Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Wahoo! Wednesday


This was another difficult Wednesday, but there were a few funny moments so we'll just focus on the smiles.

We'll call this "Wahoo for Stupid People Because They Make Great Subjects For Anecdotes Week".

Stupid People Stories for your amazement and edification:

1. While stopped at a railroad crossing without any railroad-crossing gates, I was surprised to see a truck driving down the tracks and another about 50 yards behind. I'm guessing they're specially-adapted trucks designed for inspection or maintenance, but it's really bizarre to see a pick-up truck driving on railroad tracks. Anyway, Stupid Person #1 sat at the wheel of the only other nearby vehicle - which was headed the opposite direction to ours. SP#1 zoomed across the tracks at top speed. The driver didn't even pause to look left and right for oncoming trains. I thought it would have been interesting (as in Darwin Awards interesting) if SP#1 had been hit by a train-track truck instead of a train while crossing the tracks. Fortunately for him, stupid people tend to drive very, very fast.

2. The local firefighters have taken over the deep end of the city pool, this week, for dive training. By "dive training", I mean they're working on recertification for search and rescue (and recovery) work in the water, complete with masks, oxygen tanks and flippers. A nearby parent was baffled. "What do they need to know how to dive for in this area?" he asked. It's a good thing I wasn't eating or drinking because I would have snorted something in his general direction. We have bodies of water all over the place, here. There's the Mississippi River, of course, where people are frequently fished out of the water after falling out of boats. We have lakes, creeks, ponds - you name it. Stupid Person #2 made me smile, so wahoo for that. And, wahoo for the brave firefighters who are willing to go through this training in order to help out the stupid people who fall out of boats, off bridges and docks, etc.


3. A continuation of Stupid Person #2's story. After wondering aloud why anyone would need dive training, he told the story of how granny fell in the water on The River and the family went rushing down south to find her, thinking she'd go downstream. Instead, he said, someone called the authorities from a business upriver to say they found granny. "She broke every bone in her body," said SP#2, but they fished her out. We haven't ever figured out how she managed to go upstream."

See, aren't stupid people great fun?

We had an almost awful moment on the way home from swim practice when the road turned oddly foggy and a revolting smell wafted in through the open car windows. "Shut the windows!" the kiddo shouted, so we quickly rolled them up. Just before we caught that whiff of nastiness, I was thinking, "It's too early and the wrong weather for fog." Sure enough, it turned out we were following one of the trucks that spray insecticide to control the local mosquito population. When we realized we'd just inhaled poison, the youngster said, "Couldn't they do something to warn people?" I said, "Like what?" and he suggested flashing lights and a sign or two saying, "Don't inhale." Hahaha. I love it.

Here's a pretty the husband brought home from Italy:


It's about an inch long and big jewelry does not look good on me. Also, that's a gold finish, not actual gold, and I have the kind of chemistry that strips finishes right off cheap chains. I tried the necklace on, bless him, but it looked just awful hanging around my neck, so my glass pretty is now hanging in the breakfast nook window. I love the way the light dances through the glass; it's really quite perfect. And, I can't call my husband stupid for not realizing it's too big because . . .

I married him, after all, and that wouldn't make me look particularly intelligent, would it?

The kitty pictured above, our beloved Sunshine, is much sicker than we imagined. Our vet x-rayed her and found a 2-3 centimeter lesion in her chest cavity. "That would explain why she's crying when you pick her up," he said. I'll say. She's getting a couple of good doses of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medicine, tonight and in the morning, and then we'll fetch her and ply her with more. The vet said she could be shipped off for further tests to determine whether the lesion is a cyst, infection or tumor but that wouldn't alter the treatment protocol, so we're just going to bring her home and have her x-rayed in a month to see if she's improved. Prayers and positive thoughts would be appreciated. Sunshine is 12 years old, so the vet said he's "leaning toward tumor, but you never know." I feel like a bad Kitty Mom for not taking her in sooner.

To end on an upbeat note . . . one more quick anecdote. You know how there are people who have one of those faces that just look familiar to everyone? Well, apparently I'm one of them. In the past couple of weeks three people have mistaken me for someone else. I'd really like to meet my doppelganger . . . maybe. I'm pretty sure her name is Amanda, because I passed a woman in the Wal-mart parking lot and she said, "Hey, Amanda. How you doing?" Since we were walking in opposite directions, I just waved at her and said, "Hi, I'm great. How are you?" I figured there was no point to telling her I wasn't Amanda. Why ruin someone's day? So, I just played Amanda. Amanda's very friendly, of course.

