BOY was it hard to get up and hurry away Wednesday morning with all that post-election excitement in the air. Our babies had slept over so their two mums could watch the returns at our other girl Annie’s house where the food is always so yummy. They had asked and I’d said Sure we’d love to have them only I couldn’t really help much in the morning since I had to leave at 6 for my turtle-crawl out to the Albany Times-Union for a noon appointment. “I mean I won’t be able to make bacon or scramble any eggs or pick them up warm from their beds and kiss their little faces” I told them But hey they were sleeping HERE, remember? they were coming back HERE after, and they did come back and I could have left at 6 like I was supposed to only, well I just HAD to make them all some bacon and scramble them all a few eggs so it was 8:30 by the time I left and I raced over that Mass Pike and screeched into the Times Union parking lot at five of twelve, shirttails flying.
And two hours after that I had to be at the big Public Radio station to record these little essays for WAMC’s wonderful morning show “The Roundtable.” Co-host Sarah LaDuke set me up and away I went, reading my copy, squeezing all the personality I could manage into the teensy holes of that mic, being so careful – not to ‘pop’ my p’s for one thing but also because I do seem to have a bit of that ol’ Marky-Mark Boston accent and it’s embarrassing when you’re talking about a low-carb diet and everyone thinks you’re referring to corn cobs. and really the whole recording for the radio thing is just this wickedly hard high-wire act for me, a do-or-die, here’s-180-seconds-kid -don’t-screw-it-up kind of thing and by the way couple million people are gonna hear it. Whew!
And after all THAT I got lost on my way to the hotel and it was dark and cold when I got there finally and then my key wouldn’t work so they gave me a new key. No dice. Another new key along with an escort by the maintenance man in case I didn’t know how to slip a plastic card into a slot but STILL no dice. A third new one and my escort and I remained locked out of my room, and this time he swore in Spanish and winged that key clear into the meadow outside my sweet suite of rooms in this nice little Residence Inn.
Finally, totally exasperated after trying yet another key he said, “Look, can you just stay inside tonight and like NOT GO ANYWHERE and I’ll replace the lock in the morning?” And I said I sure could and Management gave me a free Weight Watcher frozen dinner and a free Duraflame log for the cute little fireplace and I did JUST HAPPEN to have a fat 24-ounce Budweiser from the gas station I filled up at 30 minutes before so tell ya what: I crawled into that bed with my food and drink, watched maybe 11 minutes of post-election excitement and was sound sleep by 8pm, safe, and full, and shut up tight in my room just like it was my baby days again and this was my nap. 🙂
EXIT ONLY 
The joys of traveling. Those plastic keys always give me trouble, too.
I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed your piece ‘Be Ye Kind’ in the Voices Weekender on November 9th. It really hit the mark. Too many times lately I have been talking to someone I thought to be rational only to hear them spout off derogatory comments against a different race or gender orientation or social standing. I am initially shocked right down to my feet, standing there with the equivalent of my mouth open, stunned silent while my brain tries to convince itself it must have heard wrong. After a few more ‘choice’ comments from the offending party, their negative beliefs are confirmed and I can almost feel steam escaping wispily from my ears. When the offending party is a relative, the angry reaction is mixed with an equal part of sadness. The content of the comment when thought over can make me laugh and/or cry.
I hope in the near future that more people can be truly enlightened, to feel in their heart the idea that we are all God’s children. It would be nice if everyplace of worship would take up the idea of fighting this negativity towards our fellow citizens, with the utmost zeal.
Yikes. Offer of Senior Discount and then a Weight Watchers meal all in one week.
Don’t you love playing with the young people around age? I’m glad we aren’t totally invisible. I have a colleague at work who is younger than my youngest and she’s smart and fun to talk with. There are some advantages to joining the cubicle crowd late in life. You get to be equals with totally different people!
Life is good! Spending part of Thanksgiving at the nursing home and all the sweeties lined up in their wheelchairs as I approach my mother’s room, touch me or blow me kisses. Those who don’t have any visitors on the holiday will be invited to join us in the activities room to watch a funny DVD and share some very mushy deep dish apple pie, easy on toothless gums but tasty!! Hugs!