The Mister's Foibles

For the record: The Mister not only knows about this post, he was pre-warned.

I love The Mister, I really do. But, even those we love can have peculiar or eccentric characteristics. The Mister has one particularly long-documented foible...  I can live with his Paper Man tendencies.  I raise my brows at his embarrassment for other people--even when they aren't embarrassed for themselves.  I smirk at his signature snack--melted cheese and milk toast (seems a little geriatric, doesn't it?).   But there is one idiosyncrasy which truly drives me up the wall.  The Mister loses things.

I know we all misplace things occasionally. The mate to a sock. The car keys. The cordless phone.  I Even understand the temporary loss of a car in a large parking lot, or an investment in a start-up...

But The Mister LOSES things! And it's never the $5 flip-flops or the old sweatshirt. It's not the 7-11 sunglasses. It's not the lid to the toothpaste.

The Mister has a penchant for losing expensive or hard-to-replace items. These losses usually equate to significantly inconvenient situations... Followed by ineffectual searching... Resulting in eventual replacement purchasing...

Let's document. The credit cards (numerous times), actual cost, just the inconvenience.  The mail key (still missing), re-keying cost, $40.  Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, worn once, $50.  The electronic key to his company car (twice), $85.  Maui Jims that he had to have for nostalgic reasons, $150.  His wedding band, worn for approximately 6 months, $200.  His company Blackberry, $400.   President's Club ring, $500.   The company laptop, $2000.  An entire Volvo sedan, $3000.  And his own hearing aids, $5000.

So, what inspired this post?  Well, here's the thing...  The Mister has lost something new.  The Mister has actually lost pants.  We flew to NYC, stayed overnight, went to a show, and The Mister flew home alone.  Unsupervised...  Which is where the trouble started.  When I arrived back home, a few days later, we couldn't find his pants.  His brand new, I-pleaded-with-him-to-buy-them, $160 Big Star jeans.  Now, you might ask, how did he get home with his shoes and his shirt but no pants?  Well, that's the six million dollar question.  You didn't happen to see a bottom-less passenger on a recent flight from JFK to SLC, did you?

Pee-ers Revisited

For those of you who are just joining me... You have a lot of catching up to do! LOL Actually--not too much, but this post actually is a follow-up to previous posts...  Before we moved off the hill, we had an epidemic of post-midnight pee-ers.  There was the near-miss in the pantry.  The puddle at the foot of the bed in the next bedroom.  And the bull's eye shot into the dresser drawer full of clean clothes.

Most of those nighttime escapades were somewhat anonymous.  That is no longer the case.  One of The Buddies, who shall remain nameless, has renewed his passion for peeing in assorted places.  Earlier this week I heard someone wandering about--it was late, and I thought everyone was asleep...  In he walked, tugging on his underwear.  And before I realized what was happening, he was peeing in my bathtub!  I tried to redirect him to the toilet, but that just encouraged him to wing that thing around, and his wild aiming was no longer being contained by my basin!  So--I quickly reevaluated and encouraged him to finish his business and get back to bed.

Two nights later, I heard rustling again...  I got up to check, and saw a similar sight.  The Buddy was tugging at his tighty-whities (which happened to be blue) and proceeded to wave his business around his room.  Let's be clear...  We no longer live in the contemporary house with the concrete floors!  This was not good!  So, I helped him tuck it away and hustled him into the bathroom...  which has tile...  not carpet... 

The best part (is there a best part?) came the next morning.

Hey, Buddy, do remember what you did last night?

To which he vehemently denies any such occurrences.  He honestly remembers nothing!  Truly at a loss...  What to do...?

Autumn Slides into the Valley

As I witness the harbingers of fall, I know my heightened enthusiasm irritates many of my friends. This year, for the first time--maybe ever--I was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of fall colors and coolish weather. I have thoroughly enjoyed these waning weeks of summer. The warm afternoons, fading into pleasant evenings of dining under an umbrella... But today I saw it.   In that little canyon... The first one you see as you head up the hill...?  There were subtle shades of orange in there... Just whispers of color, really. But they were there.

I've always loved autumn. And autumn appeals to me so much more than fall.  Maybe because it's more adept at invoking the true feeling of the season.  Winter is powerful--with the sharp wind, the biting cold, the blinding light reflecting off the snow...  But autumn is subtle.  Fading temperatures, transforming colors, a gentle slide from the sizzle of summer to the bitterness of winter.  It's a season of mellowness.  Mellow colors, flavors, aromas.

Despite being caught unawares, I'm looking forward to the anticipated changes that autumn ushers into the valley.  Baking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, simmering spiced cider, listening for the crackle of pine logs in the fireplace.

I'm not wishing away the beautiful weather, but I'm ready for the change. 

Summer's Come and Gone--Almost

Wow!  It's been a long time since I've logged in to Blogger.  The whole interface has changed and it took me a minute to find my way around!   I guess I've been so busy enjoying not being busy that I took an unintentional, prolonged vacation from blogging.  But the kids are back in school.  The schedule has once again become routine, so I guess I should get back to real life as well.

I've enjoyed my summer even more than usual this year.  Two (quick) trips to NYC with the requisite shopping and dining.  A new job (that I love).  Lunches with my girlfriends.  Dates with The Mister.  Movie nights out on the lawn...  Snoasis, days on the lake, corn on the cob.  What's not to like?

Maybe the best part of this particular summer has been meeting new friends.  Neighbors in the new neighborhood.  Mom's of some of HRH's new dance friends in NYC.  Strangers on airplanes...

It might be the end of 2011--but I think this is going to be the start of a fantastic year!