Quiet time

Mac*, Daddy-O and I all crave our alone time. Daddy-O's house is an open concept and the only place to close a door to a room is his bedroom and "my" bathroom. If you get a good head of steam and want to throw a big ole hissy fit and slam a door, your options are obviously severely limited.

Anyway, we all crave our alone time. Mac, being an only child and used to having his own room, is a kid who always likes to be alone. I've been an on my own grown up with my own place until Christmas 2008. Daddy-O, believe it or not, got used to having the house to himself after my mom died. So sometimes, all three of us go a little stark raving mad being around each other all time, especially lately because it's hotter than hell and no one wants to go outside in the heat.

Daddy-O and I often take off together and Mac gets the house to himself that way. During the school year Daddy-O gets the house to himself while Mac and I were at school. Mac and I also take off together, or he goes with his friends and I go with mine. I have found that I often don't have alone time. Mac and Daddy-O don't seem to ever leave at the same time (maybe I should give them money and my car and send them to see a movie together! ).

So this morning, I woke up early, about 7:02 am, give or take. Rather than roll over and going back to bed, I actually came downstairs and made a pot of coffee and sat on the sofa to read. It was like being alone and I loved it. I like the stillness of the quiet, of not hearing other people move or breathe.

Then I heard Mac turn his video game on and the moment was lost. Oh, he didn't come downstairs or anything, but the spell was broken. Then father emerged from his room and the began.

While I'm certainly NOT a morning person, there is something to be said for getting up early.

Now none of this is meant in a mean way at all, and no one really does anything to disturb each other purposely when we're all home together; often Mac is upstairs with headphones on and in silence and Daddy-O and I are sitting quietly in the living room or dining room, reading or crafting. I'm really not complaining and I'm certainly grateful that Daddy-O gave us a place to live. None of us ever intended for it to turn out like this, so I'm really not complaining!

Sometimes it's nice just to have the house all to yourself...

Maggie

*(Pardon me while I pontificate on a subject apropos to nothing. When I first typed "Mac" I miss- key stroked and typed "Mad". Is that my subconscious trying to tell me something? He's mad as in insane or angry? Or am I just "mad" at him and ready for him to leave for college? Or all of the above???)

Time to be conservative

I am a bit of a wild child but since I've moved back here to Civilization I keep it a bit more in check. I am not so wild in that "mean/bad girl" way; I wasn't an unmanageable teenager. "Black sheep" might be a more accurate description. Or, as many who know me might say, I am a bit of a hippie. I love the word bohemian.

Can you be a bit of a hippie? I think so. I love to wear hemp jewelry. I love my long skirts, peasant blouses, flip-flops, and tie dye shirts- I have a collection of these. I wear long flowing scarves in my hair. I have tattoos. I like to wear silver rings on many fingers, especially spinners. I had piercings other than my ears (and I let them grow closed) and I am considering getting my nose done. I love the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Phish, and Jimi Hendrix. I am a pacifist- make love not war! I believe in the free love idea. I am not opposed to smoking a little weed, though I don't any more- mostly because I work in education and they randomly drug test us... I am a liberal, I'm outspoken, and mostly laid back. I used to wear small wire rim glasses. I am concerned about the environment. I read literature and taught college English courses so there is some poetry knowledge and an occasional ability to quote short stories and talk about literary figures over espresso as a way of having fun. I love to engage in an intellectual debate. I am pretty touchy-feely. I think studying music, philosophy, anthropology and literature are as important as accounting, law and medicine- maybe even more so.

I have totally not hippie side. It might be described as a Princess side, for example. I love the color pink, twirly skirts, tiaras, and sparkly things make me happy. SHOES, SHOES, SHOES!!! I love to have pedicures and massages. I am shameless for compliments and flowers, especially Sterling roses. I hate bugs, playing sports, and sweating (unless it is during sex). I hate spiders and snakes. I don't like to get dirty. I like a man to hold open my doors, I love to send and receive Hallmark cards and I love to snuggle. I want someone to pacify me when I whine. I love perfume, body lotions, smelling nice, and love to have my legs shaved smooth. I love to decorate, giggling, chick flicks, and talking on the phone for hours with the girlfriends. I love chocolate and I love to dance.

I am a dichotomy blended into what my son calls Princess Hippie.

What made me start thinking about all this is being back here in my hometown, teaching in my hometown, and presenting myself as a little more conservative. I'm not sure what people would think if I was my 'out there' self. I also don't want to embarrass Daddy-O, or get myself "hippied" out of a job. Just food for my own thoughts that have spilled out here!

American Woman,
Maggie Mae

On another note...

Who would you like to meet?

Okay, I've seen variations of this on several blogs and AlaskaSam did something like this on his Facebook, he said. (I have to take his word for it since I don't have Facebook and didn't see it for myself)

If you could have dinner with 10 people (together or separately) who would they be? They all must be folks who are currently alive! I would really love to know who everyone's thinking of right now. I have to say that when AlaskaSam showed me his list, I knew 5 of his 10; I was utterly clueless as to who the other 5 folks were on his list.

