Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Soap Operas
When I was a little girl, I remember my Grandma making time every day to watch her “stories” – I think she watched “Guiding Light” and “Days of Our Lives”. Then, when I was in grammar and high school, I rushed home from school to watch ABC’s “General Hospital” and at that time, there was also a cult soap on after GH called “Dark Shadows” that I tried to never miss!!! After high school, I worked 2nd shift for several years and got hooked on ALL the ABC soaps – “All My Children”, “One Life To Live”, and “General Hospital” – and for a while, “Ryan’s Hope” was on before AMC……. When I moved to NC, I mostly worked first shift (except for a short stint on third shift in the early days at Wyeth), so I parred it down to just my two favorites and set the recorder every day for AMC and OLTL. I got my Mom hooked on AMC and OLTL, but then realized I was wasting way too much time skimming through the tape every evening, so I stopped COLD TURKEY! Mom would talk to me about them and when I visited her, I would catch up a little on them, but really did get out of the loop. Then, one day, I decided to get back into it – but only AMC. So, for the past few years, I have taped AMC and watch it when I can – sometimes I scan through several episodes at a time on the weekends.
The point to the first paragraph was to point out that I am somewhat of an EXPERT on Soap Operas – I have at least 40 years direct experience and even more if you count sitting with my Grandma watching HER “stories”.
So — now that I have stated my credentials, here are my “expert opinions” of soap operas!!!!
What I like about Soaps:
- I like to get involved in the character’s lives
- It is a pleasure to see someone else making more of a train wreck out of their lives than I do – without it being a real person who has to really suffer because of it
- The men are AMAZING – they are good looking, they are sensitive, they are caring, they are good looking, they are almost always rich, they look great with their shirts off, they can do anything, they are HUNKS, they hold their own in a actual conversations, did I say they are good looking?????
- The women are AMAZING – they are strong powerful women, they can take an idea and within a couple of episodes have a fully functioning and thriving business that made them overnight millionaires, they can get away with murder, they rarely have to work but have everything they could possibly want in life!!!!!
- The kids are AMAZING – they literally grow up overnight, they rarely go through the “terrible two’s”, they are always well behaved (until they reach puberty)
- If I get behind on the tapes and don’t have time to really catch up, it is OK – as long as you catch Fridays and Mondays, you can pretty much know the important stuff that’s going on!
My Pet Peeves About Soaps:
- Everyone is always jumping in bed with people they barely know or that are married to a good friend or family member
- No one knows how to keep their mouth shut — if there is a secret that will ruin some one’s life, you can bet the person who shouldn’t find out will over hear it being talked about in a public place!
- If two people need to talk “in private”, they go about 2 feet away from everyone else and talk in a normal volume voice
- Everyone is always hanging out at the hospital and they just stand around in the way while the doctors are trying to do their jobs or when someone is in what should be a private moment!
- People just walk in other people’s houses like they live there and whether the people are home or not
- Doesn’t anyone on a soap WORK for a living?????
- When an actor wants out of their contract to do other things, one of two things happen to the character: 1) they die, but their body is not found – which, of course means they will be back someday with some bazaar story about amnesia OR 2) they suddenly look totally different (because the actor is replaced with another actor)
- Death is NOT forever — no matter how someone dies, no matter who witnesses it, and regardless of whether or not the world watches them get buried — someday, maybe years later, they WILL be back!!!!
- Totally betray a friend or loved one? Irrevocably destroy some one’s life? That’s OK – they will forgive you and you’ll be closer than ever at some point!!!
I wrote this while watching the tape of today’s AMC — I love my soap!!!!
Perfect Day!
I had a wonderful day — everything went so well and made for a very enjoyable day!
I spent the morning playing with the girls – they wouldn’t give up – they fought over who could get closer and who could get the most cuddle time!!! I love snuggle-fests with the girls!!!
I went to Cary to Cary Towne Center to do some shopping. The traffic was light, the stores weren’t crowded, and I found close parking spots everywhere I went! I found exactly what I was looking for – in colors I liked – in my size – and ON SALE!!!! It was one of the better shopping trips I have had in a long time!!!! ha-ha
Then, I went to Best Buy at the Cross Roads Plaza to see if they had some software I have been looking for — I was able to park right in front of the entrance, they had the software, and it was ON SALE!!!!
