Category Archives: Uncategorized

At the DMV again

Standard
At the DMV again

Allow me to take you back in time two weeks to my daughter’s and my lovely visit, as they all are, to the DMV. (In case you’re new here, I get a little sarcasticy. I also make up words.)

Daughter’s driving test appointment was at 1:00. We got there around 12:30 and were able to check in right away, but there was a long line of testers ahead of us. We waited on the floor inside for quite a while. Finally, we joined a long line of cars waiting outside. It was 85 degrees, so we kept the van running with the A/C on for who knows how long? An hour? Time has no meaning in those situations.

Also with us was my 8-year-old son, missing school because he hadn’t been feeling well. Like all boys his age, he was quite placid, sitting patiently in the backseat, tapping his knees, humming pleasantly. (Sarcasticy again.)

I turned on the radio to try to calm him. He used the opportunity to “sing along” by saying, “I’m booooreeeeddd” repeatedly in time to the tune. Great stuff! (Yep. You’re getting it now. Sarcasm.)

Finally, it was Daughter’s turn for the drive test with “David,” if that’s even his REAL NAME, so Son and I “relaxed” on an outdoor bench in the shade.

Another mom whose daughter was in line behind us eventually joined us.

“This is nerve-wracking, isn’t it?” I said to her.

“Yes, and this is my daughter’s second try.”

“Oh gosh. I hope she passes,” I said, meanwhile, thinking smugly that SURELY my daughter will pass on the FIRST try.

Read the rest of this entry

A principal, a vice-principal, and a dean of students get into a car

Standard
A principal, a vice-principal, and a dean of students get into a car

Note: this is an old story, but I’m posting it now so our friends, who are all moving away, have it to remember us by.

Hubby and I met up for dinner with two other couples, one of which has a newborn. The other two couples drove together. Parking was scarce, so Hubby and I were grateful to arrive just as another car was leaving.

Dinner was great, the conversation fun and lasted hours. When it was time to leave, another car waited patiently for us to all hug goodbye in the parking lot so they could take our spot.

Hubby and I hadn’t gone far before the principal called, explaining that his car had been towed from the questionable parking spot he had found.

Read the rest of this entry

You’re not going to believe this.

Standard
You’re not going to believe this.

Part of my daily routine is heading to the garden to pick up fallen oranges and lemons and occasionally pull particularly brazen weeds within our garden beds surrounded by thigh-high plastic fencing to keep out Peter and his rabbit friends.

A week ago, when walking by one of the beds, with both feet on the ground, my legs wobbled. I stopped to marvel at how uneven the ground had become in that area thanks to gophers tunneling, desperate for access to the forbidden fruit guarded by tight metal netting beneath the dirt within the garden beds.

I happened to walk a different path through the garden two mornings ago and so didn’t remember that bad patch of earth as I hopped out over the fence, one foot after the other, as I’ve done a dozen times, though perhaps not in that particular spot, at least not since the recent rains deepened and widened those subterranean tunnels.

My first foot landed while the second was in the air; thus, all my weight went into the first as it buckled and crashed through a gopher subway. I yelped and toppled over, thinking, “Oh please don’t let that be something bad. Maybe I only sprained my ankle. That crack I heard was just the wooden stake that holds the fence breaking when I fell.

Only it wasn’t.

Read the rest of this entry

Things that make me happy

Standard
Things that make me happy

It takes so little sometimes. Stuff that I’ve only seen on TV or in movies but then see in real life generally fits the bill.

For instance, chatting with friends at a restaurant while we waited for our table, I happened to look outside and see two guys greet each other with a multi-part handshake.

Who has seen this in real life???

Seriously, if you have, tell me. I’m not sure I knew fancy handshakes actually happened other than on a screen. It was not super complicated. Maybe five steps. Still. It counts. It was amazing.

Secondly, I sold books at a conference in a Marriott hotel. This dude rolled my boxes in for me. To my knowledge, thanks to TV, those carts are used for the rich and famous. I saw one–in action–for me.

Was I supposed to tip that guy? Shoot. Literally only thinking of this now. I don’t know how to behave like the rich and famous. Pretty sure none of them would snag a pic of this, for starters.

Read the rest of this entry

How I accidentally uncovered a car thief

Standard
How I accidentally uncovered a car thief
This wasn’t the thief. Just a funny sight another day while driving.

My beloved little red piece of junk car that I’ve had since Hubby and I were dating, finally incurred a repair that cost more than the car is worth.

So, I looked at a carport’s worth of cars for sale on a variety of online platforms. We made a list of the possibilities, their pros and cons, narrowed it down, and I started contacting owners.

“Chuck,” texted to meet near a gas station. It was a decent car, fair price, very clean.

“Why are you selling it?” I asked.

“My wife is pregnant with our third, so we want a bigger car,” he said, while scratching his face with a non-ring-bearing hand.

Doesn’t necessarily mean anything, I thought.

Read the rest of this entry

The Last Bookstore

Standard
The Last Bookstore

The Last Bookstore in L.A. is where our family went over Thanksgiving break. (Maybe, eventually, I’ll get around to posting about our Christmas break).

But before I get to that, a followup to my “Best laid (sneaky Christmas) plans” post. Originally, I was hitting up thrift stores because I meant the coat for Mrs. Instructor to be a gag gift. But then my focus shifted.

Soooooo … that’s amazing.

Now on to the blog post!

The Last Bookstore was featured in the blog of my homegirl Janis at Retirementally Challenged (clever!) My eyes lit up when I read:

Read the rest of this entry

How I may have accidentally made an older man wet himself

Standard
How I may have accidentally made an older man wet himself
Image from Canva

My oldest daughter is a last-minute, make it in the nick of time, always in a rush due to poor planning, sort of person.

I hate when my kids take after me.

I was driving her to work. A typical ride with Mom turns into a gripping the sides of your seat frenetic adventure.

But not this morning.

Read the rest of this entry

The world has turned upside down

Standard
The world has turned upside down

When Sensei mentioned he was going to Singapore for work, I responded:

Ha. Yeah right. Crazy. Buuuutttt…

Read the rest of this entry

Yet ANOTHER random pic post!

Standard
Yet ANOTHER random pic post!

We’ll call this my new year’s gift to you. We could also call it, “Betsy’s overwhelmed by the stupid amount of pics she’s held onto.” You decide which seems more likely.

I’m giving you your trivia question early: Guess how many pictures I still have in my random pic folder after this post. I don’t even know the answer yet. It will be a fun discovery for us all!

But this pic post has a theme! (I heard trumpet blasts. Did you hear trumpet blasts?)

The theme is: Signs–in stores or on cars. Here we go.

Points for puns!

Read the rest of this entry

“‘Ride on a float,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said.”

Standard
  1. What movie quote am I adapting for my own purposes?
  2. It was fun, actually.

Beloved Neighbor’s grandfather-in-law was a firefighter. His decommissioned 1952 fire truck has become a staple in our town’s annual Christmas parade.

Neighbor’s three sons were each able to choose one friend to join them on the float. Their youngest invited my Joe.

Joe, neighbor boy, and some weird old dude in a red suit. Apparently he’s famous? Lots of people wanted their picture with him.

When I brought Joe, Neighbor asked if I’d like to ride on the float too.

“Really? Can I?”

“Sure. If there’s room, I don’t see why not.”

I immediately added “Ride in a parade” to my mental bucket list just so I could then cross it off.

I also added and crossed off, while I had the chance:

Read the rest of this entry