Odds and Ends

Life has been pretty boring lately. There isn't a lot to report. This weekend was quite mellow. We went to Bonefish Grill for dinner on Saturday. I had a free salad, which made me extremely happy. I was sick this week from school and Trinity got me the Florida Cobb Salad from Bonefish as a treat. When he delivered it to me we discovered that it was missing grilled chicken. That ingredient was key. I was miffed. After two phone calls with BG, and one offer for some poor schmuck to drive a new salad to my house, we settled on a freebie on our next visit. We cashed that in a mere four days later. We then headed downtown to The Ball and Biscuit, my favorite bar. We sat and laughed with Robeghan until 11:30. I can't believe I stayed out that late. It was a miracle. Notorious R.O.B. turns 30 on January 7th, so we spent a good deal of time talking about planning a Jay-Z style soiree. Okay, I totally made up that last part. I don't even know what that means. We just know we want to have a party. Details to follow on that, as my inner Colin Cowie kicks in.

This morning I felt a tad crummy again, so no church. No worries, though. We invited this guy to dinner:

That would be Pope John Paul II, or JPII as I like to call him.

Okay, we didn't actually have him, but we had his likeness, a rendering of his most holy pontiff if you will.

Oh, and those are Subway napkins. I take a ton at every fast food place I frequent. I have yet to purchase paper napkins in my life. Katie, as a McDonald's owner-operator calls this "stealing."

What is this you are asking? This, my friends, is a flask. It holds liquor. It is awesome. Everyone knows us Catholics are not into alcohol abstinence. We imbibe frequently. This wonderful creation belonged to my beloved Uncle Maurice, who has now been a Catholic priest for over 50 years. He is not a drinker, so JPII has been hiding some sweet Frangelico style liquor for like 30 years. My dad brought him to me and I claimed him as a wedding gift. I soaked him in soapy water for several hours and now he is empty. Empty except for the presence of the Holy Spirit, I mean. He joins at every meal, and we love him.

In the spirit of totally oddball topics, I got some love and affection from my local Kroger bag boy this afternoon. As I was about to pay, I noticed the young man who could have body/face doubled for Scooby Doo's Shaggy was gazing at me. Here was our conversation:

Bagger: So, I haven't seen you around campus. Are you a student at IUPUI?

Hot Betsy: No.

Bagger: Oh, where do you go to school?

Hot Betsy: Lincoln Elementary. I'm a teacher.

Bagger:Wow! Is this like your first year or something?

Hot Betsy: Actually, this is my 10th year. I'm 31 years old.

Bagger (astonished, embarrassed, stammering): Man, that's amazing! You can't be! I totally thought you were in college! That's cool that you look so young.

I gathered my items that he had bagged and flashed my youthful smile.

That, people, is how it's done.

I was sure to tell my husband that he was married to a hot coed.

Lastly, I had T video my affections towards Kashmir this week. She is so soft and fluffy, I can't resist her. Please witness how she literally bites my eye socket. She's so wonderful.

1980-1989: A Decade of Decadence and Pure Athleticism

Last night our friends Tim, Jamie, Jodi and Tyler hosted a 1980s Olympics Athletes Party. The entire event was very organized, with 3 main events. We competed in pairs in beer pong, darts and corn hole, all in the comfort of Jodi and Tyler's basement. When it comes to themed parties, my pals totally bring it.

Exhibit A: Tim aka as The Bomber aka Richie Tenenbaum. Tim paid homage to one of my favorite characters of all time. One of my favorite quotes from the movie, with Luke Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow-

Richie: You dropped some cigarettes.

Margot: Those aren't mine.

Richie: They just fell out of your pocket.

Tim had to do a lot of stretches to warm up.

So did Tyler and Nick. In fact, Richard Simmons encouraged us all to do a bit of stretching, pre competition.

Richard, Robby and I decided to have a little fun with the Slapshot. Tim got this for his 30th birthday, and it has made many appearances at events. 3 shot glasses=a communal shot taking experience.

Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff. Who could have predicted that those two former tennis stars would:

a. become bald, losing all evidence of that fabulous feathered hair (him)

b. get married

c. peddle overpriced watches together?

