For the life of me I just can’t seem to microwave popcorn

It always ends up burnt so in my household Mini Red does the microwaving of popcorn.

On Saturday as I was walking into Bloom a little boy chased after me.

“Excuse me, excuse me. You wanna buy some popcorn?”

Here is where I would normally say politely, “Not today thank you.”

I don’t know why I didn't stick with my usual. Maybe it was because he was so cute and working so hard to sell his popcorn for his Cub Scout troop. Maybe I was just surprised they were selling popcorn. So I told him I would check it out on my way out.

I am a woman of my word and I was regretting telling him I would stop on my way out. I briefly debated walking out the other door and ditching him but I gave my word. So when I walked out I went right over to their table. It was two little boys and their Moms were standing behind them directing them.

When he said popcorn I didn’t think it would be microwave popcorn but I bought a box because it was for a good cause and Mini Red loves popcorn. The box was $15 so I handed the little boy a $20 but first he had to write it down on his list. His Mom was in the back telling him to take the money and write it down later. She then prodded him to give me my change of $5. You could see the wheels turning in his head as he contemplated this and didn’t want to give me change. After about the third prodding by his mother to give me the five he handed it to me and I thanked them for the popcorn and headed off.

I’m not a big microwave popcorn person but I was glad to help them out. I probably would never have even bought the popcorn if the boy hadn’t been forthright and approached me. I have to admire him for that.

So today, Sunday, I have been working all day… Again. I decided to try popping up some pop corn. I now remember the other thing I don’t like about it… It smells up the whole place. I only burned a little of it and the day is so nice that my windows are all open. The popcorn was good and Mini Red would be so proud. At least some of it was edible but in the future I think I will leave it to her.

Just a regular Fall Saturday

This is the first weekend in a long time that I don’t have anything to do. Summer is over so no beach trips and I needed to do some grocery shopping but that’s about it… No plans and Mini Red is off at her Dad’s

Friday, I put in a 14 hour work day and by the time I left I just wanted a beer so I headed home, had a beer and went to sleep. I wanted to sleep in but as soon as the sun comes up I tend to be up too. So I chilled out before heading out to drop off items at the donation site and then off to the grocery store.

The grocery store seemed to be busy but not crazy and carts were even available. I headed towards the berries, which are a must for my morning oatmeal. There was a dude stacking fresh berries. I stepped up an apologized for messing up his great stacking job as I leaned in for some blackberries. He said, “No! Not those! Take these, they’re better.”

I leaned in again to grab some raspberries and again he took what I had grabbed and gave me what he called better ones. He then said, “You gotta look WOMAN! Maybe you need someone to help you shop.” Ya gotta love the crazy berry stacking dude.

This was a great way to start this trip and I couldn’t help but smile as I saw this guy interact with other passing people. I took my time and moseyed through the store marking off items on my list. It was nice to be able to just take my time and not rush. When I got in line a manager came up and moved me to an open line but it was the express line and I had more than 15 items. I pointed it out to him but he said it was ok. I like this calm taking my time stuff I think it makes my aura much happier and affects people around me.

Now that I think about it everyone was happy and chatty today. Even the dude at the donation drop off place but then again maybe he was just happy I didn’t run him over, which I could have done. When I moved to the express line at the grocery store I offered to let this elderly couple go in front of me but they waved me on. The elderly woman even helped out by handing me items from my cart to put on the belt. After I paid I leaned over and thanked her for her help and she had a great big smile.

My plan was to head home and put the groceries away and I was trying to decide if I was gonna go see The Kingdom or go get a manicure/pedicure but Ra called. So I whipped up a broccoli salad and headed over to the Ra household.

They had other friends over and hanging out too. This was a couple they had recently met at Temple and they have a 5 year old daughter. When I arrived the kids were playing on the trampoline. We were a bit nervous about the kids getting too close to the edge so I suggested they do “Ring Around the Rosie” in the center. They sand and then all fell down and giggled. Ra’s youngest popped up and said he wanted to do it again. Well he said it in his own way and the new friend was surprised I knew what he said because she didn’t understand him. I love that I know him well enough to know what he is saying.

