The Burrito Man

About 2 miles north of where I live is the intersection of Gun Club Road and Quincy Ave. I've lived in my town home for 3 1/2 years, and 2 of those years I drove my kids to school via the aforementioned intersection. Every morning we would pass the Burrito Man -- he sells breakfast burritos on the southeast corner. Even though I don't drive the kids to school any more, every now and then I drive through the intersection during the morning hour and see the Burrito Man.

Now, I have no idea who he really is, only that every morning he is on his corner with his pick up truck, warming cart, various coolers, and a brightly-colored umbrella. A few times I've seen a woman -- the kids and I have named her Mrs. Burrito Man. We are sure he runs a popular place because the parking lot is always full of cars, bikes, and semis. The kids and I always, without fail, say, "hey, there's the Burrito Man!" He is always there, and only the most severe weather keeps him from setting up his stand.

I like to imagine that the Burrito Man enjoys what he does. He always seems to be talking and laughing with his customers. Maybe he was a corporate guy in his other life and had it with the stress; maybe he was laid off a while back and is doing this until a "real" job comes along; maybe he (and his wife) chose this lifestyle -- I have no idea.

One of my kids always makes the comment that we really should stop one of these days and get a burrito, but I don't think we ever will. Seeing the Burrito Man, day after day on the same corner, gives my life a simple stability that would be lost if we ever were to stop. If I ever drive by and he is not there, I hope the Burrito Man and his wife have put their cart away forever and have retired to the beach -- where people serve them, for a change!

Superstar Deaths - 06.25.09

Today two American superstars died. This morning, Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer, and this afternoon Michael Jackson died. No matter if you were a fan or not, there is no doubt that both were a big part of American pop culture. Their superstar-ness affected all of us in some way or another.

Jackson's behavior and life was weird, erratic, eccentric, and bizarre. However, his music was simply unbelievable. His style, outfits, dance moves were copied by millions. His music videos on the new MTV in the early '80's were revolutionary. I admit I wasn't a huge follower of his, except for his big hits when I was in high school. I felt like he was a troubled persona that could never shake the spotlight. I am sure his music and character will live on just like Elvis.

Farrah Fawcett was known by every male, young and old, in the '70's for her famous poster (you know the one...red bathing suit, huge smile...), including my younger brother. I remember her in Charlie's Angels as the "sexy" one (I thought Kate Jackson was cool because she was the "smart" one...go figure), and honestly, thought she was a flake. When I saw her in "The Burning Bed," I was really moved by her portrayal of the abused wife.

I am not a "People" magazine follower or a watcher of Entertainment Tonight, but over the years I would hear things about Farrah -- drugs, romances, etc. She and Ryan O'Neal always seemed to be on-again-off-again. But I never, ever considered myself a fan of hers...which is why her death has got me so sad is somewhat perplexing.

As I watched a remembrance bit tonight on Farrah's life, I realized I was crying. The deep love Ryan had for her over the years -- he wanted to marry her even as sick as she was; the fact that her son was in jail and couldn't say good-bye to her; she was a beautiful and famous woman who couldn't hide from cancer; the support system she had with her girlfriends...all this tragedy together was overwhelming to hear.

I hope they both have found the peace, faith, and acceptance that they deserve.

Clapton/Winwood Concert

Let me begin by saying the music was incredible, and since I saw Clapton last (20 some years ago), his voice has only gotten a little "croakier." Steven Winwood is still amazing, and his rendition of "Georgia" gave me goosebumps. The drummer was a young guy and his talent just blew me away. They performed some of the songs you might expect, but not all. They went into a relaxed-sit-down-coffee-shop performance of bluesy music, which I'm not sure the crowd liked but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think maybe people thought it was an intermission...

But here is the really amazing part about tonight -- my friend Sarah and I were on the young side of the age group (41 & 42)! I'm not kidding about this, people! It could have been an AARP convention! We got there around 7:30, so we had half an hour to talk and "people watch." A group of 3 men and 3 women slowly walked up the stairs and sat behind us. They were all complaining about their aches, pains, and woes. At which Sarah and I silently snickered. At 8pm when the lights went out, they all lit up joints! But I'm sure it was medicinal, right?

