Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Winter, round II

Just got back from Wal-Mart and I was pleasantly surprised--it wasn't at all crowded. That's a BIG surprise, seeing as how tomorrow's forecast calls for snow, sleet, freezing rain, pigs flying, etc. I was nervous about going to the store because I didn't want to get all caught up in the rush for bread and milk. The horrifying thing is, I really needed to buy milk. Why does that always happen when snow is predicted? I feel the need to explain myself to the cashier: "But I REALLY DO need milk! I'm not like the others!!"

But this whole break-and-milk thing got me thinking: why is it always bread and milk that people run out to buy when there's the threat of a few flakes? To my notion, there are more important things needed:

- adult beverages and plenty of 'em
- Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix
- tea bags
- toilet paper
- frozen pizza
- dvd movies
- tabloid newspapers or a trashy novel
- a working lighter (for the fireplace!)

Did I forget anything?

Monday, January 29, 2007

Lunch with the "boys' club"

If you're ever looking for an off-the-wall way to lighten up your day, go eat in the school cafeteria with a bunch of second graders. I dropped by my son's school today to surprise him for lunch. (I figure I'd better do it now. One of these days, he won't think it's so cool.) I got in the lunch line and asked a couple of the kids in his class what they recommended. One enthusiastically offered support for the corn dogs, the other suggested I get the hamburger. I opted for the burger and when I bit into it, it reminded me of the hamburgers we had when I was in 2nd grade. In fact, I think it was the same burger.

Anyway, I sat down at my boy's table (always afraid I'm gonna break that little kid-sized chair), surrounded by several of his friends who apparently think I'm a cool mom. One little boy, Daniel, is always delightfully animated when telling a story and today was no different, but it quickly turned into a 2nd-grade episode of "Seinfeld." He pointed out how "that table over there is the BOYS' CLUB" and "the other end of our table is the GIRLS' CLUB." What broke me up was the fact that when he said "boys' club" and "girls' club," he actually made hugely exaggerated quotation marks in the air with his fingers. What a hoot.

2nd-graders are still relatively innocent, yet trying in a lot of ways to act grown up. They're sweet and trusting. They seem to like adults. Wish I could've taken a snapshot of today so I could pull it out and look at it when they're in the throes of surly teenagerhood.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Things that make you go :)

Sometimes the simplest things have the biggest impact. On my way home this afternoon, I got behind a school bus. Nothing unusual in and of itself, but at its second stop on a rural road near my house, I saw something I thought happened only in the movies or old Ken-L-Ration commercials. A shepherd-mix dog came running full-tilt toward the stopped bus just as the last kid got off. It was apparently the kid's dog, and they were both so glad to see each other it made me smile real big. As I watched them run off together in my rear view mirror, I noticed the woman in the car behind me watching the boy and his dog. She was smiling, too. Thanks, kid, for giving us a nice moment on this Earth.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Powerball fever

I see no one hit the Powerball last night and that the next drawing will be for roughly $240 million. In my previous radio stint as part of the Oldies 93 Breakfast Bunch, we had the discussion about our individual "lottery thresholds." That's the amount that Powerball has to get to before you're willing to plunk down your hard-earned cash on a ticket. For example, I know some folks won't even consider playing until the jackpot's at least $100 million. What--$15 million's not good enough for you? Heck, even $1 million invested properly could last the rest of my life. Hmm...$240 million? Think I'll break down and go buy that ticket now.

Strait talkin'

Last night I was lucky enough to have tickets to the almost-sold-out George Strait concert in Greensboro. I'd seen him before, at least 10 years ago, but George still puts on a great show. He doesn't even have to do anything but stand there with his guitar, look good and sing in that wonderful Texas drawl, and I'm hooked. Judging from the loud cheering and the fact that everyone sang along with nearly every single song, so was the rest of the audience.

Opening acts Taylor Swift and Ronnie Milsap didn't fail to disappoint, either. I especially enjoyed seeing Ronnie again; the last time was at the NC State Fair back in the late '70s. He puts on an incredible show and sings every bit as well as he did back in the days of all those #1 hits. An absolutely amazing talent.

A footnote to some concertgoers: Shhhhh! If you feel the need to talk throughout the entire show, please take your conversation out onto the concourse. Some of us actually came to listen to the music. Oh, and leave those annoying Nextel walkie-talkies at home, too. But that's for another post. Cheers!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Got milk? Bread, too?

Well, it was bound to happen. After a month of unseasonably warm weather (heck, I had my feet in the Atlantic Ocean last weekend!), that rumbling sound you hear is people rushing to the grocery store for bread and milk. All weather forecasts point to an inch of snow tomorrow! Surely that will keep folks confined to their homes for at least a day.

I have to laugh. After spending four years in Pittsburgh, where a foot of snow wasn't enough to make most people blink, let alone get anyone out of school, it's good to be back in NC where we still see the white stuff as something to get excited about. Sometimes too excited.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

feed that baby a chip!

I hate Wal-Mart, but it's a necessary evil. They trap you into going simply by having the lowest grocery prices anywhere. So every week, I suck it up, get in the car with my shopping list and travel a mile down the road to the Super Wal-Mart, which must be the modern day equivalent of the town square. You see all types of people there. Most of them, it seems, like to stand around looking like rats lost in a maze, blocking the aisles with their carts while they ponder which way to go. Despite all its inconveniences, Wal-Mart's a great place to people watch, and today I saw something I've never seen before.

Now I've grown accustomed to seeing idiotic parents let their babies and toddlers swill down caffeinated soft drinks (hey, I said I've gotten used to it, NOT that I like it!), but this was the absolute end. A mom was pushing her baby -- yes, BABY -- through the grocery section and the child was sitting up in the front of the buggy, happily chowing down on a can of Pringle's potato chips that the mom apparently had just gotten off the shelf and opened up for the kid!

I hope that this is an isolated incident. Are some parents really that dumb? No wonder our kids are fat.