Ra’s hubby Gurp cooked and we opened a bottle of Fat Bastard and we all hung out as we casually ate. It was so nice, not-to-mention rare, to feel so comfortable with new people.

I was the first to leave and hated to go but I could feel how tired I was from my toes to my head. I got hugs from everyone even the little girl. Ra walked me out and I told her how much I liked this family.

On my drive home I was thinking about my friendship with Ra and her family. She and I have had our moments where we have gone months without talking due to some disagreement but that doesn’t happen anymore. We are both stubborn and hard headed and our friendship just keeps getting stronger. I have learned so much from her and I’m so glad to have her and her family. They have taught me to open up and trust. Gurp has become a really good friend too and he even brought back a little something for Mini Red and me from his trip to Bahrain. The boys look up to Mini Red like a big sister and I love that they call me Auntie.

It turned out to be a great day and I learned to just sit back and chill out, which was desperately needed. I can’t wait to do it again but next time I’m getting a turn on the trampoline.

Ever just feel like Cod?

Last night Mini Red had swimming and I had work to do so once we got home neither of us felt like making our lunches for Wednesday. I didn’t let on but I was more than happy to oblige since I’ve been having a hankering for Cod and Chips from Eamonn’s.
I just love this place! The food is good, inexpensive, they have beer and their fried snickers will cure what ails you as I proved to a few stressed girls in the office just the other week.

There was a time when I would go out to lunch everyday but it hurt my wallet and I wasn’t appreciating what's around me here in Old Town Alexandria. Plus all I was eating were salads from Cosi and I was there so often that they would start making my salad as I walked through the door. I guess I’m a creature of habit. My first visit to Eamonn’s was quite a bit after it had opened and when I walked in the Hot Young’un behind the counter said “Ohhh you’re cheating on Cosi!” That's because he used to work there.

For some reason this dude always remembers me and always asks where I've been. I guess the red hair makes me stick out like a sore thumb. I do have to say that the hot young’uns all patronize this place so I don’t mind placing my order and hanging out to wait. It’s well worth it.

So if you’re in Old Town you need to stop by Eamonn’s and try some Cod. The Chesapeake Tartar is the best one and tell 'em Red sent ya.

This is what I love about Maryland

Chase (Sis's dude) sent me this ad from You Tube.

Right to the point.

This isn't how Martha Stewart would do it

During the holidays, and I’m talkin Christmas, you’ll see people go and put wreaths on the grille of their vehicles. This isn’t something I tend to get into. I don’t even like to put stickers of any kind on my car cause I like it just the way it is.

Well... the holidays are approaching, and I’m talkin Halloween. I got a bug up my butt to put a decoration on my car but I want to make sure it won’t hurt my car in any way and I’m not sure how to do this. I’m gonna need some help but before I could make the call my buddy Wes called to tell me he’s been re-hired after the layoffs we had.

Wes is a handy dude to be friends with since fun for him is converting vehicles to run on used vegetable oil or anything that requires use of a backhoe. Thank goodness is wife doesn’t mind lending him out now and again.

After chatting about him coming back to "The Company" I tell him my idea. How Mini Red and I were hanging in Rite Aid checking out all the Halloween stuff and a styrofoam skull caught my attention. That’s when it hit me and I decided I want to affix a skull to the hood or grille of my car in celebration of Halloween. He’s laughing so I’m getting the vibe he loves my idea. I figure this skull might help me out driving through D.C. and maybe everyone will get outta my way for fear of their skulls joining the one already on my hood. I probably need one on the rear of the car too and maybe the tailgaters will stop riding my ass. Especially around National Airport where the speed limit is 40 mph and everyone goes at least 60 mph so I tend to just move to the right and let them pass.