It must be said that this Head tennis warm up jacket is an original from my mother's closet. Back when I was growing up, mom had two major daily tasks. One was to go to the Tennis Bubble and play matches followed up by a leisurely lunch, and the other was to serve up pipin' hot tortilla chips with nacho cheese at the after school snack bar at Honey Creek Junior High School. Fortunately, the numerous Head tennis outfits she owned served both of these purposes efficiently. I was thrilled that despite the fact that neither of these tasks are currently part of her daily routine, she still hung on to a few warm up suits. They were stored neatly next to all of my prom dresses, Madame Alexander dolls and other such nonsense that she would love to unload somewhere other than her house.

Moving on...

Olivia Newton John encouraged us to get physical. Jodi did Jamie's bangs, and that special moment brought back some childhood memories for them!

Robeghan rocked the tennis player and downhill skier quite well.

Everyone looked awesome. However, none of us were prepared for the arrival of these two:

Ekaterina and Sergei

or

Steve and Allison

I had to google that darling couple from Russia who was married. I couldn't come up with their names last night, so we alternated between referring to Steve as Demetri and Brian Boitano.

Here's a close up of the woman's top he wore, along with eyeliner.

Lastly, I close with a video. I thought Rob was taking a picture, but he actually recorded me, Jamie and Meghan. This video had me laughing so hard. My voice and comment sounds like 3rd grade Betsy, and this has all of my signature dance moves, particularly the zip/unzip I like to do with dance partners. It also has a bit of Steve in it. This was taken after a Woodchuck Cider and 2 shots of Don Julio. That was enough for me.

Please pardon all of the creepy orbs in the pictures. I think I'll need to add Sony Carl Zeiss digital camera to my 2010 Christmas wish list.

Special Delivery from Craig and Shelli

This evening I arrived home and stepped outside to retrieve the mail. I had a package on my front door step from Big Feet Pajama Company. My first thought was that I didn't order anything from the Big Feet Pajama Company, but then I instantly thought of two friends who just might have ordered me something from the Big Feet Pajama Company.

Craig and Shelli

They are responsible for introducing us, so they get a lot of leeway when it comes to levels of ridiculousness. They are off the charts. I opened the package to discover that Trinity and I are now owners of red tartan plaid matching pajamas with footies. They snap up the front and even have a "drop seat" which means the butt has a velcro flap, Mr. Edwards style from Little House on the Prairie.

Craig knows my husband, and his dramatics about cold weather. He has heard Trinity bemoan the harshness of an Indiana winter. Craig did the only thing that a good friend can do when he knows his friend is skinny and always cold. He bought matching flannels for the newlyweds.

T wasted no time enjoying his evening mail opening routine whilst sporting his drop seat pajamas.

We then did a prom pose in our new gear.

Front row as a giantess in a group shot pose-

I was too late snapping this one. I tried to catch T as he headed out in his new duds and his Birkenstocks to get something from McDonald's. He was too quick for me. Thanks to our dearest pals, we now having matching Christmas jammies for our first Christmas morning together as a married couple. I also can look forward to seeing my husband wear this every evening from now until April. How can I ever repay you both?

An Ode to my BFF Jamie

This a a very, very belated birthday wish for my BFF Jamie. She actually turned 31 last Monday, but I haven't managed to post this until today. Happy Birthday, my dear friend. I can't believe it has been 8 years since we met.

In honor of her birthday and our lengthy friendship, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Jamie memories. We met back in 2003, when we were hired to share a first grade classroom. I'll never forget our first meeting. I walked into my new principal's office to meet the teacher who would be my other half. I was terribly nervous, and as we encountered one another for the first time I made some quick observations.

#1 This chick was thinner than me. Not cool.

#2 This chick was younger than me. Again, not cool. I was accustomed to being the young thing around school, and she bested me by 5 months.

The first impression was not looking good, since as a 23 year old, I wasn't the most mature and now can neither confirm nor deny that I was comparing myself to Jamie in every way.

As we talked and got to know one another over the next few months, I came to discover that Jamie was the perfect friend for me. She was kind, smart, and ever so fun to be around. Her husband was equally wonderful. We tooled around in our matching VW Passats, shared childhood tales of both being the middle child with an older sister and younger brother, and took turns buying our Starbucks chai tea lattes. Our wonderful friendship was so helpful professionally too. We complemented one another as teachers. For example, Jamie created bulletin boards, and I admired her work. I lost our students' permission slips to the zoo two years in a row, and Jamie figured out a way to tactfully ask parents to resign them without compromising my dignity. We were a grand team!

