November Coffee Date- THEY’RE HERE!!!
You guys, I’ve been spending a little too much time at Starbucks lately. My daughter has had some evening rehearsals that are far enough away that it doesn’t make sense to drive back and forth- so I drop her off and find a nearby Starbucks where I can sit and work on NaBloPoMo. Anyway, Wednesday evening at 8 pm I was the only customer left in Starbucks- I looked up from my computer and saw the employees UNWRAPPING THE HOLIDAY CUPS, GASP! Imagine my excitement! As always, there are several different designs, and each year I have a favorite (too early to tell which is my favorite this year though.) So, obviously you have to run immediately to your nearest Starbucks, get yourself a festive beverage in a holiday cup (or you can be like me and just get tea in the holiday cup) and join Coco and Deborah for our monthly coffee date. If we were having coffee (tea) together, I would remind you that I’ve been having a rocky time with my daughter. Back in September she auditioned on flute for the Florida All-State band, and has been on pins and needles ever since. This is a really important event for these kids, and as an eighth grader it was her first time auditioning. She had self-imposed added pressure, because my son was a little superstar at that age, and made All-State five years in a row, starting in eighth grade. I don’t think a day has gone by since the audition that she hasn’t reminded me, “PAUL made it in eighth grade.” Yes, the last month has been extra-stressful but on Tuesday we found out she not only made All-State, but was selected to be the only piccolo player! We’re elated and so proud of her- but mostly we’re RELIEVED. The tension has reduced dramatically in our house, and I’m riding this wave of euphoria as long as I can… until the next crisis. In other news, remember my car accident? Well, I had to do traffic school in order to avoid getting points on my license. OBVIOUSLY, I chose the online option, and it was actually pretty entertaining. I would love to meet the person who put this course together. At the start we’re informed, “Driving each day will give you hours and hours of boredom, with a few seconds of sheer horror.” Um… okay. Then there was a video about a teenager who got drunk, got behind the wheel of his car, caused an accident and now has permanent brain damage. This was followed by a little quiz: “Jared made some poor choices regarding drinking and driving: true, or false?” Ah. Well, I’m a very good test taker, so I had no problem with these “tricky” questions. Here’s another little gem: “Let’s say the car you are driving is a compact and you are driving 40 mph. Let’s say the other vehicle is an 18-wheel tractor-trailor, with 300 overweight pigs on board, coming in the opposite direction at the same speed…” Wait a minute! 300 overweight pigs??? You really have to wonder if the person who wrote this was just extremely bored, or if they truly thought this was the best way to get their point across. While it was amusing, I can’t say I learned much from traffic school, other than DON’T GET INTO ANY MORE STUPID ACCIDENTS. Believe me… I’m the most careful driver on the roads these days. The last thing I would share if we were having coffee together is how much I’m looking forward to the weekend. Sunday is the NYC Marathon AND we finally turn the clocks back, woohoo! And there will be plenty of football- Baylor game on Saturday, and Sunday the Dolphins play the Bears. The icing on the cake is, Sunday is National Nachos Day. My sister and I will be rivals on Sunday (she lives in Chicago) but we’re both going to make nachos for the big game. Fun stuff! If we were having coffee together I would ask if you’ve ever gone to traffic school? Do you like watching football? What are you looking forward to this weekend? Don’t forget to make nachos on Sunday!