What is it YOU get homesick for?

This morning, I got a message from my mom. She wanted me to blog. :-) She said I hadn't blogged in a while... so here I am.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. I didn't get to be there with her, physically. We had a nice long phone chat in the morning and Bonnie got to Skype her before bed, but it still was hard to not be able to hug her, just feel her presence. She seemed to have a nice birthday, but I don't think she'd let on if she hadn't... she wouldn't want me to feel bad. It isn't my fault that we moved... but I did go. I always feel that pain. I had to leave. My marriage and Bonnie kept me from just saying "SCREW IT" and staying in Phoenix. I want Bonnie to have a whole family.

Mom is coming to visit in a few weeks. I am looking forward to having a birthday party here for her and an early birthday party for my dad, too. Dad is going to go fishing, which is cool. We live next to a HUGE lake, come to think of it, we live by a bunch of lakes... Florida, go figure! Then there is also the ocean. :-) Hope he has fun.

I ALSO get to take them to Busch Gardens. I can't wait for THAT! My mom likes roller coasters, so I bet we'll go on a few, but also, the animals are soooo neat! Bonnie loves it there. I love it, too, just hope it is a little warmer than last time!!

I love being a tourist in my own city. There is so much to do here. I am often teased about the amount of "stuff" I have seen and done since moving here. I love it! I get so homesick, but it is not for the place. I don't think there is much you can say about Phoenix that would convince me of its awesomeness... I lived there for 27 years. I miss the people. I miss my family. I miss being able to hug them, have them actually be tangible beings and not these faces on a computer screen. Don't get me wrong, Skype is amazing and I feel so relieved that it is available to me. I would have gone nuts without it... but I miss my Mommy. Ya know?

Millie

Greek "Poseur" in the ουσ.

Do you know something? I love Greeks. I love all things, pretty much, that pertain to Greeks. This, of course is mainly fueled by The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Mama Mia!, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but I am CONVINCED that, were I to be born Greek... my life would be much more fun. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that it is an ACTUAL culture. I don't know where my heritage lies. I don't know my Paternal Grandfather... for all I know he could have been Greek.

Greeks. I love Maoussaka. I think it was invented for me. I HATE anise, but I will drink Ouzzo, just for the fact that it is a traditition. I am a middle-class American mutt who is longing for cultural tradition. So, I like Greeks. I probably would like many other cultures, if I delved deeper, but for the sake of THIS blog--- Greek is the name of the game.
Tarpon Springs, FL is a Greek town. I mean, GREEK! There is a store that sells educational toys in the Greek language (think Fischer Price-- My daughter has some of the exact same toys!!) and books, magazines, cd's... everything. The tchotchsky shops sell shirts that say funny things like "Blah Blah Blah, good to be Greek, yadda yadda" I am paraphrasing, naturally. I wish I could wear one. That would, however, be "poseur."

Tarpon Springs has about 20 Greek Restaurants on the main "Sponge Docks" drag. I would say, maybe, every other shop, is a Greek restaurant. I wanted pita, moussaka, doulmades, you name it... alas, I had already had lunch. The nickname for the main drag may tell you more about the other main pull for Tarpon Springs(which, by the way, my father-in-law, the one who knows everything about everything [bullshit] would insert here "Did you know Tarpon is a fish... it is not really edible... blah blah blah") ...SPONGES!! That is right. Now, I don't mean to bring to mind any lewdness associated with a particular Seinfeld episode (read- Is he Sponge-worthy??), I mean the natural stuff... Sponge diving is, supposedly a very dangerous, or it was, occupation. I learned this from the "museum" housed in the back of a sponge shop housed in a corrugated metal hangar. The museum was the fun kind where they have machiee models of people that are so old that noses and fingers are optional... why mess with perfection, I suppose... one such display was my favorite and I promise you if I ever make it back there, you will get photographic proof of its awesomeness... the display was about something (who reads the narration, anyway) and the guy in it was laying on his back and his innards were strewn about as if he had been gutted. Sponges. Who knew?

There is also an aquarium. First off, it is smaller than my house, so don't pee-pee yourself over missing it. However, they did have two little shows that Bonnie adored. One was the 14-foot Burmese Python. They has a talk about the snakes, then took out "Chloe" for a petting time. Bonnie adored this. Immensely. Bonnie wanted to keep Chloe. I kept thinking of when Harry Potter asked the poor Burmese in the zoo if he missed his family and the snake nodded to the sign "Bred In Captivity"... boohoo... I am a dork, but I kept saying Burma in my mind in a British accent. Perhaps, I am part-anglophile as well... hmm... Bonnie also was able to watch an alligator feeding and pet a "baby" (5 year old) alligator. She would like to keep him too...

In Tarpon Springs, you can buy anything Greek you could ever desire. You can purchase natural Olive Oil soaps, natural sea sponges in many different sizes and shapes, real lamb skin chammois, and anything blue and white and cross-ed you desire. Most of the people on the street are also Greek so you can pretend you are, too, which would make me so happy. It is a mecca for poseurs like myself.

