More to Life

I had a really really fun day today! Some good friends and I went cross border shopping (I'm a Canadian.) When I got home I wrote a description of my day as a Facebook note. I was thinking it might be fun to share on a blog too but as this is my only personal blog I didn't really think it was appropriate since it had nothing to do with Alzheimers or my mother.

Then I realized that it did. On the drive down I off handedly referred to Thanksgiving having just passed when I actually meant Easter. And there it was, the GONG of fear. That's the first thing my mother lost, her sense of months and seasons. It was the ONLY reason her doctor believed us that she was loosing her memory.

However just because the gong of fear went off doesn't mean I did not have a great day, and certainly my life and even my mother's life are not entirely controlled by Alzheimers or the fear of it because it is something that has happened but it is not who we are.

Today:

I had a GREAT day shopping in the USA today! The line ups at the border were not to be sneezed at but who really cares when you have good friends to spend the time with in the car? Not me!

Some people thought we were going over because of the state of the Loony but we are not that sophisticated, we just wanted to go to the Olive Garden and go shopping. In that order!

Well today because we left so early we went to Walmart first and braved the Surly Senior Greeters. Because I was not looking for a bathing suit, I found one for $16. Can I just say that this bathing suit is black. It is not black with gigantor pink hibiscus festively arranged all over it, or big smiling kittens - another perennial favorite of designers for the large. It was black. Only. Black.

And it cost $16!

For that I'll step past a Surly Greeter at the door anytime!

Okay so then we went to the Olive Garden and just missed the big crowds. Something seemed to be up with the servers as there were at times 3 people asking us the same questions in rapid succession which became a little disconcerting. They apologized each time and hinted that there was something "new" going on and asked for our patience. Wasn't a big problem from our point of view as it was the opposite of waiting around for NO service.

Our main server kept hinting at "something going on" and by the end our our meal just couldn't hold back any longer to tell me that there was a "corporate takeover going on."

I had no idea how to react and I believe that I may have given her a helpful reply such as: "Oh."

Here's hoping that nothing big changes because the whole point of the Olive Garden for me is it's predictability. If they change the salad dressing I may have to sue.

ANYWAY back to shopping.

We headed over to Dick's Sporting Goods and do you know what? I found the pool hand weights that I was looking for! They had THREE different kinds to choose from instead of never having heard of them! They did not however sell Cat Crap (a swimming goggle anti fogging gel) but they DID sell an iPod speaker case for $9.99!

Now. The ONLY reason I knew what it was was that my nephew got one yesterday or I would have obliviously passed it by. This amazing device takes my iPod use to new and exciting heights. ie it is now no longer only a handy device to play Solitaire on! This next part is going to reveal my true age. I really can't stand sticking speakers into my ears. I recognize that iPod speakers have fantastic quality, and the extra special ones YOU HAVE are probably nice and soft and REALLY GREAT! However. I do not like sticking anything except a Q tip into my ear. I didn't like sticking my transistor radio (look it up) speaker into my ear or my Walkman (just trust me) speakers into my ears. Nup. Do not like it.

Sure it is no longer a personal playing device but now if and when I am ever able to walk as a form of exercise I will be ready with music and Ricky Gervais podcasts. If it could play under water I would happily strap it to the top of my head and jump in.

Okay if there are any gentlemen reading this, this may be the point where you want to jump off cause I'm going to talk about bra shopping. Nothing too serious but ladies if you think a $16 bathing suit is a miracle, try finding 4 bras that you actually don't hate! That is my highest praise for a bra. "Don't hate it" is the very best I can do. Especially for one that only costs $14.

You know how there are specialty bra stores where 4 old Germanic women with handlebar mustaches huddle around you in a change room with tape measures and it makes you think of the episode on Friends where Chandler goes to Joey's tailor?

Well that's NOT what happened today. I grabbed a bra and went into the change room. All the doors were locked so I stood in the lobby of the change room and put the bra on over my sweater. It seemed to fit so I took it off and bought 4 bras one size smaller.

I highly recommend this method as being an almost painless way to buy a bra.

Somewhere in a small dark change room 4 old hirsute German women are shuddering and making the sign of the cross.

So here's a picture of some of my favorite things that I bought today. Please note that while I detest large pink hibiscus flowers on my bathing suits, I LOVE them on a new swim bag!