The "Laverne & Shirley" Paradox

Not too long ago, I was watching an episode of “Scrubs” while getting ready for work. “Scrubs” was not a TV show I watched regularly when it was first on, but I find the reruns pretty funny. In this episode, one doctor greets another doctor, calling him Beardface. The man turns around, revealing that he was a big, bushy beard. Rather crossly, he replies, “It’s Beard-fah-SAY!” And for some reason, I found this joke hilarious. For several days, every time I logged in to Facebook, I’d think, “It’s Fah-SAY-book!” and crack myself up. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I like to call the “Laverne & Shirley” Paradox. What is that, you ask? It’s the state where you find a TV sitcom rerun hilarious, where before you either ignored the show, or found it unfunny. What causes it? I think it has to do with expectations. When I sit down at night to watch TV, I want to be entertained. I’m tired, I’ve worked all day, and I’ve got 8 million things I should be doing, so if I’m going to sit down and spend my time with TV, then I certainly want it to be worth my while. But during the day, or on the weekend, it’s a different story. I just want something silly to amuse me. So I’m more willing to spend 20 minutes on Scrubs or The Brady Bunch or almost anything that isn’t an infomercial. And with lightened expectations, I can find the humor among the silliness. Why Laverne & Shirley? Because my sister, so many years ago, mentioned in passing how funny she found the show while she was doing housework.

For Sparky, Who Is Bored with This Blog

It’s been six months since I turned my life upside down—since I quit my job, sold my house, and moved to a new city. And started all over again.

So how am I doing? Good. Things are much better. I told someone that it feels, in a way, like I’ve been released from prison, and I’m learning how to live a normal life. And let me tell you, it’s pretty nice not having to feel stressed out all the time; not feel scared, paranoid, exhausted, or angry. ALL. THE. TIME.

The transition was stressful, for sure. I knew right away that I would be happy in my new job, and I was thrilled to find new coworkers I liked and respected. But not knowing if my house would sell, moving into a dumpy apartment with no furniture, and most especially, having to leave Alice behind (even temporarily), all of that was difficult.

But I’m through that part now, settled in a brand new home. Finding a house to buy was an ordeal worthy of its own blog entry. I’m slowly, slowly unpacking, finding ways to fit my belongings into this new space. And when I’m content with that, I hope to find the time to explore this new place I’m in.

Hoe day?

Pizza Boy, that's hoe day!

I do declare

I hereby declare a moratorium on the following words and/or phrases:

"a splash of color"
"pop" as in, "the turquoise belt really makes her outfit pop"
anything "mama" like "blogging mama" or "crafty mama" or "wine mama". Enough with the self-involved mama worship.

Thank you for your attention. You may now resume your normal activities.

Make me an offer

The house has been on the market for 6 days now, and I've had 5 showings with an open house scheduled for tomorrow. No offers yet, but maybe the more people who see it, the better the chance someone will bite. I hope someone does soon, because getting the house ready for showings is tiring. The hardest part is getting the cats out of the house; I don't think Pal is speaking to me anymore, because he's so traumatized by getting hauled in and out of the car. Midge seems a little more resilient.

Home sweet home

Oof, what an exhausting day. I drove down to Madison to look for a place to live. I found an apartment, but it's far from ideal. Every place I looked at was either too expensive, or wouldn't let me have cats that weren't declawed, or only had 12 month leases. My "safety" place, where it looks like I'll end up, let me have pets and a 5-month lease. The place itself it pretty depressing though--it looks clean and safe enough, but old and shabby. But it will have to do until my house sells or I find something better.

Right now, I feel like I have ceded all power and control over my lifestyle. I'm giving up my job, my house, my yard, I'm disrupting our lives, I'm giving up everything right now without feeling like I'm getting much back in return.

All I can say is, I hope to hell this job is worth it. Please tell me it will be worth it.

Love that dog

Today I said goodbye to my sweet Polly. This was a day I knew was coming for some time, but still, making that decision to call the vet was terribly hard. I kept second-guessing myself all the while, thinking, "I can cancel the appointment" or "I can stop this and take her home", but truly, I knew I couldn't. She had been deteriorating quite quickly over the last few weeks, and in my heart, I knew that it was unfair to let her get any worse.

My first goal, last year, was for her to make it through the holidays. When we made that, my next goal was for her to make it to the warm weather, because she loved being outside so much. Last Sunday, on a beautiful, warm, sunny day, she and I went to a local park, just the two of us, where we walked along the river. She had a great time sniffing everything along the trail. When we came home, Alice joined us in the backyard, where we relaxed and soaked up some sunshine.

To the end, she remained cheerful, and sweet, and loving. I held her and kissed her, told her I loved her and let her go. I miss her presence in the house, the happy energy she brought to everything she did, the way she just melted into me when she cuddled up for affection.

My beautiful girl, I was so lucky to have you in my life. You gave me love and joy and taught me about patience and compassion. I love you.