My Son Has Become A Morning Person

Where did I go wrong?  For most of my life, I was a night owl.  Well, ok, I could be considered a morning person, if you stretch the definition to early morning, as in going out for coffee at 2am morning person.  But waking up anytime before 8, I don't want to think about. 

And I know what I'm missing - for several years there, because I carpooled to work with Roger, I had to be out the door by 6 am.  It was my own little version of hell.  Sure, it was nice to be at the office with no one around to bug me as I sullenly slid into my work routine, but it wasn't worth missing the velvety embrace of Morpheus another couple of hours.

But now - my little Teutonic terriorist has decreed that he likes mornings.  And it's not enough for him to be up...  his mama must be up.  He's gone so far as to go wake up my mother, so that she can come wake me up.  His father can be up and around and perfectly willing to snuggle/feed/play with him, but that's not enough - he's still going to be stalking up and down the length of the bed, whining at me, and occasionally climbing Mt Midori-mama just to get me up and dressed and out into the living room where he can climb back into my lap... and fall asleep. 

Has anyone found the location of the snooze button on a miniature dachshund?  Let me know if you have...

Memory Well: Mother/Daughter Dynamic

Just saw a Red Carpet interview with Dakota Johnson and Melanie Griffith - of course, the interviewer went there and asked M about whether or not she had seen 50 Shades of Gray, and there was much discomfort... 

Reminded me of many years back.  A good friend of mine was into photography, and managed to convince several of us to dress up in elaborate garden party hats and jewelry (and nothing else) and have Victorian high tea in a cedar hot tub (complete with Davey in a tux jacket and speedo as the butler.)  They were lovely pictures - sepia toned, nothing explicit, and I was proud of my part in them.  For Mother's Day, I gave Mother a nicely framed shot, along with the hat.

She looked at it, and didn't say much, other than "Is that you?"   Until about 15 minutes later, when she popped up with "You know, if you were anyone but my daughter, I would love this."  Somehow, I think that's probably where Melanie Griffith is at. 

Incidentally, my friend went on to put his pictures up on the web on his website - and well he should,they were lovely and very artistic - but that's just another reason why I couldn't run for President - naked pictures of me exist somewhere on the internet.  What can I say, I was a trailblazer. 

The End of an Era

Rowdy, the Bingo Moose

Back in the 90s, when Roger and I first started dating, we went to play Bingo at Sunset Bingo Parlor over in Beaverton.  We figured it would be a cheap date - an entire evening's entertainment for (basically) $10.  He even got a $50 bingo, so it was all good - until I hit for a $1,000 jackpot.  That was it.  We were hooked. 

Over the course of about 10 years, we went regularly enough that the staff at Sunset all knew our names - heck, if I ended up going alone, they'd ask about Roger.  Rowdy (up there in the picture) was our mascot and good luck piece.  Good enough luck that we ended up buying him his own motorcycle (that was the night that I won both $1,199 blackouts for the evening - he earned that Harley.) 

But things always change.  We moved away to the east side of Portland, and started going less and less.  Moose the dachshund came along, and it was more fun hanging around with him than with the stuffed moose.  Hank the tumor came along and made it harder for me to get out and do things.  House payments made inroads on our entertainment budget.  We'd still get out there for special occasions, or when family was in town and wanted to play, but it wasn't as frequent.   

Last night, we decided to spend Valentine's Day at the hall - I know, it may not sound romantic to you, but Roger and I have never been a normal couple.  It was a chance to wear the new earrings he bought me.  However, when we got there, the place was plastered with notices that they were closing down the location and moving - we managed to get there on the second to the last night they would be there. 

We enjoyed the night - everyone still knew our name, the diner had a pulled pork special that was delicious, I got to yell "Bingo" (although my number was in the monitor twice on other games- I know, I shouldn't be greedy, but still...)  It was a little bittersweet, though.  We fell in love going to that hall.  It was a home, of sorts.  Even though we left, it's a little sad knowing that it's not going to be there anymore...

Memory Well: I Put A Spell On You

This is another of my reverse Bucket List posts - memories that make me smile and remind me that I've had a pretty good life.

Back in the 90s, before the implosion of the Drive In Theater industry, my friends and I used to pile into several cars (including my Bondage Bunny Mobile) and head out to the Foster Drive In.  We'd all get there early, park in a group, exchange various smuggled comestibles (and popcorn/hot dogs/ nachos from the shack because this was back before you had to take out a mortgage to buy a tub of greasy popcorn.)  Anyway, we'd make a night of it.

One night, we got there, and there was someone blasting his radio, playing really bad rap music at ultra club intensity.  I was there with the usual crowd, including Abe.  Abe was interesting - he occasionally sang in a band, and did the saddest slowed down version of "I Guess You're Just What I Needed" I've ever heard - and he also had the pipes to take on this dude's speakers.  Not sure who exactly started it, but he had our entire group doing the "da da da do do do" backup for him, while he screamed out "I Put A Spell On You".  It was a thing of beauty...


Silence descended on the drive in (well, other than Abe and the Abe-ettes) and for two minutes, the place was mesmerized.  He sang the last sentence.... there were crickets... and then that damn rap started up again.  Oh, well... you can't win them all. 

Sleep Apnea Issues

So, I have sleep apnea.  I've got pretty severe sleep apnea - I finally gave in and got my BiPap machine even though it made me claustrophobic when I realized I was falling asleep at red lights.  When I was the driver.  Turns out that I stop breathing around 70 times an hour when I sleep, so any sleep I get without the machine is pretty much useless.

On the whole, I love my machine - it keeps me breathing, it's relatively quiet, and it lets me creep out Roger by saying "I find your lack of faith in the force... disturbing" in a James Earl Jones/Darth Vader voice.  But when your head is a flaming ball of mucus and your life essence is trying to escape out your nose, it gets pretty disgusting, pretty fast.  Oh, and since this stupid cold has turned me into a mouth-breather, in addition to the mucus, there's a substantial amount of drool involved.  So, I'm up at 3:16 in the morning, waiting for the drugs to kick in so I can go back to sleep without drowning in my own fluids.  But at least now, I don't have to be the only one with that image in my head.  Good night, all...