If We Were Having Coffee On This December Morning…

December 12, 2015August 29, 2018 / Ally Bean / 41 Comments

THE SETTING:

We’d be sitting in my dining room, marveling about how warm December is this year, wearing clothes in colors & styles that scream early autumn more than almost Christmas.

We’d be drinking oolong black tea, steeped in my blue teapot, served with milk and sugar, because while coffee is wonderful, occasionally everyone needs a cup of tea [and sympathy].

We’d be listening to an old Eric Clapton CD that I found in the glove box of Zen-Den’s SUV. Why? Because it’s Christmastime and Clapton is God. 😉

THE CONVERSATION:

√ We’d be chatting… about how this week, for the first time, at Susie Lindau‘s urging I watched Elf. Or more accurately, I watched the first half of Elf and decided that while the story is cute, there’s too much Will Ferrell in it for my taste. It’s not for me, but all of you other ~~wackos~~ people enjoy it. Please.

√ We’d be sharing… our latest accomplishments. I’d be saying that I’ve been sober for three months now. Considering how I started down this road by accident, I’m finding the experience enlightening. I’m not missing cocktails or wine AT ALL, although I wouldn’t mind a beer every so often. And maybe a shot of bourbon once in a great while. But overall I’ve come to realize that at this point in my life I don’t care about alcohol all that much. Who knew?

√ We’d be talking… about how Jon Stewart’s various appearances this week on late night TV [here and here] have brought attention to Congress’s indifference to extending the Zadroga Act, which, if reauthorized next week, will continue to give financial help to the 9/11 first responders. I’d mention that given my druthers I’d vote for Stewart for president because… SMART + HONEST– not to mention looking good with that graying beard.

√ We’d be discussing… whether this year we’ll be making a list of specific New Year’s Resolutions OR if we’ll go with a more general one word approach to self-improvement. Having tried both ways in the past, I’d tell you that, as an English major, my best successes have come from adopting one word as my theme for the year, thereby avoiding all ways to quantify my life– which for me only leads to defeat & despair. Keep it simple, keep it going, I say.

THE CONCLUSION:

We’d finish drinking our tea, notice the time, and realize that we both needed to get to certain stores on the other side of town before noon. So with a sigh that comes from being a responsible adult, we’d each get in our cars and go our own way.

But before we parted we’d hug and thank each other for the best gift there is, the gift of sincere undivided attention & conversation. Given to those people who make your heart happy and your life full. Like friends, followers, family & fans. In real life– and in the blogosphere, too.

• • •

Idea for this post came from Diana at Part-Time Monster.

• • •

[Make your own plaids, checks &/or stripes, in any color combination, like those featured above, by using Patternizer. It’s free. It’s fun.]

If We Were Having Coffee On This November Morning…

November 7, 2015August 29, 2018 / Ally Bean / 49 Comments

THE SETTING:

We’d be sitting in my living room, staying dry, looking outside at the Halloween decorations still on display.

We’d be drinking cafe mocha that I made for us.

We’d be listening to the local classical radio station because it makes for a laid-back atmosphere– and it’s fun, once in a while, to let a radio station pick your tunes.

THE CONVERSATION:

√ We’d be chatting… about how this week, after weeks of trying, I won Level 90 in AlphaBetty Saga and how I believe there’s no disgrace in giving up on a game when it becomes too challenging for you. Bye, bye, Betty!

√ We’d be sharing… our latest TV obsessions, which in my case is Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, made in Australia and set in Melbourne in the late 1920s. I’d recommend them for the sheer entertainment of seeing a smart + sassy + stylish flapper detective, named Phryne, show the boys how it’s done.

√ We’d be talking… about how I’m trying to decide if I’m going to continue on blogging, or if I’m going to let it go. I’d be saying how this hobby has become a part-time job. And while it’s good that it keeps my brain clicking and my heart open, I’m finding that I’m unsure about who is following me– and why. Which makes me a little uneasy.

√ We’d be laughing… about how the Bengals, our local NFL franchise who used to be called the Bungles, beat the team from the Mistake on the Lake. And we’d wonder, chuckling at the old-time Ohio insider joke, if either of these NFL teams could beat OSU!

√ We’d be planning… when we could get together next, knowing our December holiday schedules were already filling up. And lamenting, but in a good way, how every year the invitations come earlier and earlier.

