Clearing the Air

I'm embarrassed to write this. But I will anyway.

Last week I was at my friend Laisa's house for dinner. I was telling her that this weekend I was planning on taking care of a few things that need to be done now that we've lived in our house for a full year: pay own homeowners dues, schedule pest control services, change our air filters . . .

She looked at me with this confused look, and I immediately thought 'poor, sweet, innocent, Laisa - this is probably the first house they've owned as well - she doesn't know about changing the air filters!'

So I said to her (kindly), "You know, you are supposed to change the air filters, right?"

It turns out I misread her. That look of confusion was actually a mixture of pity and mild disgust . . . as she replied (kindly), "Yes - but I believe you are supposed to change them every 3 months."

We changed them this weekend (finally). It had been at least a year. I am disgusted with myself.

Around Town

A big, hardy "thank you" to everyone who called to make recommendations regarding my fiber intake. It is nice to know that people actually read what I write, and even nicer to know that my digestive health is of genuine concern to others.

In an effort to change the subject . . . I present to you two note-worthy pictures that I took in the past month from my phone (sorry for the grainy footage) around Greenville.

First - is this the biggest dog you have ever seen? Holy Cow!!

And second - does it seem odd that these three items are sold at the same store?

Fiber

I won't mortify you with the back-story, but suffice it to say that upon returning from Memphis I have started myself on a fiber regiment. I went to the CVS to pick up some Metamucil. Most of the products are an orange flavored powder that you stir into a glass of water. The box actually had a label that warned that if you don't mix with enough water, it can be a choking hazard! That must be some THICK mixture.

I opted to go with the capsules instead - I figured it would be significantly easier to take a pill with a glass of water than to drink down a glass of orange slop. Once at home, I peeled back the directions label to determine whether I was suppose to take one or two capsules daily . . .

FIVE. Five capsules. Three times a day.
I bought a bottle of 100 pills thinking it would last until Purim - and it will be gone by the end of the week!!

Memphis

Just returned from a wonderful (although quick) visit to Memphis to see my good friend and former college roommate Becca. She is 8 months pregnant and adorable and hysterical and swigs liquid antacid straight from the bottle. We had such a great time and it was so good to see her!!

On the flight there, I was exposed to the most bizarre flight attendant. It was a small Canadair plane so there was just one attendant on the flight. He was probably 45 years old, 6-foot-2, and looked like he should be leading teamsters - not serving biscoff cookies. Before we took off, we had to delay our taxiing for a quick mechanical issue. While we were stopped on the jetway, a woman in the back of the plane got up to switch to the seat in front of her. With her rearend 6" off the seat, he screams (from the front of the plane.) "MISS YOU MUST SIT DOWN THIS PLANE IS TAXIING ON AN ACTIVE RUNWAY".

She sits. But another man (perhaps just to see the guy's response) stands to get something out of the overhead compartment. Again - Joey Buttafuoco our flight attendant bellows from his post "SIR IF YOU INTEND TO SURVIVE THIS FLIGHT YOU NEED TO TAKE A SEAT I AM NOT JOKING"

Holy cow. The funniest part was that I was seated in the bulkhead seat closest to the attendant's seat and he was trying to make small talk during the taxiing - so after each time he lost it he would turn back to me politely as if nothing had happened and say, "so you were saying you are from Greenville?" Yikes. Looks like someone's highschool didn't offer a career-inventory questionnaire. . . .

Atlanta visits

A week ago, Grammy and Poppy (from Boynton Beach) were in Atlanta visiting for 2 weekends in a row. I was fortunate enough to be able to drive down both weekends - with husband in tow for one. Seeing them was so wonderful! As always, I ate way to much in Atlanta, but enjoyed walking at the river and seeing my parents, brother, and sister-in-law.

We got to have dinner one night with my parents, my brother and Julie, Grammy and Poppy, and Grandma and Papa. Can you possibly fathom how lucky and blessed an individual has to be to have four living (and not just living - but vibrantly living) grandparents at the age of 29?!? It is the most wonderful experience to be able to sit down with my entire immediate family and enjoy a meal (and not just any meal - but steak and squash casserole - my favorite).

The other treat was that we were given the most beautiful hand-made afghan from my Grammy. It matches our living room perfectly and is on prominent display for any and all visitors (hint, hint).

The visits were so enjoyable - and while we NEVER get to see everyone that we intend to . . . we will, of course, be back soon.

People I am letting down

People that I know I are disappointed that I haven't been keeping up with my blog:
My mom
My sister-in-law (although she has her own neglected blog to worry about, so who is she to judge?!)
My grandmothers - both of them.

I'm going to work on it . . . I promise.

Slow News Day

Feature on The Today Show this morning: A chihuahua that got a grilling fork lodged in its head.
Don't worry - he's ok.