July | 2006 | Poisoned by Fairy Tales

Hello. My name is Kelly, and I’m a compulsive gambler.

Yes, it’s true. I don’t know what came over me. There was this little voice inside that said things like:

“Somebody has to win that jackpot … why shouldn’t it be me?”

… or

“If I win big, I promise to donate half of it to charity.”

… or

“I’ve lost so many times, that the odds must be in my favor to win by now.”

… or

“The room was free so I can go ahead and give it another go.”

I am always so careful with money. I clip coupons, hardly ever
buy anything that isn’t on sale, and I have enough savings to survive
for many months if something were to happen and I couldn’t work.
So, how did all that common sense fly out the window?
I thought about getting show tickets but decided against it because it
was too expensive. Sheesh! With what we lost, we could have
seen something really cool.

We are scheduled to take another trip to Vegas in August … a free
room at Paris this time, but now I’m afraid. I think that if I do
decide to go, I have to schedule activities for each day and leave my
ATM card at home.

Anyways,
despite my little lapse in sanity, we had a good time. We ate a
lot, walked a lot, lost a lot, and saw an exhibit about the
Titanic. I had some reservations about going to the Titanic show
because I was of the opinion that the ship should be left in peace, but
really, the exhibit was so tastefully done and really made the story so
human. It was very touching and told many of the personal stories
of passengers without seeming exploitative. Along with artifacts
recovered from the ship, there was a full-size replica of the grand
staircase, examples of first and third class rooms, and a simulation of
one of the decks complete with a drop in temperature, a brisk breeze,
and a starry night. It was very moving, and I thought it was done
very respectfully.

I have gone on three summer trips with kids so far. The first was
a trip with two of my boys to see Cars. It was a cute movie … a
little slow in the beginning, but great once it got warmed up.

The second was a trip to the Huntington Library and Gardens in
Pasadena. I think the kids liked the stop for ice cream the
best. In the picture, we all have our hands in a fountain that
teaches about vibration.

The third trip was an evening concert
picnic at the park. I think this one was the most successful
yet. We listened to music, ate dinner, played bubbles,
horseshoes, and Chinese jumprope, and then walked to get ice cream …
again, the favorite part.

Here we’re sharing our ice cream with Mark Twain.

One
more trip to go. The last one is a morning trip to the
Arboretum. Hopefully it won’t be too hot. It has been
absolutely sweltering here. Yuck!

I have gotten two more student letters … both very cute. I’ve
written back to all three and sent pictures from their
graduation. Going to the mailbox is so exciting now.

Tomorrow my little sister is hosting a barbecue at my parents’ for 4th
of July. Toshi and I have already called to reserve seats on the
sofa; otherwise it’ll be hours of sitting on the floor. The last
few times we had to do that, I realized how old I’m
getting. Stiff, stiff, stiff.

Now you’re all caught up … at least on the exterior stuff. I’m
saving the dark side for another day. Until then …

Have a fantastic 4th of July!

Quote of the Day:

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July
4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White
House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where
kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from
happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.







            ~Erma Bombeck