I wanted to go to PetSmart, too, but I got a later start than I planned, so I was running out of time and decided to make a PetSmart run another day.
I went to the 4:15 matinee at Crossroads 20 to see Untraceable (see the review in the next post) – I got there just as they were letting out what looked like multiple shows, so I got a parking spot right in front of the entrance!!!! The popcorn was fresh and not too salty (frankly, that is not usually the case in that theater….) and I enjoyed the movie!!!
So – it was a really nice day with all the stars aligned perfectly to make everything fall perfectly into place!!!! I’m happy!!!! 😉
Movie Review – Untraceable
I saw Untraceable at the Crossroads 20 theater in Cary today. Man, was that intense!!! I was concerned that it would be too graphic for my taste, but they did a nice job of showing just enough to get the point across without being gory!!
Hunt For Happiness
One of the new Sanford bloggers, Emily Page, is an old friend I haven’t run into in a very long time, but still think of often and fondly! She posted an entry on her blog in honor of National Hunt for Happiness Week – I never heard of that! I enjoyed her post so much that I am going to shamelessly steal her idea and do a similar one myself!
Here is what makes me happy and puts a smile on my face (other than the first 3, these are in no particular order – just as they pop in my mind):
- Daily IMs and/or Emails with my Mom – it is a great way to touch base every single day regardless of what is going on!
- Family and Friends – I am so blessed to have a strong support system and lots of people that I love and enjoy spending time with!
- My girls – it is impossible to be sad around them – they are so devoted and always so happy to see me or get to just be near me!
- Saturday or Sunday matinees
- Movies that make me laugh, cry, and leave the theater feeling good inside
- Good homemade soup – especially thick creamy soups
- Songs that are connected to a great memory – when they come on the radio, it sends me back there and gives me those warm fuzzy feelings
- A beautiful bright blue sky with vivid white wispy clouds
- Putting the finishing touches on a job well done
- Being on the board of Communities In Schools
- Receiving flowers for no particular reason (and when there is a reason, too, but more so when it is “just because”)
- Daisies – they aren’t necessarily my favorite flower, but they are definitely the “happiest” flower – I always smile when I see a bunch of daisies
- Knowing I’ve made someone else happy
- Going shopping and finding exactly what I want in the color/style/size I want — and a big cherry on top if I also find it on SALE!!!
- Ice Cream Sundaes
- Yankees in the playoffs and the World Series
- Puppies
- Puppy breath
- Blogging
- Riding around on a gorgeous day with the top down on my Mustang
- Warm days with a strong breeze blowing
- Napping on the patio on those warm breezy days
- A freshly mowed lawn
- Lighthouses
- Carousels / carousel horses
- Angels
- The smells and sounds at a carnival
- Being alone on a quiet beach or beside a creek with only the sound of the water and a breeze on my face
- Singing around the house in the morning
- Pedicures and Facials
There is a lot more that makes me happy – I am generally a happy person! But these are the things that flooded into my thoughts while I was writing this post!
Have a GREAT day — give someone a smile — you’ll surely get one back — smiles are contagious!!!
All The Dogs I Have Loved – My First Dog
Yesterday, I posted a comment in my Saturday Ramblings about how I started to write a post about all the dogs that have been a special part of my life…….well, there were so many that it ended up being more like a book the size of Gone With The Wind instead of a blog post! So, I decided that I would post a story highlighting one or more of them from time to time. Here is the first of many in a series I will call “All The Dogs I Have Loved – A Loving Tribute Series”.
I’ll start with the most obvious one to start with — my first dog — a magnificent pure bred Norwegian Elk Hound named HANSON (The Marquis Hanson of something?). I don’t have any physical memories of Hanson because I was barely a toddler when he was my loyal companion. But I have heard many stories about him and have photos of us together – unfortunately, none that I can post here (we didn’t have digital cameras or the ability to get our photos on CD at Walgreen’s back then – it was a time when the person taking the photo had to load real film, install a new flash bulb for every shot, advance the film manually after each shot, and send the film off to be developed – oh the horror of it all…..LOL).
Anyway – here is my tribute to Hanson.
Hanson came to us from an abusive home and responded to my Mom’s loving care by becoming a devoted companion that was very protective of my Mom and me. He was a very large, muscular dog, but was extremely gentle and loving with me.