I haven't added a photo to my sidebar, but I've been focusing on The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and should finish, tonight. It's been reviewed all over the place, so I'll probably just share a few thoughts and a quote or two, tomorrow. We shall see. This hasn't been a very bookish book blog, lately, so I'll try to focus on books for the rest of the week.

Wishing you all a lovely and very happy Wednesday.

Amanda's Doppelganger

22 comments:

  1. Stupid people are job security for someone like me...

    I'm sorry to hear about Sunshine. Ailing animals are so taxing, moreso than people, I think. It's because they can't tell you what's wrong, where it hurts, or any of that. They count on us to figure it out and get them the help you need. Don't beat yourself up for not reacting faster. It's a fine line between knowing and over-reacting.

    My pooch cut her pad running in a gulley last Saturday. It's not a fun injury to live with, for either of us.

    I hope the rest of your week is less trying and I'm sending positive energy kitty's way.

    cjh

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  2. So true.

    Thanks. Taking care of Sunshine has been a guessing game, definitely. She tells me she's hurting if I pick her up, but she isn't specific. I do have that tendency to say, "Let's wait and see," so I kind of feel horrid about that. But you're right; it's hard to decide whether you've hit the point that you need to take things seriously.

    Poor pooch! Hope she's better, soon.

    Thanks for the positive energy. This should be a pretty relaxing week, I think. We'll see. I'll be glad to get her home and then maybe we can find a place that she can rest and recuperate without worrying about anyone bothering her. That might help. :)

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  3. I'm sorry to hear Sunshine isn't doing well. Poor girl!

    Stupid people are always amusing at least! :P

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  4. That's a mean case of farmer's tan on that firefighter! Wow. LOL

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  5. Poor Sunshine! I do hope she feels better soon!

    Also, I, too, have a face that is familiar to EVERYONE. I constantly get either asked if I am someone or else told that I look JUST like the person's sister, cousin, friend, niece, etc.

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  6. Nat,

    Thanks. We're hoping Sunshine will at least feel a little better, today.

    I figure stupidity should at least have some purpose, right? Smiles sound like a worthwhile outcome. :)

    Angela,

    My arms look like that, also - I was just noticing my watch mark, last night. We're far enough south that even going in and out to the mailbox can give you a bit of a tan.

    Camille,

    Thank you for sending thoughts for Sunshine.

    Isn't it strange when people stop you and say they're just sure they know you and is it possible you went to such-and-such church or hey, you look just like whoever? The last two people who said that to me were determined to prove they knew me; it was really kind of funny. I told one guy, "No, no, you don't know me. I'm a total hermit!" LOL

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  7. I'm so sorry about Sunshine. Our kitty is getting up there in years and I worry about her. I love that you played Amanda. Much easier than explaining I'd say.

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  8. Keep us posted on poor little Sunshine. Hope she feels better.

    One time I was pretending to be my sister (because this guy had mistakenly thought I was her) and the person who had mistaken our identities realized mid-sentence that I was not, in fact, my sister, Elena. The look on his face was hilarious. He knew I was not Elena (but he didn't know I was her sister), and he couldn't figure out how I knew things about Elena's personal life or why I was pretending to be her. I almost died trying not to laugh.

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  9. Ah, you just reminded me why I was really really glad to leave Mississippi. :) (I've got a whole pile of stupid people stories from our year there.)

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  10. Tara,

    Thanks. We just brought Sunshine home and she looks much perkier but the verdict was, "She could go a year or two, or it could spread and she could go downhill in a couple of months." I wasn't expecting this so soon, so we're a little stunned, here. I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time on the floor with the cat. :)

    Playing Amanda just seemed like the kindest thing to do, really - kind of a split-second decision. LOL

    Kookie,

    We saw the x-rays and Sunshine's "lesion" is huge - much bigger than I expected. Poor kiddo was freaked out. I think she's feeling better, though, at least for the moment. That's positive. :)

    Oh, so funny about you pretending to be your sister!!! I could never do that because my sister and I look completely different.

    Melissa,

    I didn't know you lived in Mississippi. Where did you live?

    Can I say "no comment" to that last (parenthetical) sentence? LOL You know what I mean, I'm sure.