So I digressed… We discuss if styrofoam is the best option and able to withstand the elements and how are we gonna affix this without leaving any marks or scratches on my car. Plus I’m concerned the skull could come loose and fly up into my windshield. He said he would come by and check out the skull and we can plan how we’re gonna achieve this.

In the meantime, a/k/a the weekend, I found a better skull at Target that’s made for indoor/outdoor use. This one is plastic and looks more realistic too!
Tuesday, Wes stopped by the office and we went to the garage with the skull. The original idea of cutting off the back for a better fit will work with this skull too and all we need are some nylon ties to hook it in the center of the front grilles right over the Pontiac symbol. He was gonna take the skull so he can use the equipment at his other job to cut off the back of the skull and holes will need to be made in the side for the nylon straps. I’m still concerned about possible scratching from where the skull will be cut so he’s gonna soften the edges with some sort of tape unless he comes up with a better idea.

When the holiday is over I just need to snip the straps and store the skull away for next year. Ahh next year… Maybe we can make the eyes light up by then?

The skull should be in place by next week so keep and eye out for me and if ya see me honk and wave.

The Ray Lewis Photoshop Challenge

Hammer from Throwing Hammers had another Photoshop Challenge.

This time I participated. I can't match the imagination of these dudes but at least I gave it a shot. I think next time I need to throw down a few beers to chill me out before sitting down to put something together.

I think my favorite is Ray Lewis with the Civil War Reenactors. Great Job you guys I have a lot to learn from you

Check out the results.

The devil was cast out and it was FM!

Last weekend was a big weekend, Little Man was baptized therefore cleansing his soul and casting the devil out.

Sil had a bunch of relatives trek down from Connecticut for the big event. Her cousin Kate is one of my favorite people and always has a funny story of the odd things that happen to her.

My favorite story was Kate’s trip to the post office when she was living in Long Island several years ago. Sil’s brother, The Officer, is often overseas due to his job in the military. Kate had gone to mail him a package and at the time she was about 8 months pregnant with her third child.

She got to the counter and as the clerk was processing her package she put two and two together, or so she thought, and suddenly was loudly saying “Ohh maa Gawd!”

Kate was startled and didn’t understand what was going on. Until the clerk continued (in a thick Long Island accent), “He’s gonna miss the berth of the baby. Ohh maa Gawd!”

Kate didn’t know how to get a word in to even stop her as the clerk continued, “I’m gonna pray fer you. I’m gonna pray fer you and I’m gonna pray fer da baaby and I’m pray fer da faather. Ohhh maa Gawd!”

She then hollered to another clerk, “SYLVIA! Look at dis. She’s pregnant and da faather is fightin fer our country and gonna miss the berth. I’m gonna pray fer dem. I’m gonna pray fer hur and I’m gonna pray fer da baby and I’m gonna pray fer da faather. Ohh maa Gawd!”

Then Sylvia chimed in and pointing to Kate and her belly and the package, “Ohh maa Gawd! Don’t worry dear I’m gonna pray fer you too! I’m gonna pray fer you and I’m gonna pray fer da baby and I’m gonna pray fer da faather. It's gonna be OK.”

At this point if Kate could even get a word in she was afraid to burst their bubble. She knew immediately she could never go in that post office again let alone send any packages to The Officer from there.

One of the best things about Kate’s stories is how animated she gets and her impersonations of these Long Island women. She had us in stitches for most of the weekend.

Sunday morning was the baptism and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in attendance for a baptism. We were all a little surprised how the priest explained one set of prayers which are prayers used in exorcisms. He said, “Exorcisms do happen and baptism is the first step in protecting our souls from the devil. It’s very likely a baby could have the devil in him so we need to cast it out as part of the baptism.” I could see Sil and Brotha Man look at each other a little surprised and Brotha Man even mentioned it later when we were all back at The Folks for a bite to eat.

After the baptism we all were hanging around in the church chatting before heading to The Folks. I was talking to Cousin P and his parents, Uncle P and Aunt D. Cousin P was telling us about this google text thing where you send a question to 466453, e.g. for directions or movie times, and you get a text back with the information. He had used it the night before to get directions and was glad he had it. He then said, “It was FM!”