Like I said, I was barely a toddler (maybe 1 or 2) when Hanson was a part of my life. My Mom has told me that Hanson ADORED me and made it his business to take care of me – he slept beside my bed, played with me, and guarded me like it was his most important job! I would nap on the floor with my head on him as a pillow – we were inseparable!!!
My favorite photos of us include one of me and Hanson within inches of each other looking like we were gazing into each other’s eyes (I was standing, Hanson was sitting and he had to bend down to be at my level) and one of me in a very bulky snow suit with Hanson at my side in a huge snow bank!
At that time, we lived in a house in Eagle Harbor, NY. The side yard ended at the top of a deep gully with a creek. If I even started to head in that direction when outside playing, Hanson would get in front of me and nudge me with his nose and knock me on my butt. He knew what my boundaries were and he kept me in them – he was better than a fence!
He wouldn’t let strangers come near me, my Mom, or our house! He even had a salesman “treed” on top of his car once! Mom tells of how one sunny afternoon, she and I were out in the back yard playing on a blanket and Hanson was laying right there beside us. My father came running out of the house in a pair of shorts and a funny hat and rushed up on us to try to make me laugh — well, Hanson didn’t recognize him and saw him as a threat to us and NAILED him!!!! My father didn’t see the humor of it!
So – that is Hanson — the first of many dogs I loved and that loved me!!!
Nap Time Dream
I took a little nap early this afternoon with the girls and had a bazaar dream……….it didn’t make much sense at all:
I dreamed that I had to go visit my neighbors across the street to congratulate them on their recent wedding. So, I went out in the garage, got in the car, and drove across the street. We had a really bazaar conversation – something about telling them how sorry I was that Pepper was sick – no idea who Pepper is – and I left to go to the store. I got to the store parking lot and realized that I had left my car keys on the roof of the car and they had fallen off on the way to the store. I went in, bought a loaf of bread, and came out and found my car gone! I walked home (which ended up being just a few feet – no where near realistic) looking for the keys that fell off my roof all the way and didn’t find them. I got home and found that someone had been there and cleaned out my house and even took the girls!!!!
I woke up confused! I sat there thinking about the dream – like I do all of my bazaar dreams! I couldn’t help but wonder what in the world prompted it AND had the following thoughts:
I realize it was a dream and that anything can happen in a dream AND that I was born a blond and that legend has it that some natural blonds can be a little ditsy at times – BUT……
- Why did I need to drive across the street to my neighbor’s house? Their driveway is directly across the street from mine – I can throw a stone from my garage and almost hit theirs (not that I would throw stones at their house, mind you)!!!
- How did I drive to the store with my keys on the roof of the car?
- My keys have NO identifying tags of any kind — how did whoever found them know what house they unlocked and what car they would start – and where that car was (it wasn’t home!)?
- And, if I could drive the car with no keys, why did the thief need keys to steal it?
- I was only in the store long enough to buy a loaf of bread and, according to the dream, was only a few feet from my house – how did someone find my keys, find and steal my car, and find and clean out my house (including 3 dogs) in the time it took to buy a loaf of bread?
- And, I’ll guarantee they barely fit the 3 dogs in my car – did they also arrange for a truck or two to meet them at my house in that short time it took for me to buy a loaf of bread?
I can almost always find a reason for my dreams — they don’t always make a ton of sense and are pretty strange at times, but I can at least find a reason —– this one is a major exception! ha-ha
Andy’s and Fairies
I met some friends at Andy’s to take advantage of winning the business card drawing! We had a lot of fun — Andy’s has an enjoyable atmosphere, good music, and good food — and they always make you feel like they are so very happy to see you! We ate our meal and got up to the register to pay (not for mine – that was free – hehehe) and Ashley (the girl who called to tell me I won) asked which one of us was “Kim”. I waved at her and she gave me a huge smile and turned to the crew on the grill and said “hey, everybody, this is Kim and she’s our business card winner” — they all smiled and waved and said “Hi, Kim!” —- it was a HOOT!!!!! I told her that her call really made my day yesterday! I felt really special and had a great time!!! Go enjoy a meal at Andy’s and put your business card in their bucket! You just might win the next drawing and get to feel special, too…….
