The Happiest Millionaire

"I've been bit on my finger.
It could have been my leg.
It could have been my head; I might have died."

Sister A left this THM quote on my facebook wall last night.  And every time I've thought about this movie, I've had to smile today.  I love how my sisters can say one phrase -- one well-placed, inside joke from childhood -- and my whole day is made. 

If you've never seen Fred McMurray play an eccentric millionaire treasurig his pet alligators and going on chocolate cake diets, you must.  The entire thing is, to sound like my mother, "a hoot."  

"What's wrong with that?  What's wrong with that? My family rushing to my side -- what's wrong with that?"

Puzzle Pieces

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.  ~Frank A. Clark

You can't lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself.  ~Gene Mauch

Talked to a wise person today, who helped me see a central piece in the puzzle I've been working on for the past several months.  A good morning.  Feeling thankful.

14,000 Things to be Happy About

Years and years ago, my beloved college friend J gave me a thick little pudgy book titled 14,000 Things to be Happy About.  I don't read it cover to cover; it's not that kind of book.  It's the kind of book you grab, flip to some random page, and read.  I used to keep a highlighter near it, and when an item in the list caught my eye, I'd highlight it.  I also dog-ear the pages that are my favorite.  Today's blog is in honor of this little white book that has kept me company for ten years now.  These are the things I am happy about, in this moment and on this Saturday:

Soft spring rain.
The feel of the warm, skinny vanilla latte cup in my hand.
Starbucks colors (warm oranges and browns and yellows)
Writing "to do" lists on brown, recycled paper napkins.
Cinnamon-chip scones.
Mellow music by Sting and Joan Collins.
Good hair days.
The passage in I Corinthians that promises that "when the perfect comes, the imperfect will disappear" (my Rosina-translation)
My favorite pen.
A silent cell phone.  Lol.


"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think.  Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.  ~A.A. Milne

'Cuz I Need You Now Tonight...

For the past several months, Friday nights have been a leeeeetle uncomfortable.  A strange kind of horrible chanting-type sound has come from the neighboring apartment, and I've had to sleep with the exhaust fan on to block out the awkward noise.  Now, I've been pretty patient (aka, I haven't called the mgt office to complain) because I thought it was a kind of spiritual chant.  So I've buckled down and tolerated.  Alas and Alack.

Hilariously, my hypothesis was COMPLETELY wrong.  Tonight, I was right next to the wall I share with the aforementioned neighbors, and I figured out the noise.  SOMEONE is "singing" karaoke on Friday nights.  I kid you not.  The human noise was attempting a very painfully rendered but obviously passionate rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Sigh.  "Once upon a time there was light in my life; now there's only love in the dark."

But there's nothing I can do.  It's a total eclipse of the heart.

 

Service, not Servant

This weekend was fabulous!  My sister G turned 27 and ALL of the sisters united for a weekend to celebrate her and her awesomeness.  We laughed, we ate good food, we spent hours around the table reminiscing and swapping stories.  It was a fantastic weekend with my four best friends.  I am incredibly blessed to have the sisters I have, the parents I have, the life I live.  Incredibly blessed. 

 Saturday lunch (photo is missing sister C, who arrived Sat night...)

Birthday girl and some of her adoring family fans :) 

On Sunday, we all went to Myabi's for some delicious hibachi-style Japanese.  Our server and chef were incredible, and we cheered and laughed and oooh'd and ahhh'd and generally made sure that they knew they were doing an excellent job serving us.  Because there were eight of us, we took up the entire side of the grill, and that, my friends, was EPIC.  It is the best way to enjoy hibachi, I think.  It's always so awkward to share with strangers...

Anyway, our server kept saying how kind we were, how nice we were, etc, and I was a little perplexed until my sisters pointed out that the group across from us hadn't expressed any excitement or joy over their chef.  They were morose and sullen, eating silently (even the teenagers and kids) and wearing frowns almost constantly.  My sister noticed one of them grab the chef's large container of "white sauce" (possibly the best part of the hibachi experience -- yum!) and pass it around to their family members.  The chef's face was a study in politeness -- my sister felt sure he wanted to snatch it back and teach them a lesson in rudeness, but he obviously felt he couldn't. 

It's a SERVICE being offered, people, not a SERVANT to be treated as a low-class citizen.  Everyone wants their work to be appreciated, whether you're a teacher, a hair stylist or the hibachi chef at Myabi's.  It makes me upset when people aren't treated well; when their work isn't respected or enjoyed.  It fires me up. 

Unfortunately, showering the people across from us with white sauce and screaming at them was not really an option.  Haha.  So, we tipped OUR server/chef really well, gushed about the fabulous experience, and left Myabi's smiling.  Hopefully, our server and chef felt appreciated and valued.

Oh, and as a random postscript -- my dad taught me not to date men who don't tip, or who treat wait staff poorly.  Dad says men who don't tip or act rudely towards the wait staff are scum.  So I always check the tip when I'm on a date :)