Uncle P and Aunt D were nodding in agreement and turned to me and said, “Do you know what FM is?”

“Nope.”

Aunt D tells me when she first met Uncle P she had sold him a computer. This was way back when computers used those 8 inch floppy drives and you had to format them before you could use them. So Aunt D types in FM at the prompt and Uncle P says, “What does FM stand for?”

Aunt D replied, “Fucking Magic!”

Uncle P and Aunt D soon started dating, got married and had three kids that are now grown… FM!

FM has become a staple phrase in their family and those around them. This is an easy phrase to adopt and can fit so many situations, but maybe we shouldn't be using this language in the house of God. We all looked around to see if anyone had overheard our conversation and we moved on out of there.

Eileen was complaining Friday at the HH that I need to post more often and she has been looking for a new post all week. See Eileen I have finally posted. FM!

Deciphering the photos on Match.com

The summer’s over and Mini Red is off at her Dad’s. I did some happy hour time with a few friends Friday in Old Town. I guess these types of weekends are the ones that can make you feel lonely. You know… no one to hang out with. So I found myself perusing Match.com. This is something I could never do again after all the scary dates I got from there.

All these men say such similar things but you can’t help but look at the photo and just move on. The plethora of photos is amazing and no one realizes there is a rule to this type of thing. I see the same thing over and over. Don’t they realize the message they’re sending with these photos?

No Shirt: Please cover it up I would rather find out for myself.

With Kids: You are exploiting your kids or someone else’s. Do you think you’re some politician?

With Women: I don’t want to see every woman you have slept with or not slept with. This just tells me you won’t be real and you're just a player.

With Old People: Ok so these may be your parents or just some old people you rented but again you are exploiting them too and again you're not a politician.

Scenery: WTF? I’m trying to find out what you look like and if we might look good together or even make good looking kids. What is the point of these photos? Does this mean you bring the camera to the bedroom too? Kinky!

With a Group: Which one are you? I guess this means you have lots of friends/family or is it just a cult? Hey your friend is hot maybe you can introduce me to him.

Possessions: Ok so you have a nice Car/Motorcycle/Boat are you trying to use that as a ploy to nab a chick? “Pick me I have money and toys” but do you really have them? I don’t see you in some of these photos either.

Travel shots: This isn’t shutterfly and you don’t need to post ALL your photos from your most recent trip 10 years ago.

Women can be very similar in how they post. I went and checked them out too cause I’m curious as to who is posting out there.

In Bikini: Yeah I know the dudes love this kinda stuff and because they love it this must be why they post themselves shirtless. I think I just screams “I’m horney have sex with me NOW!” Ok so there’s nothing wrong with that but have some tack ladies.

The Poses: This can be comical e.g. the poses that are set up to look natural, the hair flipped and the coy looks, straddling a motorcycle.

Glamour Shots: Hello! You took those ten years ago when you were 50 lbs lighter. When you see that look of surprise on the dude’s face when you meet for the first time it isn’t because you look hot.

With Kids: If a woman poses with kids or more likely a baby it means she wants one bad. Her clock is ticking and she is looking for a clock repair man.

The men and women both posts similarly and because they know if the picture is good then maybe someone will read what they have to say, which is all the same too. “Oh I’ve never done this online thing before”, “I can’t believe I’m doing this” or “I finally decided to try this match thing”.

It’s not easy putting yourself out there for possible ridicule or through awful dates. Kudos for those of you who keep trying online and find something out there, Mini Red’s Dad met his wife on there. I’ve found it’s just not for me.

The Tooth Fairy Goofed

I was cleaning and organizing my email and came across this email:

From : Tooth Fairy
Sent : Wednesday, September 8, 2004 4:55 PM
To : reddudette@hotmail.com
Subject : Mini Red's Tooth Transportation

Dear Ms. Dudette,

Thank you for your email concerning Mini Red’s Tooth Pickup. We are sorry the tooth wasn't picked up last night. We understand that this caused Mini Red some distress this morning. We are happy to hear she at least found her money.