I guess I have been out of the "concert circuit" for some time, because I don't ever remember all the flashing lights and crap that vendors walked around selling. And when did it become ok to get up a few thousand times during a 2.5 hour show? This one guy kept excusing himself past me so many times, he finally apologized and said "I didn't have dinner yet." Huh?! Then stay home and eat, guy, because you certainly aren't watching the concert!

All in all, it was a great evening, and to the grandma sitting in front of us rockin' out to "Cocaine"...YOU GO GIRL! :)

Drunk with Sunshinyness!

Today was one of those perfect days, almost being surreal... it was that perfect. It started out average enough -- dropped Emily off at Driver's ed. (last day...hooray!) and went to work. After a couple of hours, my mind started to wander. I know myself too well and when that happens, well, I just pack it in because nothing productive happens.

I stopped by the store to get carrots and cauliflower to make my awesome Creamy Cauliflower soup for lunch. As I was chopping, measuring, and stirring, I let the dogs outside. Bright blue sky, some white puffy clouds, warm sunshine, a hint of a breeze, the neighborhood was quiet, birds chirping...so you see, I had to take advantage of all that beauty and I ate my lunch on the patio. My neighbors have their mother staying with them for the next 6 months. She is from Peru and her English is impeccable. She came over for a visit and we had a lovely time.

After lunch I went to get Emily. At home I took a quick survey of the house -- yes, it needed cleaning, laundry was begging to be washed, the dishwasher needed emptying and reloading. But I just couldn't let a day like today go to waste. So I did what any sane woman would do -- I went outside. All the pets followed me like I was the Pied Piper. We found our spots -- me in the chair, Jake on the other chair, Maggie in the patch of grass, and Luna by the milk box. I brought my book with me, but it seemed too great of an effort to even open it. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and soaked up the sun (yes, I was wearing sunblock).

Sitting there in my own little oasis, I went between dozing off and thinking. Sometimes in that in-between-state, thoughts for me become so clear and vivid, yet when I want to retrieve them at a later time, they vanish like sun warming the fog. Anyway, the quiet bliss was interrupted by the sound of laughter. Real laughter. And it was coming from my three kids. As I listened to them, I realized they dug up the ol' Gamecube from the basement and were playing a game that hadn't seen the light in years. They were having fun and enjoying each other's company. Hmmm..."Siblings" -- another blog, another time.

In my dazed, out-of-body-and-mind, relaxed state, I opened my eyes. What I saw could only be described as hilarious! My cat, who prides herself on being aloof (like, all the time), had the craziest SMILE on her face and her hooded eyes were half closed. She was totally and completely enjoying the sunshine as much as I was! I, along with my dopey pets, was DRUNK WITH SUNSHINYNSS!

My perfect afternoon came to a screeching halt when Big Luna (our neighbor's Bernaise, Jake's girlfriend) came crashing into our patio. Yes, crashing -- she has issues... But it wasn't really destroyed. It was such a wonderful day, and I know days like today will come again. But I can't seek them out -- they have to be handed to me like an unexpected, lovely gift.

Knitting...not for the lazy or uninterested!

I'm going to say this right now...I don't knit. Oh, I tried in high school, but I don't think my heart was ever really in it. I come from amazing, creative, and crafty women. My mom is an incredible knitter (her babysitter taught her how) and seamstress (also? her cooking is unbelievable, she weaves, she paints...yea, she's "the bomb!"); my aunt Kathy (mom's sis) makes the most beautiful needlepoints ever and is a knitter; their mom, Edryce, wove squares and sewed them together to make quilts; and my grandma Elvera (dad's mom) won a needlepoint contest at age 13! She and her sister-in-law used to make me and my sister these very elaborate and elegant ballgowns for our Barbies when we were young. So you see I was under pressure to create!

Except that I was the one putting pressure on myself. I went through a cross-stitch faze, and I didn't hate it (and made some pretty nice things), but I didn't LOVE it. I did some sewing in high school -- I made a Laura Ashley dress that came out perfectly! I sewed my girls cute, easy sun dresses when they were munchkins. My mom used to sew all her grand kids matching outfits when they came to visit (think "Sound of Music"). Of all the crafty activities that I've tried, sewing would be the one I'd like to take up again, at some point in my life.

