of Charleston, SC. But while thousands upon thousands of people celebrated, I felt more like mourning. I hate progress, especially when it involves Charleston. But that might be part of what makes me a Charlestonian.

Yesterday, some lucky people took their last drive across the Grace Memorial Bridge (And the Pearlman, though my post is really about the Grace.) and opened the bright, shiny, and progressive Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge (which will probably be known as the “new bridge” for the next 75 years or so).

You might wonder why this makes me sad, when I haven’t actually lived in Charleston for 25 years. Well be patient, I’m getting to that! The first and most sentimental reason is that I consider the Grace Bridge Story that I’ve heard my mother and my father tell more times than I can count to be the birth story I never really had (I think I take after my mom since my children don’t really have those long, sentimental birth stories that are so popular nowadays). And, it’s definitely the story of my birth as a Charlestonian – since I was really BORN in Virginia!

My dad was in the Navy and as Navy folks tend to do, he found himself transferred to Charleston in the mid 60’s. So, he and my mom packed me into the Rambler and tossed their stuff into a u-haul that was hitched to that little Rambler and headed south. I-26 wasn’t around then so they took the long rambling US17 and what did they see when they arrived? The good ole Grace Memorial – 2 lanes, one headed in each direction, and my mother insisted there was no way she was driving over that thing. Somehow, (this is the sketchy part of the story), my father convinced her that it was the only way in and they had to do it, (duty calls!), and so they did. Every time one of them tells the story, I smile because I’ve never had a moment of worry crossing that bridge. In fact, I’ve always preferred it to the “new” Cooper River Bridge, (which is really the other “old” bridge, the Pearlman). I’ve always smiled because I just have never been able to picture my mother balking at crossing that bridge. It seems out of character but then again, I guess I didn’t REALLY know her very well 40 years ago, did I? I don’t think I’ve ever driven across that bridge when I didn’t think about that story, and I’ve driven over that bridge a LOT!

And there you have it, reason number one about why it makes me sad that the Grace will soon be gone. Reason number two is a little more complicated. It’s all tied up with what being a Charlestonian really means (at least in my opinion). This new bridge is truly representative of what makes Charleston the city it is. It’s the ability to jump forward and embrace the biggest and shiniest and the best or put the biggest and shiniest face on the old and ugly for as long as they can and then quickly toss the old and ugly aside when it doesn’t suit its needs.

At least when you’re listening to the nice tour guides telling you that they never sold slaves in that slave market, it was all a lie, and it was just called that because it is where the slaves went to shop for their owners you can look at that market and know what you know; know what is no longer politically correct to say. It isn’t pretty and it isn’t something to be proud of but it is a big part of what made Charleston the city it was then, and what it is now.

But when you’re crossing that nice new bridge it won’t be long before you won’t even be able to look out and see the old Grace and what she use to mean to the city. The old and ugly will be gone and there won’t be anything at all for people to look at and know what they know. Oh sure, folks who remember can tell the story and point out to the emptiness and say right there, the Grace use to sit, and the Pearlman too, but it just isn’t the same as being able to see it and picture what that was like. It’s just not the same. Hmph! Who needs progress? Unfortunately, the city of Charleston does.

(Thanks to the nice Sun and Moon Sorcery Blog for sharing the event in her blog, I hadn’t been keeping up with hometown news! She and her husband went for a Quiet ride…sort of.)

,

Daily Dose of Memories (and Progress?) Read More »