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  11. Anonymous1:29 PM

    I will definitely keep Sunshine in my thoughts and prayers. Twelve isn't that old, but it is up there. Cats are so annoying, they don't TELL you they feel lousy!

    Stupid people. [sigh]. If they weren't so dangerous, they'd be amusing.

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  12. I'm sorry to hear about Sunshine. I hope she is not feeling as bad, at least.

    How strange that other people suffer from "generic face disorder", too. I am always being mistaken for others, even by people who should know better! I'll try your Amanda impersonation trick next time; sounds like the simplest way.

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  13. Oh, I love the glass in Italy! If it doesn't look good on your neck, it certainly looks good in the kitchen! The only things I buy in Italy are leather goods (shoes, purses, books), glass, and olive oil. Your husband's a good shopper.

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  14. Carrie,

    My childhood kitty lived almost 19 years, so 12 doesn't seem old at all to me. But, I know Sunshine's at least "middle-aged". I get the impression that even if we'd discovered this early, there's not much that can be done other than hope and pray it's a cyst or infection instead of what it looks like.

    Stupid people are very dangerous. I used to love driving and there are so many tailgating, fast-driving morons that I'd rather just stay home, these days.

    Melanie,

    I think Sunshine is feeling a little better. I don't know if I am! Husband made a mistake bringing up the topic of the cat's health when he got home. He got to hand me tissues for a while.

    "Generic face disorder". I like that!

    Bellezza,

    I did a little research before hubby left. He brought home leather, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and glass. I wish he'd brought a purse - he was afraid he'd get something that was not to my taste but I truly think I would have been happy with anything!

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  15. Nancy, you write some of the most interesting posts ever. They're filled with such friendly chatter that I feel like we could be sitting on a veranda somewhere just visiting and sipping on diet cokes.

    You gotta give your husband credit for thinking of you and trying to spoil you. That beautiful heart necklace would not look good on me either. Hanging it in your window is the perfect solution - you can see it better than if it was around your neck.

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  16. Sounds like you found a great place for that pretty your husband brought home for you. It's not wasted at all! :-)

    I am so sorry to hear about Sunshine. My heart goes out to her.

    I loved the Stupid People antedotes. Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Booklogged,

    I loved your comment so much that I read the whole thing to my husband (he's lying here wishing I'd go to bed). Thanks. I wish we could sit on a veranda and chat and sip something cool. I'm sure we'd have loads of fun. :)

    Hubby definitely had his heart in the right place. I have glass things dangling in windows, so the pendant really fit in nicely.

    Lit Kitty,

    Definitely; it's beautiful in the window!

    Thank you. I'm praying that Sunshine will be with us for a while, of course.

    And, thanks; I'm glad you enjoyed my stupid people stories. I sometimes feel like I should quit chattering away instead of reviewing books, so it's nice to know my silly anecdotes are enjoyed. :)

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  18. Stupid people are fun!! Sometimes they are trying, but mostly just fun!

    So sorry to hear about Sunshine. I hope she gets better soon!

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  19. Stephanie,

    Stupid people are at least fun to talk about. LOL

    Thanks. Sunshine is hiding. She didn't like her medicine and seems to want to just sleep in a quiet place, poor little thing.

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  20. Right out of grad school, my husband got a job at Mississippi State in Starkville. We moved from DC, and it was a very bad year for me. Everyone told us we'd like Oxford better, but since we weren't in Oxford, I didn't find that comforting.

    At any rate, the time we spent there makes for great stories now. :)

    Where in Michigan do you hail from (I'm from Saline, personally... my parents live in Ypsi now)? It's funny how small the world can get.

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  21. Melissa,

    You poor thing; Starkville is awful! My eldest went to a summer engineering program in Starkville, while in high school. That was enough to convince me that *I* couldn't possibly survive 4 years at MSU, so I shouldn't torment my kid. He's in Oxford and it's a nicer town but I wish I'd sent him home because Ole Miss is a "party school" and he did get caught up in that atmosphere for quite a while.

    We're not originally from Michigan; we're from Oklahoma. But, we spent a year in Ann Arbor (we were in North Campus housing at the U of M), so I know Saline and Ypsi. I didn't want to come back to MS. I would have happily stayed in Ann Arbor (or the area) forever.

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  22. Actually, Melissa, if I remember right . . . aren't you in Wichita? If so, you're just a hop and a skip from my hometown in OK.

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