I tried knitting and my mom showed me how, but I could never figure out how to start or finish and I was constantly asking her to show me...again. She gave me a very easy afghan pattern to start with. I chose what must have been my two favorite colors at that time in my life -- dark purple and light blue. I must have gotten through 5-6 squares until I called it quits. My mom never showed any disappointment in my giving up. Even after she spent so much time and patience by showing me...over and over and over.

Knitting has become "fashionable" again in the past few years. There have been novels written about knitting clubs, celebrities are seen knitting, and chic yarn stores are popping up everywhere. A few years ago my mom taught my daughter Kelly how to knit. It was a labor of love -- Kelly is left-handed and my mom is right-handed, so it took a while for Kelly to really become comfortable with her knitting. For a while Kelly was really "into" her new skill, then it seemed to fade away. I thought she was just like me...

Until last fall when I was cleaning out the basement. I found my old knitting bag and showed Kelly. Her first comment was to "compliment" me on my color choices! Kelly really looked at my work and mentioned that a few of the squares were really good. And there were a few good ones...among the too-tight-and-too-loose knitted squares. She asked if she could have the bag and I gladly gave it to her. She told me that she remembered that mormor (my mom) told her that once you've mastered knitting and purling, you can knit anything.

This past year she became close friends with some of the other girls in the IB program at school. One of the girls (Shelby) is a knitter, and Kelly once again became interested in the craft. She has become a knitting fool! The money she earns babysitting she spends on needles and yarn. She has knit her youth director a hat in a beautiful deep, ruby-red color. Kayla will treasure that hat as she moves to Honduras next month -- both as a piece of clothing and because it was knit with love by a close friend.

Kelly and Shelby have run with their passion and have coordinated an after-school knitting club this fall at the middle school. They will facilitate the club and everything that is made will be donated to a local shelter. To get a head start, Kelly has been knitting beanie hats this summer. Lots and lots of beanie hats...

My mom still knits in front of the TV and in the car (with dad driving, of course); I watch a woman in church knit during the sermon, and it gives me a warm, comforting feeling; I have a good friend who is an avid knitter (she has this knitted shawl that I would sell one of my own kids for!); my two nieces knit; and I watch Kelly as she proudly completes another beanie. And they all really ENJOY knitting -- the prep, the process, and the product. I'm so glad that Kelly has the knitting "bug," and hopefully she'll pass it along to her kids and grand kids.

My Day as a Juror

Bear with me because this story takes just a wee bit of set-up. Last fall (2008), I received a juror summons notice. I filled out the "postponement application" and hoped for the best. My reasons were valid -- I was at the tail-end of my master's program, and I envisioned a long, drawn-out trial where I wouldn't be able to attend class, etc. The second reason? I would miss my preschool's Thanksgiving Day Feasts, and if you've ever had a preschooler and attended their "feast," you know how precious and fun they are. Within days I received a reply: I was excused this time (factoid: you only get 1 excuse from jury duty during your lifetime, so use it wisely), but I was scheduled for June 15, 2009.

I have to admit, I kind of pushed it out of my mind. And maybe I was hoping that I would somehow be forgotten in the shuffle of paperwork. Did that happen? No. I received my summons and I called that Friday before (after 6pm). I've actually received a jury summons years ago, but when I called I was no longer needed. Well, this time, I was needed. Bugger! I made arrangements at work, scheduled my son to chauffeur my daughter to-and-from her driver's ed. class all week, went grocery shopping, etc. I felt as though I needed to make a flow chart to coordinate everyone's activities (ok, so I did...with Post-It notes!).

Last night I had a hard time getting to sleep, and then I woke up at 4 am. You know that feeling when you have the stomach flu and your tummy is all in knots? Uh huh, that's the feeling I had. I'm not even sure why. Whatever...

I dropped my daughter at the high school and as I was driving down the street, a BIRD flies right into my windshield! Really, a bird! So, right now there are about a gazillion miller moths flying about, which means there are about a bazillion birds trying to catch them (tasty treats). At intersections it is almost comical to watch the birds dive, twist, and turn to get a moth. Why intersections? Because of all the cars, the temperature is higher there and moths like heat (factoid #2). So I scream, but only because there is now bird "juice" blocking my view. I flip on the wipers and most of it smudges off. I know, totally gross image, but I was there!!

