What Love Means…

February 13, 2014 ~ JodiLea ~ 2 Comments

Remember that obnoxious line from the movie “Love Story”?
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

Seriously?? How lame is that? People actually thought that movie was so romantic and heart wrenching. Ali MacGraw was a Total Bitch from the first scene on. I could not believe that Ryan O’Neal took her crap. Frankly, I was happy she died at the end. There. I said it out loud. Some things just need to be said. And “I’m Sorry” is one of them!

Love means wanting to say you’re sorry. You say “Oh, sorry!” to the stranger you bumped into at Starbucks this morning. Why wouldn’t you apologize to the person you love when you did (or didn’t do) something and disappointed them?

Speaking of which, I apologize for my tirade. As far as “Love Story” goes – I don’t think any less of you if you enjoyed that movie. My girlfriends said they “loved it”, even though they cried half of the time. What I enjoyed was the popcorn and Junior Mints I munched on, while promising myself to never treat a man (or anyone) so crappy.

There are a million different ways to show your love for someone. And they don’t have to be large productions, skywriting, or things you see in the movies (although I LOVE that corny stuff!)

“It’s the little things that mean a lot”
–Drew Barrymore, in “The Wedding Singer.”

To me, Love means,

Not leaving the house without a kiss goodbye.
Biting your tongue when his friends annoy you.
Keeping the cookie jar filled with his favorites.
Taking walks together and talking about silly stuff.
Knitting or sewing while watching his “American Rifleman” episodes.
Stoking up the fireplace when you’re not cold, but she is.
Making popcorn four times a week (or more) just because she loves it.
Putting them first, instead of yourself
Never holding a grudge. Telling them your side of it – then letting it go.

I bet you have some that you would like to share with us. So, Please send me (or comment on), what you feel love means.

I want to post them in tomorrow’s blog for Valentine’s Day! Sorry for the really late notice, but sometimes that’s just how it goes…

There’s No Place Like Home

September 29, 2013 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

Unlike Dorothy, I needed Delta Airlines to transport me back home. I don’t have a pair of sparkly red shoes, my fault, for not taking my granddaughter’s advice while shopping.

“You gotta get the sparkly shoes too, grandma!” the 9-year old demanded.

“You gotta, gramma!” insisted the 3-year old, while pointing her index finger at me, and her other hand was placed firmly on her hip, which was exactly the way her older sister was standing. Do they practice this, or is it genetic? Their mother did that too, now that I think about it. Never mind – I just answered my question…

Oh dear. I got off on a tangent. [That happens a lot here at Not Pretending – BTW. Just so you know 😉 ]

I’m not sure who started this whole “travel for fun” thing. The explorers and pioneers probably did not have much fun. Unless it was a ‘rush’ to conquer unknown lands and bring back stuff made in China.

I complain about 4-hour flights in “economy class*”. I would not have survived month after month on board a sea-going vessel, or a covered wagon on the Oregon Trail. Not me.

Stories written by travelers make traveling sound exciting and romantic. Often movies portray travel in the same way. There are also some very creative travel blogs, with amazing photos and great tips.

I am not familiar with that kind of travel. The movie that portrays my experience traveling is “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, with a bit of “Vacation” thrown in to perk things up. If you’re thinking, ‘Oh, she’s exaggerating to be funny’, you would be wrong.

The purpose of going on vacation is to have a fun and relaxing time. But there is no relaxing when you are traveling. Maybe there is to the travelers in First Class, which is why they pay four times the airfare than I do.

Airports used to be exciting. Now they are annoying. Every 5-minutes the dude on the speakers warns you about carrying other people’s bags and that ‘smoking is prohibited’.

Like I don’t have enough trouble carrying my own bags? And why the Hell are you reminding smokers that they can’t smoke? Do they even have a clue how maddening that is – especially to former-smokers (a.k.a., nicotine addicts)? Stop announcing crap unless there’s an emergency!

And then, there are all those other people around. Observing and listening, while you wait in lines and gates. ‘People Watching’ is considered an acceptable activity these days. When I was growing up they called it ‘being nosy’.

And then, there’s the noise factor. The neighbors above and next door to your hotel room never sleep. You hear them stomping around, watching high-~~def~~volume TV. They make sounds that defy your imagination. What can they be doing up there? Moving furniture? Maybe we don’t want to know.

The noises got so bizarre on our last trip that hubby and I would lie in bed giggling and make up stuff about what was going on. When we noticed the water stain on the ceiling above the jacuzzi, we thought maybe it was repairmen. But at two in the morning? It’s going to be one of many mysteries we encounter when we travel.

Things NEVER go as you plan them. And the unknown variables that happen can really mess with your trip. Like hurricanes and their residual storms. It was making me crazy to be in a tropical paradise, with a gorgeous beach and not be able to walk along the surf or lounge under an umbrella reading my book while a waiter fetches me another soda. And forget about booking a tour to visit ancient ruins. Another outside activity canceled due to high winds and heavy rain.

In many ways it really sucked. But we survived. And here we are, back at our favorite place to be – ♥ home ♥

* PC term for "cram as many seats as we can into the plane for the largest profit class"

49er’s Fans Ask For Less Comments and More Action

September 9, 2013 ~ JodiLea

In spite of their efforts to beef up defense against running plays, and their defensive lineman that thinks he is the God Of Thunder, the 49er’s beat Green Bay in the season opener. Again.

It was a great, exciting game! In spite of my usual complaint.

So, Troy Aiken and Joe Buck – why did you re-play the same tackle (over and over, and over again), showing Kaepernick getting massacred by Clay Matthews? This happened in the first half – along with many other plays that ended happier. Maybe it was the brawl that broke out after the hit that captivated you.

I agree that Matthews late hit was a nasty move, in fact, hubby and I both roared in protest when it happened. A penalty was called, the players warned, and the next play was underway. We all had to move on. Everyone, except you two, moved on.

Then, y’all started talking about the ‘big mistake’ the ref’s made by ruling the repeat of the 3rd down. Then you speculated about how the 49er’s would not have gotten a touchdown otherwise. Oh, really??

There is no rule that says you have to kick on the 4th down. The 49er’s may have decided to go for it on the 4th down. Y’all don’t read minds, you just repeat whatever pops into your head at the time. And… who says that repeating the 3rd down was a mistake? After all, this was not your typical ‘late hit’, was it?

All during the pre-season and tonight’s opener, I am increasingly irritated by inane chatter and opinions offered by whoever happens to be in the announcer’s box.

Don’t get me wrong – I love you, Troy and Joe. You are the least annoying commentators I’ve seen. But… this is me and I have to give you some tips on how you can improve your fanability*.

1. Enough of the reciting of stats and prior season flashbacks – we are trying to watch this game. The one our team is playing. Now.

2. We do not care what happened in Miami five years ago. And we certainly don’t want to miss our teams current play so you can show film clips of the damned thing.

3. Your job is not to entertain us. We don’t care what you think the players or the coach is thinking, or going to do.

4. Some history or trivia about the players is fine to pass along (but NOT during a play). Re-plays of the last play are fine – once. The next play will be soon, and we want to watch that play as it happens.

5. If you don’t have something pertinent to the current game – shut up and watch.

😉

* Fanability: adjective, [fan ah′ bill it tee]: Having the ability to please an audience or crowd.
Source: The Dictionary of Words That Should Exist