random thoughts on a Friday

Someone is killing wild horses here. There is nothing sadder than watching video footage of a cowboy standing over a carcass of a dead horse. They might be homophobic, red-necked, narrow minded (ok, some not all) but they aren't all bad. Their roughness, their inability to speak full sentences, their decidely chauvinistic attitude - I find it endearing because of all the cowboys I have met who meet the criteria of the stereotype, most of them have the most tender heart that they keep caged up. The senseless killing of wild horses stabs them through.

Anna Nicole Smith is dead. In a very macabre way I am fascinated with every detail. It hardly seems possible - she was so prone to media stunting that it almost feels as though someone will pop up on an entertainment show and say - just kidding! Not true! But it isn't happening and there is this little baby who is very quickly becoming a pawn in a horrible legal battle. Its sickening and sad and I think her little life was doomed from the very beginning.

Hockey has never had a player come out as a homosexual man. Its a big discussion on the news right now. I don't know why this is surprising anyone. If they've ever sat in a hockey arena - they would realize that any homosexual man wouldn't dare mention his orientation around the groups hanging out there. The brave soul who does become the first one to come out is going to have to be a strong, strong man.

Disneyland. I don't like it. Its full of cliches and over the top cheesiness but I still plan to immerse myself in it with my family this coming fall. Planning this trip has really made me remember my family trip when I was a kid. My father was known for stopping and talking to people. At one point, we lost him and as we looked back to see where he was, we saw him talking to someone. My sister wailed: Who does he know HERE??? Turned out, someone laughed at his t-shirt. He was a fireman and he had a t-shirt with a cartoon character on it with an axe slung over his shoulder. The t-shirt said: Kiss my axe.

My mother refused to go on any rides (well, I think she went on Its a Small World) and every single one she would read the sign that said: If you are expecting or have a medical condition, you should not ride this ride. And she would say - I'm expecting. I'm expecting to be terrified. sigh. She also has a joke about a Ukrainian cop his first day on the job. Its pretty funny and not as politically incorrect as you are imagining. (Incidentally she had a t-shirt that said: I'm a firefighter's flame...no one stopped her to talk about it)

I wanted an invisible dog. The only thing I really wanted and my mother kept saying - no, no, no. We have to save our money. We went home without an invisible dog and lots of American money leftover. I'm still bitter and I plan to buy one as soon as I can when we arrive. My father used to stop people and talk to them about their 'dogs'. Big long conversations about the breed, oops I think he nipped me there!, the age, what do you feed it, etc. He was a big conversationalist.

I had troubles in California. I was in a petting zoo when a goat ate the tickets out of my back pocket. My father - in heroic style - jumped over the fence and pulled the book of tickets, half chewed, out of the throat of the goat. I had to spend the rest of the day explaining to every ticket agent why the tickets, goat chewed and partially digested, should still be useable.

I also fell off a bench during one of the 3D movies. My sisters thought it was my mother's purse when they heard a thump. They laughed heartily when they discovered it was me. I toppled over again during one of the movies in the round theatre. I fell in love with Eeyore (hmm - prophetic considering my choice to now raise miniature donkeys and not, say, goats?).

We took photos of the hedges shaped like animals outside our hotel. (horticultural geeks my parents were) My father didn't leave enough of a tip in a restaurant (its a different world down there) and we were chased out of the place by a waitress demanding more money.

It was a wonderful, incredible experience and I can't wait to have our own memories of it with my kids.

and finally...

My children were recently laid off their newspaper delivery job. Efficiency of delivery through the mail has made the newspaper kids' job obsolete. They will miss it as will their father. It was their once a week bonding time. The kids got to hang on the sides of the truck. They got to run like the wind in an attempt to beat their father back to the waiting vehicle. They got really good at throwing a newspaper to land exactly on the front step of a house. They worked their butts off trying to beat their record time each week. And today - they will finish up their route for the last time...with a hundred dollar bonus in their pockets! (thank you Bulletin!)