I get to the courthouse, fill out forms, wait, watch a "how-to" video, wait, wait, and wait some more. Names are called...I made the 1st cut...I feel kinda special! Upstairs we all go, are seated in the court room, listen to both sides, then the questions begin. Second cut...I made it again! I gotta tell you, I'm feeling pretty good at this point. The trial seems really interesting and might take at least a few weeks. Then the judge reads the list of witnesses and I know one of them. In fact, it's my doctor. So, I am excused, and I'm kinda sad. It felt good to do my civic duty and I am sincere when I say that.

Now I can go back to work, drive the "mom-taxi (555-you-must-not-have-a-life-so-drive-me-somewhere!)," and not have to miss my vacation. But for all of the "inconveniences" it could have and would have caused me, I really would have been proud to serve on the jury.

Time for Me

This has been a busy week -- the weather has been unseasonably cool, rainy, and "tornado-y," it was the girls' first week of summer break, I met up with my college roommate after 20 years, and I have been obsessively trying to get my office in order BEFORE I get down to do the actual work that I do.

The tornado event was crazy. As exciting as it was for me and the kids, it was a nightmare for others. So many roofs have had to be repaired, windows replaced, fences mended, cars fixed, etc. Everyone thought it was a freak occurrence, but we have had the exact same weather pattern every day this week! Never again will I take a tornado warning lightly. And the rain! I believe I have even seen dogs and cats falling out of the sky!

Let me tell you what I like about the girls being in school...the bus! I feel like some kind of chauffeur-on-call this week. When I explain I have to go into work, I get the "sigh-then-eye-rolling" look, followed by the "what-about-me" look. Seriously, it hasn't been all that bad, but I do feel as though I haven't had any time for me. Does that sound selfish to you? Well, it shouldn't! Everybody needs to take time for themselves, because if you don't you will hit a brick wall (just trust me on this...).

I met up with Laura, my college roommate. Which was totally fun! The evening was full of catching up and remembering the past. Even with so much time gone by, we still "clicked" (or is it "clacked?"). We are different people, yes, but that is part of the fun! Besides, not sure I would like hanging out with a clone of me...

Lastly, I've got this whole office-thing going on. Switching to the Resource Room has made such a difference in my office (can you say "space?!"), but now I am obsessed with getting EVERYTHING in exact order so that I can get down to work. My heart is telling me to organize, clean, rearrange, etc., my head is warning me that I have a very LONG list of things that I absolutely need to be working on. Sigh...

Which brings me to tonight. Matt is out, Kelly is out (she is turning into quite the social butterfly...must keep an eye on her!), so that leaves me and Emily. We have been having a delightful time together. As I am writing this, she is watching a National Geographic special on "Piranah...The River Monster!" Or something like that. Very seldom does she venture downstairs and want to hang out with her ol' mom. But she has been delightful and chatty (although I think I've heard as many "Aaron" stories as I can take...).

To wrap up the rambles of tonight, I am taking a few days to myself. Tomorrow morning I'll swing by and pick up my girlfriend Tina, and up to the mountains we'll go! We're going to just chill -- nature walks, good food, chick-flicks, adult beverages, and it wouldn't be complete without SPA TIME! Which will be so relaxing! And I'm going to need it -- in addition to our normal craziness next week, Emily starts Drivers' Ed. and I've got jury duty...oh joy!

Tornado!

Today I witnessed a truly amazing and frightening natural event -- a tornado right over my house!

At 1:30 pm I was checking out of Lowe's with flowers that I was going to plant in pots for my patio. The sun was out and it was beautiful. I got home 10 minutes later (only 1.5 miles up the road), and my daughter greeted me by reminding me that she had to be at her friends house a little after 2pm. At that point the sky looked just a bit grey and cloudy. At a few minutes before 2 pm, the TV made the warning sound. I looked, and it was a tornado warning for Adams county, specifically 20 miles north of Denver (we are 20 miles SE of Denver).

I went out to my car on the driveway and noticed a few of my neighbors looking at the sky. I turned and saw a perfectly formed funnel cloud over my neighbors' building. I thought it was just a dust cloud. I called my kids outside and told them to bring their cameras. The sight was indescribably beautiful -- a slow-churning cloud that had us excited and mesmerized at the same time. It was around 2 pm at this point.