The Tooth Fairy for your area had a busy night last night and every time she came to pick up the tooth Mini Red was still awake. This in turn made for a speedy drop off of her money and The Fairy missed picking up the tooth.

At this point we ask that Mini Red place the tooth under her pillow again this evening at bedtime. Please ask Mini Red to try and get to sleep as early as possible since for some reason this is a busy time for us.

Thank you for your patience at this busy time.

-Southern Montgomery County Tooth Fairy Division

Obviously, I had goofed up one night and had to do something to help her keep the faith. So I created the yahoo account and sent this email. Mini Red read it and read it again before asking where the email was that I had written to them since she didn’t see it below this one. I played it off well and that was out of selfishness.

See once I was old enough not to partake in such events along came Brotha-Man and Sis. I took over many of the duties of setting things up to look like we were visited in the night by one fairy or another. At Easter I even bit off part of the napkin and Brotha-Man had gotten such a kick out of it think the Easter Bunny was so hungry that he ate some of the napkin. As Brotha-Man and Sis became old enough not to partake I had Mini Red and this became even more fun with her. So at the time I goofed up this situation with the Tooth Fairy Mini Red was questioning me heavily and with a spotlight in my face. I wasn’t ready to give this up so I needed to get inventive.

Now here we are three years later and I know Mini Red doesn’t believe like when she was little but it goes without saying that she must keep up the façade for Mamma Red.

Just a regular evening at home with The Reds

Somehow the TV ended up on the show The Power of 10 with Drew Carey.

The questions are great and some are very thought provoking.

Some of the questions:

What percentage of American women wear a thong on a regular basis? 12%

What percentage of Americans have left work for some “afternoon delight”? 25%

What percentage of Americans believe they have found their soul mate? 62%

I'm suprised at these percentages.

Next week one of the questions is:

What percentage of Americans would admit they are a homosapien? Or something to that effect. I turned that question to Mini Red and she had no idea what a homosapien is. I suggested she google it.

She came back and said she still didn’t know what it was so I went to the computer and googled it and clicked on wikipedia and that just gave you two choices: Homosapien or Human. When I clicked on Human Mini Red threw her arms up blocking the screen and screamed, “OH! It’s a PENIS! Jeeze Mom!” I nearly fell over laughing.

What’s your 9/11 story?

Everyone has their own 9/11 story to tell. Last year I told mine. I sat down to read it again last night and no matter how much I would like that day to be put behind us I realize we must never forget. Every American’s life was changed that day. Lugi did a post remembering 9/10, which reminded me how different our lives are now. We can never again let our guard down and the smallest things we would have never noticed before are now alerts to grave possibilities.

I’ve found I’m fascinated hear people’s stories. If you’ve posted your story leave me the link in the comments so I can read it.

The Mammas escaped for a night out on the town

Friday was an evening of several Blogger Happy Hours. Gunfighter was hosting one in Arlington and I’m sorry I missed it but location and timing was not on my side. I was able to make the other Blogger HH thanks to Ra and her Hubby.

Before I get to that I promised Ra that I would give an update. Not too long ago I was upset with her and blogged about it. We have been good friends for some time and so I went to her because I decided that I didn’t want to lose the friendship. Seems we had a series of misunderstandings one of which was when I thought she hung up on me when in reality she was dealing with a screwy airline and at the counter at the time. Ra and I have had our differences over the years and we have both had our moments of stubbornness but I think that is what defines true friends. True friends can have misunderstandings and disagreements and still come together and discuss it openly.