On the way home, I decided to pop in at the Shops at Steele Street to look around. I love that place!!! I found that Marty has her stock of Mark Roberts Fairies on a 20% off sale!!! Woo Hoo!!! I started collecting them last Christmas with 2 and got a couple more this year and received a couple for Christmas gifts — so, I had to pick one up at the sale price — I got the “Make A Wish” Fairy – he is stunning!!!
Saturday Morning Ramblings
The girls have really enjoyed being outside this morning! It is cold, but pleasant out and the sun is shining pretty bright. They participated in a nice mix of running, playing, rolling around, and bathing in the sun! They wore each other out and are now laying around my feet snoring!!!
I spent a lot of time this morning composing a blog post about all the dogs I have loved in my life time! I was thinking about some of them yesterday and thought it would make a wonderful way to document and pay tribute to them all. But — there were so many and each had some great stories about them that it soon became a BOOK instead of a blog post (I know – what’s new?)! So, I deleted it (I should have just saved it and left it in draft, but I didn’t think about that until it was deleted and too late!) and decided to use the stories in shorter blog posts off and on for a while. I kick myself for deleting what I wrote, though, cause now I have to recreate the award-winning stories I had already put into words!
I’m giving some more thought to a suggestion my Mom made when she was here for something to set my kitchen off and make the table area more of a focal point. The kitchen/living room area is all open and like one big room. The separators are the bar type counter that goes along a section between the kitchen and living room and that the living room floor is laminate wood and the kitchen floor is dura-ceramic tile. I also positioned the living room furniture so that it makes a cozy seating area that distinguishes the living room from the kitchen without losing that open floor plan I love! But – she suggested that I take the two walls of the kitchen that don’t have any appliances or cabinets on and put wainscoting and a chair rail up about waist level to set off the breakfast nook area where my table and chairs are. I didn’t think I liked that idea much at the time, but the more I think about it, the more I think I just might do it! I think it would look nice — so, add it to the renovation plans for this year!
I like watching HGTV on Saturday mornings – they usually have back to back gardening and landscaping design shows. I enjoy getting ideas from those shows or just like seeing what other people do with their trouble areas! Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a gardener or landscaper!!! But, I do like my yard to look nice and have a GREAT landscaper who keeps it up for me and does a wonderful job of making my ideas a reality (or talking me out of what wouldn’t work and giving me fantastic alternative ideas)…………..Harrington’s Lawn Care and Landscaping – Chris and Brandon Harrington are brothers and the owners of the business! They’re great! I’m so glad I found them – I was looking for someone who would plant a couple trees for me when I first moved here and they came highly recommended and the rest is history!!!
That’s enough thoughts for now — time to get on with enjoying the weekend!
Hey, I won something…….
When my Mom was here, we went to Andy’s to check it out. I hadn’t had a chance to see what it was like, so thought we would share the first visit together! We had a fun experience and really enjoyed the burgers and milkshakes we had.
As I was paying the bill and getting ready to head out, I noticed the jar on the counter with a sign that said to drop in your business card for a chance to win a free meal. So, I got a card out of my purse and dropped it in the jar — I always do that when I see those types of things, but never hear anything from them!
Well – today, I was out of my office for a little while and when I returned, I had a message on my voice mail. I listened to the message and got all excited!!!! The lady on the message said she was from Andy’s and that my business card was drawn for the prize!!!! I can go whenever I want and my meal is free and I can bring up to 3 friends with me and they get 10% off their bill…….woo hoo!!!!
Note to Jon Owens: Na-na-na – I got a free meal at Andy’s and I didn’t have to eat till I burst to get it!!!! hehehehehe
Movie Choices This Weekend
I just looked at the line up at the Spring Lane Cinemas for this weekend……looks like a trip to the theater won’t be high on my priority list!
There are 3 new ones listed – none of which spark my interest:
- How She Move (haven’t seen anything on this one – doesn’t sound that intriguing)
- Meet The Spartans (same comment)
- Rambo (YUCK – who wants to see an old man trying to relive a part he did 50 years ago?)
(yeah, I know 50 years is an exaggeration – it was only 45 years ago!)
I still haven’t seen Alvin and The Chipmunks, though — which I find VERY hard to believe — I ADORE Alvin!!!!! Hhhmmm – will I go to the theater after all or will I wait for the DVD????
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