Home Again

More tales from the front...

Quality Time

One lovely Saturday morning Dad and I went to the city to visit my apartment. There was an association meeting and he wanted to see how our tenants were doing. They were fine. On the way home we discussed lunch, then I called home, took the order, called the restaurant to place the order, when Dad, who was driving, suddenly declared in an urgent voice, "I need to speak with Mom." Uh oh. What did I do? Am I in trouble? Was it because I ordered the pork and the shrimp?

So I get out the phone (again), call home (again), get Mom on the line (again), hand the phone to Dad, and he explains, "Irene! I need a manicure!" That was when I started laughing. "Judes, you need anything?" he asks. "I'll take a pedicure," I respond.

Some families go to the movies, apparently mine gets our nails done...

Keyless Entry

Mom has a Toyota Camry Hybrid. She's had it for about a year, maybe a bit less. It's a cool car, but it drives differently than a normal car. You need lots more distance to brake, otherwise you get whiplash. It took me a little while to get used to. However, I never was able to get used to the key. Or lack thereof. There is no key. You have a fob that you put in your pocket or purse, (I think it needs to be within 10 or 15 ft of the car) and when you approach the car the doors automatically unlock for you (or lock as you walk away). Then you get in the driver's seat and push a button and the car turns on. But that's not the part that I found odd. I can deal with that. The part I never got used to is turning the car off. I was always looking for a key to remove from the ignition. None. Just push the power button again and the car will congratulate you for how fuel efficient you were. I would sit there and fumble for a few seconds, every time I drove it, then would suddenly realize, no key. In Cuenca I have five keys just for the house and thee for the car. In Chicago I carried zero.

Gigi's

For my high school graduation there were no caps and gowns. I had to wear a floor length, formal, white dress, but it couldn't be strapless. The tradition still carries on today. Why is this relevant?

While in Chicago I bought my wedding gown. I bought it at a boutique that has all sorts of formal dresses. When getting measured (after I had chosen the dress) the women says to me, “That dress will be lovely for your graduation.” WTF? “Actually, that's my wedding gown,” I reply. “But you're too young to be getting married!” she exclaims, trying to reinforce her view to those around, “Isn't she?” “Um, I'm 29.”

Maybe I look young. Or maybe she thought I was young because I was there with my mom. But did she seriously think I was 18?