86

Recently, very early one morning, I was traveling through the Tampa airport and stopped at a restaurant for a meal. The plate I wanted came with potatoes which I didn't want. Being groggy, I slipped back many years and told the waitress to "86 the potatoes". She looked at me with some amazement and said "how'd you know that term?". Her question woke me up and I told her I had been a waitress while in college. Her response was "Cool!". And she was very nice and attentive the rest of the time I was there.

It got me to reminiscing about my younger years. I refuse to say the good ole days ... but man ... what a time that was!!! Hanging out for HOURS at the Broadway Drug store drinking coffee and studying and waxing philosophic, solving the problems of the world and debating what it all meant; living on beans and rice, loving waiting tables because I got to eat something besides beans and rice. And the house (duplex actually) on 14th Street. Ah man, it was an ancient house, had an old small stable in the back with a dead and rusting Studebaker and we'd find chunks of coal in the storm cellar under the house where they used to store the coal used to heat it before gas was available. And adopting any cats that came around ... feeding them on a platform made from an Earth, TX city limits sign that someone swiped, the sign suspended on a tree so they could eat without the neighbor's dogs bothering them. We'd ring Mimi's bells and the cats would come running. And ... , I digress...

Anyway, it also caused me to ponder where the term "86" originated. So I googled it and here is the answer from the Urban Dictionary - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=86 the definition and how the term came into being.

Personal space, airplanes and being passive agressive

Anyone who cannot afford to fly First class on an airplane in recent years knows that personal space on airplanes is all but non-existent. About the only true personal space is where your feet are.

This evening on a flight from Austin to Tampa, the man in front of me reclined his seat into what I consider my personal space bubble. The back of his seat was so close to my face that I could literally SMELL his hair ... and believe me, it was not a pleasant smell. Forget using the tray table, forget not bumping his seat when getting out to use the restroom. And truthfully, I may have bumped it a little more than was actually necessary. Especially after I politely asked him to not recline it so far since it was in my face ... he declined to adjust his seat. So every time I reached into the seat back pocket, I exaggeratedly bumped the seat back. I read my newspaper resting it on the top of his seat back and yes, his head.

It was probably not a very nice thing to do ... probably petty ... but it made me feel better none the less ... especially because I asked nicely for my space back.

I hardly ever recline on planes. When I do, I tell the person behind me before I recline and ask them to please let me know if they need more space or to get out of their seat.

Photos of Rancho Bernardo Inn

Rancho Bernardo Inn - decorated for Christmas.A few days ago I got around to uploading the pictures I took at the Rancho Bernardo Inn back in December. I was surprised to discover that many of the photos I took were of the fountains around the property. On Friday while I was there, I had a massage, then lunch with my niece and then just walked around the property taking pictures. Apparently, I the pictures I took were almost entirely of the fountains and other water features. I wonder what I was thinking and feeling that made me focus unknowingly on the water. Here are some of the pictures.

Random thoughts and questions

Why do waiters give a single woman dining alone less service than a single man? I tip more than single men do unless the waitress is a cute young thing.

why do people feel the need to "one up"?

why don't we do away with the primary system method of selecting who will be candidates for president? By the time the primaries are held in western states, many of the candidates have dropped out. Why not just have one election and do a runoff if needed.

why does stress make us eat?

speaking of eating ... my scaredy-cat actually caught a mouse last night...in our living room. ugh! this is the first mouse we've had in 17 years ... must be those people that just moved in next door ... brought it with them.

on the road ... I miss my husband and cats ... especially when waking up in the morning with them next to me

I worry some about my niece who is serving in the military.

Life is what it is.

Been a while

I realized recently that it had been a while since I blogged. It's not that I was busy with the holidays or anything. I just succumbed to the gray days of winter. I danced a gig on the Winter Solstice because that day meant that the days would be getting longer.

I had a wonderful retreat at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in California. A wonderful serene place surrounded on all sides by suburbia. The fires in California did not touch the inn very much ... just a few singes here and there. While there, my niece who lives in the area came to the inn for lunch. It was wonderful to see her. She moved to California with a friend and has no support system there, no family. I admire her bravery. She has a strong sense of self and is a confident young woman.

I was dismayed by the recent assassination of Bhutto. How sad a world is it in which a person's passion can lead to their death.