A Letter To My Sister

I haven’t written to my sister, Shawne, whom I adore, in forever. I also haven’t updated this page in at least as long which has undoubtedly left you, my faithful reader, longing for an update on my incredibly whirlwindy existence. Given my hectic social schedule (I consider picking up my drycleaning and pumping gas social activities, don’t you?) there’s often nary a moment to spare for frivolities such as documenting the events leading up to (and including) picking up my drycleaning and pumping gas.

I guess I could Twitter, cuz that’s oh-so-relevant nowadays. And perhaps I will. Right after I figure out why anybody in their right mind would POSSIBLY care to know that I plucked precisely 16 hairs from my eyebrows, the timeline during which said plucking occurred, and the resulting angle of follicular placement.

Uh… yeah.  No.

So here’s the latest, and it begins “Dear Shawne”:

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Haven’t heard from you in a while… but then again, I haven’t written in a while either… so I thought I’d check in and see how you are.

So how are ya?

I’ve been on vacation for 10 days, and today’s my last day. I’ve been having a major pity-party all day. Believe me when I tell you that I’m TRULY grateful to have a job, but I sure wish I loved what I do to earn that money. And Lord knows I’ll never be able to retire: I started my 401K two years ago and have lost my shorts on the deal. I’ve been dabbling in the stock market which is pretty fun. I started researching the ins & outs last year just before the market crashed in November, and picked up a few stocks at just the right time. I’ve only got a couple grand invested in 5 companies (100 shares here and there, and they all classified as penny stocks when I bought them) and with the exception of one, I’m pretty sure that the worst I’ll do is break even. It’s like the longest poker game EVER, and so far I’m not folding.

Nicholas is out of school for the summer and is loving life. He’s taking a course in video game design at UCLA beginning next Monday, and he’s really excited about that. It’s only a week long, but he’ll be living on campus in the dorms. I don’t know which he’s more excited about: being a
“coed” for a week, or the class. Probably the former. It was a bit pricey, but hey. That’s one of the best parts of being divorced: you get to split the cost. Except for those braces, dang it. Those cost me a pretty penny, and the booger forgets to wear his retainer half the time!

I got to spend the day with my granddaughter last Saturday. Mercy, that child is precious!  I don’t get to see her nearly as often as I wish I could but boy do I treasure the time I do get with her. She is THE most adorable child who ever breathed (besides her daddy and her uncles, of course!). Rarely fussy, always smiley, and DOES SHE EVER LOVE THE CAMERA! I’ve done nothing with my website for months because I’ve been working on another one for work, but one of these days I’ll get with the program and post some pictures of her.

I got my hair cut today. That wouldn’t ordinarily be a big deal, but given that I hadn’t had it cut since before Thanksgiving it was kind of a big deal. It’s WAY shorter than I was hoping for, but whatever. If I quit dying it I’d be almost totally gray, and I actually considered going that route but my stylist told me to wait 10 years. 10 years! God bless his soul, thinking I’ll give a rats a** what I look like in FIVE years! I do still possess a modicum of vanity but it’s fading fast. I never thought I’d see the day that I’d leave the house without makeup and my hair done, but I do it more and more frequently and I DON’T CARE! Woo Hoo! I’ve never been good with all that skincare/lotion/nightcream/eyecream/anti-wrinkle-this-and-that, and having been a Sun Worshiper for so much of my life my skin tells the story to anybody who’s listening. But now that I’ve grieved my lost youth (and embraced the unwelcome 30 pounds that have taken residence on my person) and moved on, I couldn’t care less. Okay, I could. But not enough to change my wayward behavior. Anyway, so Louie’s plan (he’s the stylist, Louie) is to gradually weave it lighter and lighter so that the transition will be less noticeable. Hah. He thinks I should go out dancing more. I think I should read a book and eat chips & dip with my hair in a headband while wearing old comfy sweats and a pair of smooshy slippers.  I win.

So that’s what’s new with me. What’s new with you? I’d love to hear from you.

Having re-read this, I think I’ll give my webhost a reason to continue hosting me and post this as a blog entry. They’ll be shocked to know I still exist, I’m sure, but it’ll give them comfort knowing I’m alive and save me having to think up something fascinating to post. Not that I endorse the random dispensation of harmless creatures, but this’ll kill two birds with one stone.

Love you!
Laura