So after work Mini Red and I headed to Columbia. Mini Red was gonna hang with Mr. Ra and help him with the boys who are 5 and 2. Ra hadn’t been out like this in quite some time. We arrived at Mad Hatters and I was pleasantly surprised to recognize quite a few people. Before diving in I decided to grab a drink especially since diving into such a social situation can be a bit difficult for me. As my beer was arriving Kassy saw me and came over. She has been taking some time off to pursue her dream of writing and let me tell ya I don’t think I’ve ever seen this chick seem so happy and content at where she is in her life at this moment. If you’re read this Chef… You’re a good man!

Then VK saw me from the other end of the bar and threw me a sexy look. Yes, the old MILF is representing and I love the new look of your blog. I soon noticed I-66 had appeared and we caught up before he was off to grab Arjewtino and help settle a question of mine. Now I’m not one to ask for a link but I had to wonder if Arjewtino was mad at me since he hadn’t linked to me when he moved to his new url. He just hugged me a few more times and promised to fix it Monday. He fixed it and also gave me a blogger report card grade of a C+. I think that should be upped considering his oversight caused me so much heartache plus the law (and common sense) keeps me from bringing Mini Red to a bar.

I met so many new people too: INPY was telling me of his favorite post of mine and how Mini Red flipped me off. I didn’t have the heart to tell him she didn’t. Plus she would have been in deep doo doo if she had. I also got to finally meet VVK and that is one tall dude. I have also found some new blogs to check out… Starting Today… and Just Going with It

As always it was good to see Pat from DC Blogs before he snuck out of there since the crowd was getting rowdy. As I was chatting it up there were some drums being played on my back by none other than Throwing Hammers. I promptly asked for the jacket that was promised since I was now in the Photoshop Club. He has promised an upcoming Photoshop challenge and I’m game to see what he comes up with. The night was topped of with an appearance by Joe, who is one of my favorite bloggers to hang out with.

The night was a blast and it was great to see everyone. Thanks for a great time and I’m anxiously awaiting the date of the next one in hopes I can make it.

What is this world coming to? Everyone should just go naked

Southwest pulled Kyla Ebbert off a flight because ONE passenger complained of her skirt being too short! WTF!

The Story from CNN.

I fear our country is forgetting that we are "Land of the Free" when crap like this happens.

I'm flying to Chicago next month and maybe I should just fly naked! At least I won't be flying Southwest.

Labor Day weekend at the Beach

The end of last week had me grumpy and I even had second thoughts about going to the beach. I couldn’t stay home though because it would have been depressing. I was down, partly, because it seemed there was no way I could make it in time for happy hour. So in an attempt to get to the beach as soon as possible I offered to drop Mini Red at her Dad’s. The drive to her Dad’s seemed to have the most traffic and in total I spent over four hours trying to get to the beach. My saving grace was The Folks got a bushel of crabs and it was ready and waiting for me when I got there. I took a pull from the kegerator and copped a squat to enjoy the feast.

After crabs I put fresh sheets on the beds and climbed in with Harry Potter… The book not the boy. I was near the end and dying to finish so I could be an all knowing Harry Potter reader. The problem is I couldn’t keep my eyes open but I fought it until I could fight no more. When I finally turned the lights out I could feel my eyes shaking due to fighting to keep them open.

Saturday, we were all up at a reasonable time. Dad and I made egg sandwiches for everyone and we needed to be across the street by 10 for our 10:30 appointment to rent wave runners. The last time I did this I drove and Dad was on the back. This time Mom was driving and I was on the back. Plus this time we didn’t have to make our way through the channel, which was a bit frightening for a first timer. We got out to the marked area for our hour of fun. Mom would take off but then stop rather quickly because she couldn’t see a thing due to all the water in her face. So I took her sunglasses and put them on so she could try without the sunglasses but that was worse and her eyes were burning from the bay water. We decided to trade places and let me have a shot at driving. The switch was a bit scary when Ma stood up but we made the switch without her falling in. It took some getting used to especially with all the water splashing in my face. At first I think Ma was a bit scared because I would turn my head to protect my face from the oncoming water. This way I would have at least one good eye at all times but the water was so choppy I had to just shake it off and keep going knowing that as we went faster we would skim the top of the waves and there would be less water in the face. I mean talk about multitasking: Water in the face, oncoming boats and various water vehicles, making sure Ma didn’t fly off oh and the buoys. We had to stay within these four buoys that were our parameters, which seemed to be a large area at first but when you get going you had to stop because you reached the end. It didn’t take me long to get the hang of it and I would take off because I wanted to see how fast I could get this thing going. The problem is Ma would start laughing so hard, which would get me laughing and a wave would hit and I would swallow a ton of water which would make me laugh more. Or we would just get laughing so hard I would have to stop. I was so determined to get up to at least 40mph that I would lean forward and grit my teeth and hold on tight and just push it. Meanwhile, Mom was hanging on for dear life and when we would go flying we would both lift off the seat and she would scream for me to stop. Oh my, I have tears running down my face as I type this.

