Should have posted my Thursdays last night - I think I've forgotten most of them...
- U-verse Man showing up early and taking only 15-20 minutes.
- Being DVR-capable! (And somehow, on two TV's, though I only ordered it for one.)
- Gettin' mah hair and mah brows did.
- The unbearable cuteness of Andy Cohen and Giggy.
- Driving my 6th different car in less than a month. (Malibus aren't bad, btw.)
- Being able to offer non-depressed Susie as a lunch companion.
- Ordering my Super Bowl squares.
- Listening to Riley giggle over Gimli.
:)
We all have our guilty pleasures. One of my more recent ones is "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills". I've watched other seasons (is that what you call the different geographical editions?), and found them somewhat intriguing, but none of them has drawn me in the way these Beverly Hills ladies have done. I believe I've said this before, but what strikes me as particularly odd is that, as plastic (and believe me, there's been a LOT of work done) and obscenely wealthy as this crew is, I've somehow found myself relating to them the most. Whether it's loving to hate Camille and her alternating shoulder shrugs and glares of death, or admiring the hell out of Adrienne and her drive and composure; aching for Taylor and her faltering marriage, or absolutely adoring Lisa and her fabulous sense of fashion and feisty sense of humor - I can't seem to get enough of them.
And then there are Kim and Kyle. The second I saw Kim, I thought, "I know her!" Of course I knew her -- I'm a child of the 70's, and I remember my "Witch Mountain"! And her sister, Kyle, was also familiar to me -- "Little House on the Prairie" featured both of them. Wow, that's a slightly interesting twist -- former child actors starring in a "reality" show about "houswives". (Oh - have I mentioned that none of the housewives are what any "real" person would consider a "housewife"?)
This season followed the sisters' complicated relationship fairly closely, and it was both endearing and painful to watch unfold. Clearly, there is love there. An abundance of it. Clearly, though, there is a great deal of deep-seeded pain, as well. There were elements of their relationship -- primarily the positive ones -- that reminded me of my relationships with my own sisters. There were elements that made me so very thankful to have the sisters I do.
Tension built between the two throughout the season. There were disagreements surrounding Kim's househunting, as well as her dependence on her children. There were moments when Kyle, though the younger of the two, simply dominated and yes, borderline bullied Kim. And, perhaps of greatest consequence, a misunderstanding between Kyle and Camille very early on spiraled out of control and Kim, though having the ability to clear things up and perhaps help them move past it, froze like a deer in the headlights and declined to do so. This set the stage for the season finale in which a somewhat halting attempt by Taylor to, once again, clear the air quickly devolved into a shouting match, and ultimately a knock-down drag-out between the sisters in the back of a limousine. No hair was pulled, no punches thrown, but there were words hissed in anger and backed by years of slights and frustrations that did immeasurable damage.
To anyone who hasn't watched the show, this must all seem quite silly, but I have to be honest: As I watched the sisters' horrible fight play out, it made me cry. Their pain was palpable and horrific. Even watching them several months later on the "reunion" show was hard. They clearly are still struggling with what happened and trying very hard to repair their relationship.
All of which brings me to my primary point: I love my sisters. No -- I mean -- I really, truly, 100%, unabashedly, shamelessly love my sisters, and feel extraordinarily blessed to call them mine. Kim and Kyle aren't the only sisters I "know" who have complicated relationships. I have several dear friends who struggle with them as well. My relationships with my sisters aren't perfect. We have occasional bumps, moments of jealousy or mrrroowwrrr-hsssssishness, a misunderstanding and a hurt feeling here and there. But for the most part, our relationships are blessedly uncomplicated. We love each other, we like each other, and we're there for each other.
Maybe I'm at an advantage, as the baby by 7+ years -- I look up to both of them and never was forced to really compete with them or tussle with them over things. Instead, I got the benefit of their love and loyalty and protection without having to really fight for it. Although I like to think they've gotten the benefit of mine, as well.
