Reality

I started watching a few new reality shows that I didn't hate. They are, Wickedly Perfect, Runway Project, The Will, and American Dream Derby.

The reality is that nobody promises to keep these shows on the air. After one episode of The Will (although it is listed in the TV Guide) there are no future episodes scheduled to air in my area, according to the Yahoo TV listings. It was replaced last night by a Cold Case episode.

Runway Project is on Bravo and they run it so often that I have lost track of the ones I have seen and the ones I have not seen. American Dream Derby is on the Games Show Channel and now there is another Apprentice starting.

I have been juggling my VCR programs all over the place but even if I record 8 hours on each VCR there is no way I can watch them all before I leave for the cruise and then re-juggle for the next 17 days after that.

Alas, I am going to have to let go of reality and settle for just taping the fiction of Coronation Street because that one is never repeated in re-runs.

Dirty Harry

Can you believe that dirty little prince. I am not of an ethnicity to be absolutely enraged but I am of a generation to be absolutely appalled and I can certainly understand the rage. When William abdicates those pictures of Harry with the swastika are going to come back and keep him from being king. Why are kids so stupid?

Happy Birthday Gretchen

First the sad news. Jacques (of Andree and..) passed away last Thursday. He has been sick for a very long time.

As Jeannette and I were leaving for the Casino Windsor today she mentioned that today was Elaine's birthday. No, I said, I thought she was born on Gretchen's -- Oh My God, this is Gretchen's birthday (Happy Birthday Gretchen) What a fine couple of mothers we are. God took care of my punishment for that.

Parallel Universe

My regular hygienist was out sick today and I had a substitute. It took a long time to get the nitrous oxide right. I don't feel like I am well under until I understand the secrets of the parallel universe. Once I get to that stage, things start to move quickly and the whole process seems to be done in no time.

I just talked to Steph. She was looking for scrapbooking help and I let her know that she really had the wrong Van Houten. I told her our senior scrapbooker was coming to town on the 22nd and she said she could pick you guys up from the airport. She can park in the employee lot and meet you at the gate (actually she said, at the plane in the jetway). Gretchen also mentioned coming down to see Kat et al and offered to go to the airport. I have let Rita know that she doesn't need to worry about driving down there in the dark on the 22nd and she was relieved.

My last layer of snow that I didn't shovel not only did not melt, it has turned to ice. aargh. But it will be warmer tomorrow.

snow again, naturally

Gretchen was here for a few minutes yesterday and she shoveled the first layer of snow. I did my layer before I went to bed. This morning all the schools were closed and I needed to shovel again. Laurie was due today but she rescheduled for tomorrow. Todays snow was really heavy and sticky. I had to hit the shovel against the ground to make it let go. The next layer is slight enough that I didn't shovel again and if the sun shines tomorrow it will disappear. I don't think there is supposed to be any more tonight. I hope not because my dentist appointment is very early (8:00 am) and I don't shovel that early.

Did anybody watch West Wing last night. I can't decide if they have replaced Stockard Channing with someone who is trying to imitate her voice or if she just had an extreme makeover.

Alone again naturally

Erika just lift after putting my house back together and installing my new printer (Jeannttte's old printer, she got one that scans and copies for xmas)

Lyle left more than an hour ago with Jackson and Erika is meeting them at Sandra's for lunch. Then she will continue home and Lyle and Son are staying another couple of days with Sandra. List is staying in town for two weeks and that should be a good distraction for Sandra so she is not expecting Dennis to walk in any minute. That may happen later.

The preacher at the funeral service was very good and didn't try to pretend that he had known Dennis personally but incorporated stories of Dennis' life that he gleaned from Audrey, Lyle, Lisa and Sandra. Unable to sleep one night Sandra sat at the computer and wrote a synopsis of their life together and he used a lot of that.

The luncheon was at a Marriott hotel in Ypsi. Lyle took over the job of flowers and Cornell took over the job of the luncheon so Sandra was able to exhale and just let things happen for a while.

Jackson delighted everyone and was in turn delighted by the other children at the luncheon. They were all able to run faster than him so sometimes he was only able to catch up when they were on their way back.

My house is going to be very quiet for a couple of weeks until Erika and Jackson come back for their trip to California. I will just sit in my chair and doze until that happens.

happy new year

Hope you all had a nice passage into the New Year. I slept through mine.

The wedding was very nice yesterday. Did any of you know there was a city in Michigan called Argentine. That's where the reception was. It is a suburb of Fowlerville. The newlyweds are moving to Fayetteville, North Carolina where husband is stationed. He has two more years to serve and is very sure that he will be deployed at least once more to the Middle East. His last tour of duty was in Pakistan.

When I got home there was a dinosaur towel hanging in my kitchen, but baby was already in bed. Rita and I just got back from the funeral home and Dennis' wake. Jackson was getting pretty tired and miserable and Erika was contemplating bringing him back here for a nap. I wish I was able to be more help in coping with him myself and I could have brought him back and kept him here for the rest of the evening. Another drawback of having your babies late in life. Grandmas are useless.

Mother and child just walked in so I guess he is going down for a nap. So far, he's not crazy about the idea.