Knowing that there wasn’t much time left Ma and I switched so she could have a whirl in the drivers seat again. I was nervous with her driving and I tried not to be an annoying backseat driver. When time was up Ma drove us back in and as they helped us park the wave runner Ma hollered to Dad that she was ready to buy one. When we got on dry land all four of us realized how sore we were and we were shaking. Every muscle was used from the hands and arms to drive and steer as well as legs and hips for just holding on.

We got back to the condo and decided to pull out the left over crabs for lunch but first I had to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It didn’t take me long to finish and I was able to enjoy the end without having heard any spoilers. When I sat down to eat crabs it wasn’t as easy as usual because I was so sore right down to my fingertips.

Ma headed off to the craft show at the Convention Center but the walk back proved difficult after the day’s events. Dad needed to get a new cable box because the one he had was acting up and it was a weekend of football. Dad was in heaven: beach, football, beer and family. Only something was missing… Brotha Man, Sil and Little Man. I guess that makes three things missing. Brotha Man and Sil haven’t made it to the beach at all this summer but they had something better going on… they have been having fun with their new Little Man.

So as Ma and Dad headed off to do their own thing Sis, Chase and I headed to Seacrets. Instead of sitting at or near the water we were able to procure some seats at one of the bars and smack dab in front of a couple of TV’s so we could watch the VA Tech / ECU game. Seal, a friend of Brotha Man and Godfather to Little Man, showed up carrying his version of a man purse and not like a beach bag either. We teased him but he took it well because he had necessities to carry like his inhaler, which is very important and you would understand if you saw all the hot chicks in bikinis. Seacrets was crazy busy and there was so much going on and each of us were doing our own thing.

Sis and I ventured around and found Teacher had arrived and he quickly got going to the tune of “Dude looks like a Lady” while wearing a woman’s top/dress no less. The women, the drunken women, just flock to him. We once saw an older, wrinkly drunk woman in a bikini attacking him and he had to have his boys help save him from the Cougar.
The great thing about Seacrets is you will find all kinds of interesting people and they tend to loose their inhibitions. Let’s take for example the dude who looks like he had portions of his chest waxed just like in “The Forty Year Old Virgin”. I think he noticed me taking pictures and that’s when he put his shirt on. I didn’t feel bad because if you put it out there then you need to deal with it or else don’t put it out there.
Back at the bar a dude came up to asking the bartender a question and he got all pissy when the bartender said he couldn’t hear him because the blender was running. It wasn’t long before the guy was back and standing behind me still being a jack ass to the bartender. This time the bartender said something and the pissy dude finally understood and apologized. The third time the guy came back he said something to me and asked why I was giving him the eye. I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about but when he mentioned the rift between him and the bartender I said, “Oh you’re the one being a jack ass to the bartender. Beware cause I’m his body guard.” He took my ribbing well and we chatted for a bit. I found out he is Sam the Palestinian from Bethesda and he had this booger in his nose. The booger was still there when he came back later but there is no way I could have said anything. I hate when that shit happens and you can’t help but just stare at it with a fear he might laugh and shoot it on you.