My son Matt took footage with his camera, and my daughter Kelly took 3 videos with my camera. In the first video we are laughing and it's clear we aren't exactly sure if it's a tornado. The second video we are sure it's a tornado and we very caught up in the excitement and awe of what we are seeing. The amount of debris caught up in the tornado is amazing -- sheets of metal, giant trampolines, lawn furniture, signs, trees, etc. By the third video I finally put my "mom hat" on (duh!) and realize we needed to get inside. I'm yelling, the girls are nervously giggling, and Matt's hair is blowing straight up...we run inside.

The baseball-sized hail starts pounding the windows, but none of them broke (hooray!). My car was still on the driveway because I had all my new plants on the floor of the garage. Car alarms were going off in the neighborhood like crazy, and some cars have no windshield left and holes in the hood, but my Highlander and Matt's Jeep? Not a scratch!

As soon as the storm came it was gone and blue sky and sunshine returned. At about 3 pm, I drove Kelly to her friends house. I immediately knew something was going on when I saw the line of cars trying to get out of Southlands Mall, which is across the street from the Lowe's that I was at earlier. Another tip off was the swarm of helicopters above us. My neighborhood has a builders' trailer and two industrial-sized dumpsters right outside of my neighborhood -- the trailer is completely gone and the dumpsters are a good mile away. It seemed like every emergency vehicle in Arapahoe county was either on the road or at Southlands.

From listening to the news, it appears that there was quite a lot of damage to the mall. Cars were overturned, walls are down, sidewalks have "popped" up, and the Lowe's had propane tanks flying about, hitting nearby houses like torpedoes.

We never heard a warning signal, from either the TV or outside before the tornado struck. And yes, it's true, when the winds are churning it DOES sound like a freight train. We are so lucky nothing more than a few ruined flowers, a scared dog (the other dog was too excited to be scared), and a literal scaredy-cat (she came out just a few minutes ago from her secret hiding spot in the basement) happened to us. It is sobering to think that we missed the tornado's touchdown by less than a quarter mile. I had a friend at the mall, and her car is "jacked up." Another friend has windows out in her house and her cars are totaled. Thank heavens no people or animals perished.

It is currently about 6:45 pm and is gorgeous outside -- I think I'll go plant my flowers now.

"Malling"

Today is Saturday. That means errands, errands, and more errands. Because the weather is absolutely gorgeous, I wasn't real thrilled to go to the mall. The mall by my house is an outdoors mall, and it's actually very nice, but still, errands are errands. I was picturing a whole day spent outside -- planting my flower pots, walking the doggies, sunning, you know, a day to myself.

I get to the mall. A totally crowded mall. Of course, it's Saturday which means the Farmer's Market. Which is usually fun when I walk to the mall, but today I'm driving. Crap. For a split second I decide to go back home, but that means I just have to come back. So I trudge forward. I fill the gas tank (when did gas get expensive again???), wash the car (I love shiny tires!), go to Sam's and fill the trunk of the car with food and stuff (Sam's and Costco have LOTS of "stuff" which I probably don't need, but who can resist 96 rolls of TP?).

As I am on my way out of the mall, I drive by the fountains. All the little kiddies are running through the sprays of water while shrieks of laughter escape from them, their moms and dads are just outside of the perimeter of water, soaking up the sun, watching their children, and catching up and sharing the latest neighborhood gossip with each other. And behind the parents are...tweenagers. Just milling about, trying to look so very cool, but I'll bet that they are all wishing they are little again so they could run unabashedly through the fountains.

As I am enjoying watching the people (BTW? One of my most favorite past-times is people-watching), I think about how awkward it is for the tweens. They are too young to drive and most don't have the usual summer part-time jobs due to this "fantastic" economy. So they end up "malling" -- hanging out with their friends at the mall. Since I have teenagers who are just past the "malling" age, I know what lies ahead for these tweens: car insurance, jobs, college, responsibility, dating-and-then-breaking-up...adulthood.

So all you "mallers" out there...enjoy your friends, the sun, the fountains, and the mall. Go ahead and run through the fountains, waving your arms in the air and laugh, laugh, laugh! Because in a few years if you do it, chances are you'll be hauled away and cited as "disturbing the peace." Enjoy your summer!