THE CONCLUSION:

We’d have to part after about an hour or so because weekend obligations are just that– things that must be done.

We’d hug and promise to get together sometime after the holidays when life returns to normal.

And we’d thank each other for listening to & commenting on our joys and woes. Like friends do. Everywhere. Over a mug of coffee.

• • •

Idea for this post came from Diana at Part-Time Monster.

• • •

Candy & Eyeballs & Nickels, OH MY!

October 29, 2015October 29, 2015 / Ally Bean / 36 Comments

Old School Jack-O-Lanterns.

Around here Halloween is A BIG DEAL.

Just about everyone decorates the exterior of their house for the holiday. And most of the families, save the conservative Christians and the Mormons, are home to hand out candy or whatever on Trick-or-Treat Night.

It’s the one time of year when adult neighbors, often with a bottle of beer or a glass of wine in hand, sometimes in costume, accompany their kids to our doorstep, then actually acknowledge and speak with us.

The Harvest Moon.

Trying to set a good example for the kids, I suppose. Be cordial. Even if we, your parents, can’t be arsed to say “hello” under any other circumstances.

Be that as it may, I still find it to be a fun holiday.

If only because little kids dressed up are a hoot to watch stumbling around the streets. And because bigger kids are a hoot to talk with as they try to barter for more candy. Both make me laugh.

Treats For The Beggars.

In the past, on evenings with perfect weather, we’ve had 220 beggars. Because this neighborhood is growing, with many new homes built this past summer, I’m planning for 250 kids who will get a piece of candy OR a bloody eyeball OR a nickel.

And if we’ve handed out all of that before the 2 hours of begging is over, I think we’ll take our chances, turn off the lights and hope that these kids don’t know about soaping windows!

~ ~ • ~ ~

So what’s up with your Halloween plans, my gentle readers? Share your spooky or kooky in the comments below.

~ ~ • ~ ~

A Little Vacation: Went To Texas, Got Wet, Came Home

October 26, 2015July 1, 2025 / Ally Bean / 21 Comments

:: Late last week we went to Texas to visit Austin, TX, but our little extended weekend vacay took a different turn, and we ended up in Dallas, TX.

Perhaps you heard about Hurricane Patricia?

While both cities were soaked by this unprecedented storm, after getting to Texas, driving to Austin & finding ourselves in the moldiest suburban Hilton Garden Inn room ever, we reconsidered our plans & decided to focus on Dallas instead of messing around with Austin, which was more directly in the path of the storm.

And had unbelievably expensive hotel rooms. [$200.00 per night for a downtown budget Motel 6 room. That’s without taxes. And, of course, no room service available in the place.]

Photo of bleak wet world as seen from room window in Marriott Hotel at Legacy Town Center in Plano, TX, October 2015.

:: I’m glad that we made a change in our plans and chose to goof-off in Dallas, even though the whole region had the most amazingly consistent gray sky that I’ve ever seen.

A sky that some might be tempted to say was gloomy and foreboding.

A sky that seemed to hover over us as we drove around Dallas on about seventy hundred thousand different highways, toll roads, expressways + freeways, in the rain, while Siri told us how to reroute ourselves to avoid flash flooding.

:: So what did we do? Activities that kept us dry, of course.

We visited the Dallas Museum of Art [fascinating American silver collection, Islamic art + Inca artifacts].
We visited the Museum of Geometric and MADI Art [art displayed partly in museum and partly in law firm that shares the building with the museum].
We drove to, but were unable to see, the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano, TX, because it was closed due to flooding.
Then, despite my dislike of malls, we went to NorthPark Center, an upscale 50-year-old mall, incredibly clean– and about as soulless as a mall can get.
Continuing on went to another mall, The Shops at Willow Bend, which for a mall wasn’t so bad. I guess. Zen-Den bought a few shirts at Dillard’s, so not a total waste of time.

:: Do I have a conclusion? Well, I don’t know. Sort of.

All I can tell you, gentle readers, is that I am not unfamiliar with vacations not going as planned. I am nothing if not adaptable. Meaning that while I didn’t return from our vacation rejuvenated by local cuisine, music and artsy-fartsy Austin stuff, I’m happy that I got to see a little bit of Dallas, TX.

Which is massive, affluent, with lots of new buildings, friendly people and, in my experience, incredibly wet. 😉