So, tell me who would like to meet. Feel free to respond here in my comments section, or if you do this on your own blog, leave me a comment so I can go read your picks.

And you can give a reason as to why you choose a specific person, or you can just gimme your list of 10.

Okay, here's mine:

1. President Obama- huge fan of this man, and I would like his ear for a few minutes to get his "off camera" comments on health care. I also want a job and would use this as an opportunity to network.

2. John Cusak- my future husband really should be meeting me soon

3. Johnny Depp- do I need to really give a reason other than he's the sexiest man to ever take a breath of air?

4. Martin Sheen- I've admired his career (and I always thought it was neato that he played advisor to the President in the film American President and then played the President on The West Wing. And at one time, when The West Wing was at its height of popularity, more people would've elected him to the Oval Office than the guy who was sitting.... shhhhh, I don't want to utter that Republican name here. ewww. ick!)

5. Lauren Bacall- such an amazing woman who could give all sorts of perspective about the golden age of Hollywood verses now

6. Monica Lewinsky- she got famous for blowing a President and doin' the nasty with a cigar. Hey, I'm curious, what you do next in life after that? Disneyland?

7. Colin Powell- the Gulf War happened at an interesting time in my life and he was such a major player during that (duh, the understatement of the century, I just typed) and he went on to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of the State and was considered as a possible Presidential candidate. I'm curious.

8. Michael Buble- I want to meet him if only that means he'll sing in my presence

9. Jon Bon Jovi- I've had a crush on him since high school so what the heck? Again, he's gotta sing (not country) and tell me about his 'movie' career.

10. Rita Moreno- she is one of the few people to have won an Emmy, an Oscar, a Grammy and a Tony. She was on a PBS show I watched as a kid and it was called The Electric Company. How do you do the Electric Company and still win the big 4? And she has a freakin kick ass voice- see her in the film West Side Story as Maria's older sister Anita. Wow.

Fixin' to serve dinner for ten,
Maggie

That's why the lady is a tramp

Many years ago when I was dumb and stupid, before I was older and stupid, I dated a guy who was a an alcoholic. And a drug addict. And unemployed because he was a poet. Oh yeah, baby, could I pick 'em!

Well, we dated off and on for awhile. We usually went to a nice bar that was down the street from this Sam's house. It was a nice bar actually, and I got to know the owner as well. They had great food, a good jukebox and free pool tables. It was a block away so we could walk and both of us could drink and I wasn't always stuck being the DD. This bar was located about 20 minutes from MY house, but it was easy to get to if I wanted.

The owner usually was bar tending every night and he knew Sam and grew to know me, of course.

One day I decided I didn't want to see Sam anymore and I broke it off. I wanted to date someone else and I was tired of his drunken, alcoholic behaviors. Sam, of course, focused on the fact that I wanted to date other people rather than he was in fact an unemployed, drug addict alcoholic. It was ugly but it was what it was. So that night around 2 am my phone rang. It was during the week and I had to go to work the next morning. But nevertheless my phone rings at 2 am.

I was shocked when on the other end of the phone was the bar owner. He asked me if I could please come and get Sam. I told him we broke up and the bar owner said he knew that, everyone in the bar knew it and he would explain in detail when I got there. He said if I didn't get Sam he was going to call the police and have him arrested. Either that or a group of guys were going to beat the ever loving shit outta him. Oh boy.

I drive the 20 minutes to the bar and walk in, still wearing my flannel pj pants and a t-shirt, and hear the sound of Frank Sinatra singing "That's why the lady is a tramp." And Sam is standing on the middle of one of the pool tables, singing into a pool cue at full volume.

Apparently, Sam, being heartbroken over our break up, went to the bar and proceeded to get smashed. And fed the jukebox. And played that SAME Sinatra tune over and over and over. 22 times in a row. The bar owner unplugged the jukebox but Sam would wait until he was busy waiting on customers and run back over and plug it back in. And it would start back up with the Sinatra song.

I'm sorry, but I so had the giggles.

The bar owner helps me man handle him off the bar and Sam does leave with me. He walks home while I drive- of course he doesn't want to get into the car with the treacherous tramp. I drive along side him, and he SINGS the infamous Sinatra tune at the top of his lungs all the way down the street. I finally persuade him into his house, hide his car keys and his shoes. Then I leave.

When I get home, my answering machine is blinking that I have 6 missed messages. It was Sam singing "Lady is a Tramp" over and over and over again.

I can't believe I'm still a Sinatra fan. But every time I hear that song, I have to laugh.

The trampy lady,
Maggie

Maggie O'Sullivan, traveling

Remember when I went to Ireland earlier this year and I had a blog where I posted my pictures? I called it "Across the Pond"? Well, the vision for that blog sort of went by the way side with the relationship and I killed the blog as the grand finale to the dead relationship with AIISam.

Well, I've resurrected it with a new name, stealing a concept from Capote and my Holly Golightly. I now have a blog with nothing but pictures of my travels of 2009. It's called "Maggie O'Sullivan, traveling".

If you feel like looking at it, I'd be much obliged!