<3 Millie

At least let me be drunk while I'm dirty!

Hey there! I am typing this with the grodiest hands possible. I promise you, they are sick. I am covered in paint. I spent the morning at The Home Depot {insert happy dance} picking up supplies for the house and paint for Bonnie's furniture. A few years ago, I bought her an ADORABLE bed frame at my niece's school rummage sale. It had a matching dresser, but one of the teachers accidentally sold it, not realizing they should have kept the set together. In fact, the crazy broad who bought it made a super fuss about it and would NOT let them renig on the sale... which is fine-- her right-- but how do you want a dresser that is TOMATO, LEMON Chiffon, and KEY LIME colored unless you are having it in a set. Just seems like an odd choice for a grown woman to furnish her house with (not to mention it was a kids' dresser-- so, small)... Ever since then, I have been meaning to buy her furniture to paint to match her bed. FINALLY, I got around to it!! I painted an entire dresser Tomato and did the knobs in yellow and green. I did THAT last week. So, I FINALLY made it BACK to HD today and got the rest of the supplies to finish the set! It is all painted. So is my porch for that matter. I dropped an entire bucket of MinWax in BRIGHT green when I was cleaning up. It was a MESS! MinWax is great, because before it dries, it can be wiped off with water... but that also means it DILUTES! I was spraying off the porch for a good 20 minutes and, let me tell you... our porch STILL looks festive for St. Patrick's Day....
I ALSO bought some caulk (it's not as funny when you type it, as when you say it aloud... go on... say it-- I know you wanna...), some tub stripping, and some of those little triangular plastic things that keep you from turning your bathroom floor into a swamp... I don't know what they are called... ANYWAY. I have only lived in two places other than my folks house. Neither place I have lived was well taken care of by the previous occupants. The caulk around the toilets at this house were deplorable... I mean- icky! Not white anymore. Gross gross. So, I stripped them down and laid new caulk. I also took off the old stripping on our tub because it was falling off and also nasty... which is stupid because I am a renter... but I can't just stand grossness and I am a DIY kinda gal! Finally, I put the triangles on the tub so the water won't damage the strip again! I am so smart! ;-)
I have been so productive today, but do you know the funniest part of this? I can't take a shower for six hours after putting in the new stuff... so... I have been crawling all over the bathroom floors, painting a desk and chair, hosing down an Irish patio, and seriously sweating in the Florida sunshine and I can't clean up! Go figure...
I now have a few hours to get my house back in order before Matt and his Dad return from their trip to the Keys. Bonnie is sleeping, so I can't vacuum... the dishes are drying, so I can't put them away yet... looks like it is time for my 10-minute abs followed by a nice Shiraz....
<3 Millie

ReSale for Sale?

So! I haven't written in a few days. I feel as though I have already failed you and I haven't even begun!! Oh Well!

This week. This week. My mom came to visit us on Wednesday. It was nice to see her. Bonnie didn't know we were going to get her at the airport, so it was a surprise. Although she had stated that she hoped her surprise was going to be a bunny... she seemed thoroughly appreciative that it was, instead, her Nanny.
On Saturday, my father-in-law came to visit. I can't even comment on this.
What can you say about somebody who goes out of their way to always be in charge of every single situation and conversation... it is draining. You drink, is what you do. You drink, say "fuck it" and find humor in their absurdness. It really is all you can do! I enjoy this process. I find it very liberating to be able to sit down and listen to someone b.s. the entire night and not actually give a crap because I am tipsy. I used to deal with this sober. Sure. Why would I, though? It is not like anything I say is ever going to be used constructively. If anything, it will be used as ammo against me in another context. Tit-for-tat. Not worth it.
Since about last week or so, I have gotten a little bit addicted to resale shopping. This used to totally gross me out and give me the heebies... and some of it does still-- I won't be buying much second-hand clothes, for example... but I really need to furnish a few key areas of my house... This area we live in is overrun by consignment and thrift stores. Of course, there is also our local flea market. It is an immense and really daunting place. This joint houses over 20,000 people per weekend day (so, what, 40k a weekend!! eek!) ... Suffice it to say, I have been bargain shopping like mad lately. Let's see, last week I got Bonnie some very gently used Van's for 50 cents.(washed em in the machine, mind you!!) I also got myself some brand-new "wellies" for 3 bucks! I got a vacuum cleaner for $15! I haven't bought ANY furniture! Amazing, huh? I am the queen of getting side tracked.
My mom left today. Bonnie was very sad and kept asking if she could go with her. I wish I could send her. Everything is just so expensive, anymore... plus, how will I have any money for buying other peoples' used-up crap if I send her??
Next blog, I will be telling you all about Tarpon Springs, Fl. Think Greek-overload, think sea sponges, think pythons.... it will all come together.

Millie