More friends of Sis showed up and Seal and friend left. It was interesting to watch the people sitting around the bar since they seemed older. I found it interesting that some of these women would get so done up to sit at a bar in the afternoon when so many are nearly naked. It must be their age, which is right around my age I would guess. I was so opposite of them because I think I had all of mascara on. I had taken a shower after the wave runners but didn’t wash my hair which was up in a ponytail and I had my visor on. I wore some of my shorter shorts and a tank top and Sis and Chase tell me I was hit on a lot. Chase said I was the flame and they were the moths. I didn’t remember it being like that but there was this other man who was sitting next to us and joining in on our conversations. He made comments on my pink toes and I think he even asked for my number a few times. He was a nice enough guy but since I had been drinking it was easier to thwart his advances.

I had reached my limit of alcohol so I got some water and ventured around Seacrets on my own. This is when I came upon the Sexual Position Competition. The rules were: two people of the opposite sex were to link arms back-to-back. They had to dance like this and when the music stopped they had to find another person of the opposite sex and get in a sexual position. The better the creativity the longer you lasted in the competition. The winners got t-shirts and maybe a little turned on and I got some great photos.

I headed back to where Sis and Chase were and they were surprised to see me. Sis thought for sure I had left since I was gone so long. At this point I was done and I wasn’t gonna drink anymore so I left and headed back to the Condo. The Folks weren’t there and I figured they were at Macky’s. So as I was trying to decide my next move I sent a drunk text before I headed off to bed. When in doubt catch up with your sleep… right?

I woke up around 11:30pm with a nice headache and Sis and Chase walked in shortly thereafter from their night out at another bar after Seacrets. I was wishing I hadn’t sent that text message so I made sure I deleted all traces of that phone number. I’m not such a hard ass not to believe in second chances but if he’s interested he will let me know because recent events show he still has my number. Anyhow, an inebriated Chase and I sat down and he got all serious talking about the attention I seemed to attract today and what is it with guys. He hit the nail on the head when he asked if I thought dudes get put off because I’m a Mom. At this point I changed the subject because last year at the beach after an evening at one of the bars Chase was telling me what a great job I’m doing with Mini Red and he Sis and I had the drunk tears going on. I wasn’t about to let that happen again so instead my thoughts turned to another kind of sadness: the summer at the beach was over and this is the first summer in quite a few years that I didn’t get thrown in the pool by YDH.

It was a beautiful weekend and I'm sad to see the summer go.

I know it's a school night but I went out anyway

Tonight I had the opportunity to go out to the 9:30 Club. I hadn't been there in way too many years and I won't let it be that long again.

Some friends had an extra ticket to check out The Editors and lemme tell ya I'm digging this band.

Three bands played tonight and we missed Ra Ra Riot but we caught Biffy Clyro. Biffy Clyro's first song caught me off guard since they are more of a bang your head type group but they quickly grew on me.

We thought for sure we would be the oldest ones in the place but found we fit in perfectly.

Labor Day Parade in Kensington

2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the Labor Day Parade in Kensington. It has definitely grown since then and my family has it traditional corner where they sit on Connecticut Avenue. As Mini Red and I headed to the family spot we picked up a friend of hers… a BOY! Oye!

When we got to the corner I bumped into a lot of old friends and family and family friends. I love seeing everyone since this is the only time I see some of them.

The parade was great and had a little bit of everything:

After the parade everyone headed into town to get something cold to drink or a bite to eat. There was the usual fanfare and I headed straight for the crab cakes. As I walked further down I noticed the parade was still going and making its way back into town. I was heading right into the thick of things. Once the parade was over there were a lot of people and I was unsure I could fight through them so I waited until the majority had passed. I couldn’t imagine the center of town getting any more crowded then it was when I was there and I was glad I was on my way out.

I don’t think I have ever seen so many people at the Labor Day Parade. Maybe the route of the parade was changed to make it longer. Plus the day it about perfect for a parade no wonder there were so many people.