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Car Problems, Alas

So we find ourselves dealing with a problem car. Which, ironically is a Honda Civic, which according to almost every single car ratings publisher of any kind, is the most reliable car you could ever possibly buy. However, it is a 2016, which was the first year of the current model redesign, and now in hindsight, you should never buy the first year of a model redesign.  From the get go, it has had problems with the air conditioner, which in this climate, is very bad. There was a recall for one part, but then the one part causes another part to go bad, which isn't under recall, and then you have to get that one fixed too, and its all just a big mess. For the last two summers my husband has just put coolant in at the beginning of hot weather and just crossed his fingers that it would make it through the summer. Which is barely has.  And now for over a month we have taken it to the mechanic about five times, and now we are at a point where we are being told that it needs a "new...
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I'm Tired, Boss

 Ok, so it may be a bit dramatic to say the move was a disaster, but I would categorize it as such.  Did I tell you we had to push the move back a week because SoCalGas could not come out in time? So that meant my rented dumpster didn't time correctly with the day of the moveout, which wasn't how that was supposed to go.  And I mean, I THOUGHT we packed things well, but apparently the garage was not well packed. Which I tried to warn my husband about, that I thought we had too many loose items up in the rafters and such.  Well, it was true and the move turned into a partial pack and it took SO LONG. SO VERY LONG. We were all exhausted by the end of the day, and I know it was kind of our fault, but the movers still did damage a lot of my furniture, broke my television, gouged my beautiful new bedroom wall, and then one of them spilled motor oil on the driveway and then tracked it into the house. So 11pm found my husband on his hands and knees with isopropyl alcohol, s...
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Moving On...

 I know that around the holidays people say they are really busy. And I am sure that they are. But I have been REALLY, TRULY busy in a way I haven't been busy for a very long time. Sixteen years, to be exact. You see, in one week, are moving. After sixteen years of being in this place, we are relocating. It is a very big change, for a very good reason, and overall a very positive thing. It's really and truly a blessing, to be honest.  I am not going to say why or where at this time, but suffice it to say there has been a home remodel for the past 7 months on top of the current moving process. Did I mention, I HAVE BEEN BUSY? There have been many Marie Kondo moments in the past few weeks for me, and I have donated an astonishing amount of things. You can accumulate quite a bit in that amount of time, and we have even done a fair bit of purging here and there too. But still, so much to go through.  As I have grown older, I am realizing that things are just, things. I am try...
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Hot Ones

No, sorry to disappoint, this is not a show with hot questions and even hotter wings. Although we do adore watching it, and our favorite guest by far was Conan O'Brien. If you haven't seen the show, it's possible that Conan's episode may not be where you want to start. The sheer unhinged insanity of it might spoil every other episode thereafter. Or, possibly it will make you hate the show altogether. It could go either way, really. But, if you do enjoy celebrity interviews with actually thoughtful questions, you should seek Hot Ones out.  No, this post is about my hot takes about things. Many things. Unrelated things. ALL THE THINGS! HOT TAKE #1 Zipper merging is great, fantastic, wonderful. Except 9 out of 10 people, at least in Southern California, can't, or refuse, to do it correctly. When traffic is moving slowly, 20 cars piling up to merge all the way at the very end of the merge lane is definitely not the way it was designed to be used. This also leads me to w...
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But They Don't Love Me

I have been forced to conclude that I am by far the weakest link in the group when it comes to Escape Rooms. It's taken about 5 or 6 times, but finally I am here to acknowledge publicly that I don't have what it takes to complete these things.  My daughter and husband? On it. They stride about the room, proclaiming insightful observations about the various objects in the room and how they might be interconnected. They often have flashes of brilliance that lead to exciting breakthroughs and the next clue.  Me? I am definitely TRYING to be insightful, but I tend to just sort of point out 1 or 2 slightly useful things, and that's about it. I think my biggest accomplishment on the last room was discovering that a picture frame could be opened up. Invaluable contribution, I'm sure.  Sigh... Not to mention I am absolutely terrible at combination locks. I have no idea why, but if my life depended on my skills to accurately and quickly line up 5+ lines of a combination lock, I ...
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He Owes Me One, Or Maybe Even Two if You Think About It

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 Well, the Celebration of Life went off with nary a hitch. My sister pushed back on the flowers, so I figured if she was that invested in not doing formal arrangements, so be it. I wasn't thrilled with how the flowers looked, but overall they were fine. My standards are probably too high for my own good. I was super lucky in choosing a really great caterer, and they did a beautiful set up, as well as the food being pretty delicious! My mother loved a high tea, so we went with a lot of things from a high tea menu, along with some of her favorite desserts. More than one person told me that the menu reminded them of times they spent with my mother and that was really very meaningful to me.  It is exactly why I went in that direction and I think it really paid off.  Also, I know that the event really provided a sense of closure for my Dad.  I think this type of tribute to my Mom was something he had been wanting to do, and I am glad we were able to finally execute it....
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The Show Must Go On

Well, my whisper campaign worked? We will be hosting a Celebration of Life for my mother in October. Not quite at the year mark, but close enough, I guess.  One interesting thing is that apparently my sister and Dad discussed it without me and then my sister just sort of informed me it was happening and on what date. And then I was expected to plan the majority of it.  Which. Is fine. I am currently not employed and my former job had me planning galas for 500, so this is definitely in my wheelhouse.  However, I just felt like old patterns were being repeated and not in a good way when I was not even involved in the discussions about the event and then just told about it. I mean, maybe I had made plans for that day! Maybe I had bought tickets to a concert or something! They would never have known because they didn't ask!  Many of my friends were outraged on my behalf, and I don't blame them. My sister may perhaps have, ahem, control issues. I think part of it may come...
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