My DEEP love for old people

As I've pretty bluntly announced to my MFT classmates I prefer to have a conversation with someone under the age of 65 anyday but like many things this program forces you to get out of your comfort zone and do things you don't love. I've never been the one in my family that is good with the elderly. Now my brother and sister they are awesome with the geriatrical age group...they love to hug them, talk to them, hang out with them...but me give me a rebellious teenager anyday and I would be perfectly content. Now don't get me wrong I loved my grandparents and loved being around them and there are certain older people that I'm perfectly content to be around (although I still could recommend showering more often even to them). In general though if I don't know you don't have no need to get to know you or to have you hug me and want to tell me about how life was back in the "good ole days when young people had respect." Well like I said this program forces you to do things you don't want to do. So for one of my summer classes I had to interview a couple over the age of 65 (which it hit me that is almost where my parents are as we just celebrated my mom's 60th) and talk with this couple about those "good ole days." After putting it off as long as I possibly good I strolled down to my elderly neighbors that smoke a pack an hour (yes that is a pack an hour) with my list of questions and my inhaler so I could breath. Now you talk about respect you would think that they wouldn't smoke around me knowing how that affects asthmatics but no luck there!!! Well I in a less than unenthusiastic manner began asking them my lined out questions. Talk about staying on topic impossible with them. To my question of what was it like during WWII compared to Vietnam and Korea and now Iraq I got the answer, "Well you know now I didn't have these knees paining me like they are today. This rain here we've been having just about does me in. Then that therapist come and don't do what the doctor say anyhow. Now our grandson we just about raised he now now he think he understand hard times but let me tell......" You get the point totally off topic and not short and to the point so I could leave. Soon however I was mesmorized. As this couple grew up near Plainview where I'm from they started talking about life in West Texas and how it has changed and how farming has changed and surprisingly my list sat untouched and I sat and listened to this couple tell me about their life. After what didn't seem to be that long I looked down at my watch and 2 hours had past. 2 HOURS. I couldn't believe it. So maybe this couple isn't that bad and really does have decent wise things to say and good stories to tell (they kept me laughing quite a bit) and I even think they take a shower a day (of course they have to they smoke a pack an hour) but I'm not ready to go get a job in geriatrics yet; but I think I can have a different attitude toward my clients that are over 70!!!!

Random thoughts about the Prince Interview

On Monday (June 18th) on Dateline Matt Lauer's interview with Prince William and Prince Harry will air. I don't know what my obsession with Princess Di and her boys is but I remember being enthralled with her when I saw her on TV when I was a little girl. I guess it is like Jackie Kennedy is to my mom's generation. And just like that generation can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing the minute the news broke about JFK I remember sitting in my dorm room at Harding the fall of 1997 getting ready for class when the news broke of the awful wreck in Paris. Ironically I had walked over that same area of rode in Paris just a few months earlier when I was there with HUF. Anyway, I remember how my heart went out to Prince William and Prince Harry and how awful it must be for them to not be able to privately deal with the trauma of their mother's death. Now I am just amazed at how grown up those two young boys are and how they handle the pressure of the press and the world wanting to know their every move and thought. I wander though if they ever yearn for just a minute of a "normal" life that so many of us take for granted. A life where they can walk down a public street and not have to disguise themselves or have the Royal British Guard watching there every step. Where they can call a friend and not have to worry about who is listening. Where they could run to Sonic or Starbucks (or whatever the English equivalents are) and not have to worry about what an ordeal it is and how many people have to go into action just so they can get a frapucino. Anyway as I have always had an obsession for English royalty all through history I am excited to watch this interview, but I also cherish the very private life I live.

In response to Tes's personal questions...

Well to answer all the questions you all want to know that Tesney is so brave to ask:
1) Even though we had just ate at El Porton luckily the number 2 urge had not yet hit and it was only number one and I will even go further that all the water was pretty much already gone by the time the keys hit the bowl
2) yes I actually did stick my hand in after I lunged for them in the air and missed. Probably not the smartest move since I watched them go down the hole but I guess I thought I was magic - no luck
3) The plunger idea I had to plunge them up didn't work either
4) Kitch's attempt to save them with a hanger also was to no avail.

As far as the giraffe room I'll have to get my sister on that after her husband finished painting.

And there go the keys....

I've been in Little Rock the past week helping my sister (who recently moved from the sprawling subburb of Maumelle to the sprawling want to be subburb of Cabot ) tear down wallpaper and paint the office Giraffe. I know sounds wierd but it really is going to be cool. Its a yellow on all the walls with one accent wall of orange dots. Of course if I'm totally honest I would tell you that we put the first layer on about one and a half walls before we decided that the painting was better suited for her husband. Anyway after a wonderful week I go to see my friend from college Kitchypooh. Well Doug Miriam's husband let me borrow his "grandpa car" (a whole another story). So I cruise over in the grandpa car hang out with Michelle (Kitchypooh) and then get ready to leave. Well I had the keys to the buick in my pocket. I run to the bathroom before I begin the 45 minute treck to Cabot and as I get up I flush and then hear a clank and grab for the keys as Yes I indeed watch them go down the toilet to the sewer far far below. It was so funny I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I doubt Miriam and Doug were laughing when I called and let them know that they would have to drive 45 minutes to come get me and 45 minutes back on their last night before she is gone for two weeks. Oh well I'm sure it will take forever to live that one down.....