Monday, November 16, 2009

Nov 16, 2009: Monday morning......

OMG....what a miserable, dreary, gloomy day this is!!! But....I suppose there is someone around who is need of rainfall??? Not sure who it would be, but there is always someone who will challenge me for disliking this type of weather....haha!!

Yesterday, in the Life of this sagging hulk of Me???? Well....it was low-key and almost an in-house prisoner style of Life. I stayed in bed a bit longer than usual, took care my morning rituals, enjoyed my French Roast coffee as I watched the Sunday morning talking heads' shows on the tellie, and then decided to give the stick and brick a good cleaning. Which.....with the new vacuum cleaner the 1st Lady purchased a few weeks and two trips ago......it was amazing at how wonderful it was in sucking out the deepest dirt and strange fuzzies from inside the two carpeted rooms which we have. WOW....and I LOVE the see-through/clear canister that traps all of this carpet crap.....makes me feel soooooo good that I am getting sooooo much sucked up and tossed away!!!!!!

Then I "swifted" the hardwood and ceramic tile floors......and VOILA!!! I was through with the worst part of the stick/brick cleaning. A bit of dusting....not toooo much as that IS the job of the 1st Lady....not mine. Then.....a cleaning of both bathrooms......and before long.....I was totally done.

Sooooo, for the remainder of the gloomy day, I caught up on some taped TV shows that I had missed while in Mexico, read some of my "Bon Apetit" magazines, marking some of the recipes that I would like to attempt, and then caught up with some online reading that I had been putting off since we flew back here LATE Wednesday night.

Early evening brought a knock on the door from Andrew Gipson, a former student and an incredible friend. Being at his parent's cabin in Wayne County over the weekend attempting to shoot a deer, he came up here to catch up with some visiting which we NEVER get to do any more. As his occupation is a band director in the Edwardsville, IL school district, I KNOW just exactly how terribly busy he is, not to mention that his wife, Laura, is ALSO a band director in a neighboring school district.......which means they lead a very hectic lifestyle most of the year!!!

The time he had to spare last night disappeared sooooo quickly. We never really came to a pause in our talks, never lacking for a story that we needed to share with each other, be it about teaching, his band program, the F'town current band program, each of our family's lives, my recent journeys to New England/NYC and then to Mexico this past week, and a bit of gossip from here and there. Never enough time is available to get it all said to each other.......NEVER!
But.....hopefully there will be a sooner "next time"........!!

I finished the evening with watching the evening's taped Amazing Race.....a reality show that I so thoroughly enjoy. My good friend, Goldie, and I have often talked about applying for that show.....as we both have the necessary skills to do well as contestants. However.......I wonder if I would be constantly thinking during the race...about not having the time to see and enjoy the places that this race around the world would take me to......and then having to return to really enjoy them at a later date. And.....THAT is the problem: how many "later dates" do I have left in his ever-shortening Life of mine?

I "raced" through Europe 11 of the 12 times that I have been over there......taking student/parent tour groups through many countries of Europe. Oh yeah.....they were what I called/call "appetizer tours". Not food to be ingested, but "food" for later on when these kids and friends could return and enjoy them at a lazier pace...........just a brief preview of what Europe has to offer them. How many of the many, many, many students have returned??? I am not certain, but I do know of several that have been back.....and of a very few who are now living over there for one reason or another.

And when I selected, with the 1st Lady, our tour of Egypt and Jordan.......I made damn sure that it was not a hectic pace, and NOT with a FULL busload of other tourists which always made for long lines at various places that we were visiting, or...just getting back on the damned bus!!! Our tour was built for only 8 people....and OMG, THAT is the only way to go on a tour!!!!! And....for our four days in Jordan, the 1st Lady and I had a private guide and driver so that we could zip here and there, at our requests, and in a car that was comfortable and easy to get through some tight spots in that amazing country!!

I have been asked recently by several people I know if I would consent to do another tour of Europe.....for adults/senior citizens ONLY. Well....the thought as entered my mind several times lately....as it has now been 8 year plus since I was last in Europe. And, I DO miss being there and enjoying some of those incredible places!!!!! I do NOT want to do such a trip during the summer season, though. It is not necessary now as I would be dealing with adults who can get away for a couple of weeks or so.....and not have to worry about school/teaching schedules. Soooo......as I sit here on this dreary day......I find myself entertaining those thoughts of organizing a tour of Europe once again...............anyone out there in cyberspace interested????
LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO STAY IN ONE PLACE!!!

And so....my coffee is needing some attention.....my sagging hulk is in need of some more coffee....and I need to make a few more appointments for some necessary services this morning.
I will ramble a bit more later this evening........

And, as always.......

LIFE IS JUST INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!!!!....And, I REALLY do hope it is for you, also!!!!!

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