Over the past 8 years I have always thought of Jamie as somewhat flawless, since there isn't one thing about her that I don't love. Then I remember that every rose has its thorns, and Jamie is no exception. I will share one thing that may diminish your opinion of Jamie, as it always reminds me that no one is perfect.

Picture it, January 2004.

It was a cold day, folks. I believe snow was on the ground. Jamie looked darling for work that day, in a sweater, plaid wool pants and black flats. I walked into our classroom as she was bent over, putting some math books away in a lower cabinet. Peaking over the top of her like size 4 pants was a recognizable pantyhose seam. What? My head whirled. I spoke slowly. "Jamie, are you wearing pantyhose under those pants?" I stifled my gag reflex. "Yes, Bets, I am. I get cold and they keep me warm." I nearly died of a combination of disgust and laughter. She wasn't perfect. A) She wore pantyhose. B) She wore them under a pair of pants. Mind you, she was 24 at the time, not 82. I have never forgotten the tale of the dreaded pantyhose. Happy birthday, pal. I must close with a picture that captures Jamie perfectly! I love the laugh!

Unbelievable

That's how I would describe this book.

I initially heard about this riveting book a couple of weeks ago from The Today Show. I started reading it today, and I'm already 60% finished. How do I know my exact percentage? Well, as planned, my wish list proved to be quite rewarding. I received a Kindle on Monday, courtesy of iBob. It's not for Christmas, it's a "you're so lucky your father adores technology" gift.

I do love the Kindle. It seems to allow me to read even faster than I normally do, and I like to think of myself as a graduate of Speed Reading School. There is one drawback. After reading for like 2 hours straight, my eyes were a bit dried out and fatigued. I'm taking a break by utilizing anther techno screen object, my Macbook.

Room is so well written. The narrator is a 5 year old boy named Jack, who tells about his life. It becomes very clear after the first few pages, or several hundred words in Kindle speak, that he and his mother are imprisoned by a man known as Old Nick. The text is simply the dialogue between this boy and his mother. The language is particularly fascinating, as he has tried to personalize all of the objects in the room. It is also suspenseful and disturbing.

I have been in need of a book that I can't put down. In true Oprah style, I'm soliciting friends to read this. I would love to have a book discussion soon!

Trip to Durham

Trinity and I went to Durham, North Carolina to visit Courtney this past weekend. I lived there for 2 years right out of college, and had my first teaching job there. I have not visited Courtney there in several years. It had changed a lot since I was last there. We packed a lot of fun into a little bit of time.

Special K was overwhelmed by two suitcases.

The first stop straight from the airport was Moonlight Pizza in Raleigh. Bazbeaux has nothing on this place. I love it. I was a regular customer back in 2001.

Class from hell + gourmet pizza joint with a full bar=lots of visits from a stressed out first year teacher.

Courtney's boyfriend Nick really appreciated our order.

Note my pin. It was Halloween party day at school, so I wore a ghost pin with light up eyes. Spooky!

What? This is an Airstream Trailer that sells gourmet cupcakes? Let me just have a looksee inside...yes, I'll take one.

Dinner at Mount Fuji, also a new restaurant addition to me.

Get a room!

We had a picnic at the Duke Gardens, one of my favorite spots on campus. The grounds are so beautiful.

We had a picnic and played some serious Monopoly Deal. Its a quicky card version of Monopoly. I actually liked it. We probably played about 12 games over the weekend. I never won.

Tours of Duke University, courtesy of Miss Betsy, who never went there as a student, but still considers herself an expert.

Did you think I wouldn't pull out a fabulous pose?

Thanks, Court!

Halloween costumes

We headed to Franklin Street in Chapel Hill for the Halloween parade. There were people everywhere, and most of the costumes were awesome. Since Court and I are destined to be cat ladies, we took some inspiration from that, and I become a

Kitty Cat!

Court was a makeup whiz and painted me into a fantastic feline. Her artistry was great, but removing it was not. I had to wash my face like 18 times to get that greasy stuff off.

Nick was a weird tranny cowgirl. He wore some serious velour Juicy Couture. He was a total hit. Everyone loved him.

Twin kitties.

Miss Kitty and Julie, who was a bit tamer as a fallen angel.

T as a chicken with a kid dressed as Antoine Dodson. He's that crazy guy who was all over youtube after he was broadcast on a local news station discussing the attempted rape of his sister by a "dumb rapist."

Lastly, here is a video I took of the preparation phase. Note T's chicken feet tapping in time to the music.