One realization that's slowly made its way up to my conscious brain in recent months is that when all is said and done, they will be the ones who've known and loved me longest in my life. They were girls and now are women who've helped shape me into the person I've become. They are a very real source of my strength. They are my sisters. And I am so very grateful for that.
Meant to do this on Monday, but forgot. Shortly before 2010 took its leave, I made a list of my 2011 resolutions. I figured it'd behoove me to assess my progress with them so far, rather than wait 'til the end of the year:
1) Drink more water. Check.
2) Write more. Check.
3) Keep your feet on the ground. Check. Well, mostly. I've had a few moments of gravity defiance. Plus there was that whole issue with my wheels. But I'd give myself at least a B+ on this one.
4) Love the people who love you and love them well. Check. I've been making a conscious effort on this -- reaching out to the people who love me and letting them know how much I appreciate them. I hope I'm doing it well.
5) Focus on what you have instead of what you don't. This has been the toughest one. It's hard not to get caught up in "what ifs" and "why nots," but I'm doing my damnedest. This one, I'll give a B.
Not bad. So far.
As for today's smiles, I chickened out and stayed home again today, so it wasn't particularly eventful, but I found my moments:
- Phil not seeing his shadow.
- Getting some actual work done.
- Making significant progress on Project Organize My Office.
- Going through all of Riley's old artwork, especially the pictures and notes she drew for me.
- Finally leaving my house after 48 hours for the sole purpose of going to Walgreen's to get the pale shade of pink nail polish I suddenly decided I must have.
- Painting my nails a pretty pale pink.
- Eating a Klondike bar.
- The invention of Llama Day.
:)
Very quiet day today, but here goes:
- Being able to relax this morning.
- The squirrel convention on my front lawn.
- Making some progress on cleaning the office.
- Actually getting some work done.
- All the Channel 4 reporters braving the sleet to give their field reports.
- Having five Words With Friends games going at once.
- Finding an old letter I wrote to a toxic ex in which I really stood up for myself, and realizing how far I've come since then.
- The way the sleet/snow reflects the light at night.
- Discovering that the more I write, the more I want to write.
:)
Strange day today, what with Snowmageddon bearing down on us. Still, a few smiles made a welcome appearance:
- Walking into Court this morning fully prepared and ready to do battle with a formidable opponent -- who, after debating the merits of our respective positions with me, opted to postpone the hearing.
- Recalling a December day of generator hunting with one of my favorite people four years ago.
- Hearing that my best friend started her day off with some encouragingly flirty texts.
- Spoiling myself with some goodies from Office Depot so I can spend my anticipated snow day getting all organizy.
- Multi-colored Sharpies.
- Hearing about how sweet and thoughtful my kiddo is.
- The quiet of the night when I walked outside a little while ago.
:)
This weekend consisted largely of Susie playing the role of Domestic Engineer. (I was going to say "Domestic Goddess," but my look was far from glam for most of it, so I can't rightly claim that mantle.) So, the smiles derived mostly from minor victories 'round the house:
- Sunshine most of the weekend!
- 2/3 of my house being CLEAN, not just neatened. (Well...the kitchen floor WAS clean, 'til Pringle tracked mud across it.)
- Fixing the X-box.
- Encountering all of West County at Wal-Mart, Costco, Lowe's and Dierberg's today (in anticipation of The Storm of the Century), and not feeling the urge to scream.
- Getting the Christmas lights down off the roof, and stored away 'til next year, and verifying that the roof apparently sustained no damage from last month's big storm.
- 4 loads of laundry -- done, folded and put away.
- Walk/running the dog.
- Discovering the magic of Mr. Clean bathroom scrubbers.
- Living close enough to my best friend that running popsicles over to her sick kiddo is a no-brainer.
- Finishing and e-filing my taxes.
- A snoring dog and two snoring cats snuggled on my bed.
:)
A little late with this entry, but determined to post it before the Sandman takes hold:
- Waking up to a warm house.
- Being productive at work.
- Bat signals.
- Girlfriends and PJ's.
- TP's and TT's and other phrases/terms that aren't fit to print.
That's all I got. The Sandman is calling. Happy Friday!
:)
