Must Be Time For A Road Trip... Hello Land Of Enchantment

Lately I find that I just don't have the patience for much of anything aside from keeping my nose to the grind, as it were. I don't know if anyone else goes through phases like this, but I certainly do. I feel restless and the things I normally derive joy from doing on a day to day basis, are either boring me to the verge of tears or causing me a great deal of frustration. It's the same feeling that you would educe from taking one step forward and three steps back in a walking race. Uh-Huh.


I have no patience with long stoplights or people who seem to be asleep for the first few seconds after the light changes to green because they are talking on their freaking cell phones. I have no patience with people who ring my doorbell unannounced. I have no patience for neighbor's dogs who bark for hours on end, nor do I have the patience to suffer through visits from Jehovah's Witnesses or anyone selling anything. The people who block grocery store aisles are now on my hit list. I'm beginning to scare even myself.


I used to refer to this strange emotional phenomenon as PMS and later, menopause. I no longer have either *condition* among my repertoire of excuses for foul moods, so I'm fairly perplexed as to what I can blame this on. Am I really just a total bitch after all is said and done? Possibly, but hopefully not that uncomplicated. Perhaps it's just *crotchety old age syndrome*. Whatever.


Mr. Snoots, the poor dear, doesn't really understand but in an effort to prove his allegiance he feigns sympathy and understanding. I cannot say that I blame him for that ploy. Were I in his predicament I'd probably resort to the use of a sledge hammer, so I must praise him for his acumen.


I could have sworn I saw a pin head size hole of light at the end of the whole getting-the-house-on-the-market tunnel last week. It's entirely possible I was daydreaming since it is no longer there. I'm thinking I need to work even harder now but so far I've kept my nose to grind. I need to see some substantial progress but it all appears to be nothing more than light scratches on the surface of the overall scheme of things up to this point. One step forward and three steps back....


Oh patience, where art thou?


Sensing this, Mr. Snoots, in his infinite wisdom, has suggested a road trip. I'm always game for a road trip! So, we're leaving this morning and driving due west for about 5 hours to a little ski town. We'll only be gone for 4 days but usually that's all I need to set me right with the world again. As I've said before, all work and no play makes Snooty a very cranky entity indeed. Very. Cranky.

Mr. Snooty plans to stay at the hotel and take care of business on the computer, which will keep him busy. Then, we can go to dinner in the evenings. Normally, when I go alone, I have room service, watch a movie and go to sleep. So, this should be tons of fun!




Of course, Mr. Snoots doesn't ski anymore but I don't care. I'm just thrilled to not be going alone. I went alone for so many years and after a while, it just wasn't fun anymore. We humans need contact with other humans and he's my #1 choice, so it will be nice to have him along.

Anyway, I'm out of here! I promise to take lots of pictures but we'll only be gone 4 days. Two full days of skiing is probably more than I can handle in my out-of-shape condition. It might well kill me, but I doubt it. Only the good die young.... Most likely I'll be as sore as a two bit floosie on payday. Besides, I ski like an old lady now. You know. Because I'm an old lady now. I can only dream about how I used to ski but, I'm perfectly good with that. As always, I'll take my bottle of champagne, a jar of Icelandic caviar, cream cheese, chopped red onion and toast points to have for my afternoon snack. It became a ritual for me about 20 years ago and SD loves it as well. I just wish she were going to be along with me to share it....It just won't be the same without her.



OH! Speaking of our daughter, today she emailed me that she's so far been accepted at William & Lee (VA) and Baylor (TX) (who also offered scholarship money). However, she's in on the long haul for the Big Holdout. She still wants U of Texas. Besides, Bad Boyfriend #2 is in law school at Baylor. I think she'd rather chew off her right arm than go to school there. At any rate, she plans to be back home in Texas by the start of summer so I AM PUMPED THRILLED! Keep those prayers for U of Texas coming! (It seems to be working so far.)


I'll keep up with everyone's blogs while we're gone although I might not be able to comment. I'll be with you in spirit!

It's Time For Another Road Trip... So It Must Be Spring Fever

Yes, I'm getting *itchy britches* again and it's not just from our ant infestation, although my skin has been constantly crawling since that discovery. This is the time of year that I'll do almost anything to avoid Spring Cleaning, which is a hopeless battle here in West Texas anyway. Besides, we haven't been out of town since Thanksgiving, which always makes me *antsy* too. Also, our son is coming for another visit during his Spring Break from school and bringing his little doggie (ha!) with him again. So, if I plan to not *go off* on him about the dog, I'm going to need a break before his arrival.


This morning I dropped Mr. Snoots at the airport so that he could hop a plane to Albuquerque, where he'll meet up with one of his business partners who has his own private plane. From there, they will meet up with another partner (an unmarried woman who lives in Santa Fe) and fly the private plane to Phoenix, where they a have a business meeting scheduled for Monday morning. I would love to have tagged along, but that idea was quickly squashed by Mr. Snoots. Fine. I didn't want to go anyway. I wish.


I had planned to catapult myself, by way of many back roads and Interstate 10, to San Antonio during the hubby's absence until Mr. Snoots told me he had to take MY cell phone. What? I can't travel 10 hours total road time without a cell phone. What if something happened out in the middle of the damned dessert while I'm alone with no way to call AAA or the DPS? Hrumph! No way Jose'. Not me. While I did manage to survive road trips without a cell phone for most of my life, I cannot live without it now. So, I must wait until he returns Monday night, which means I won't be able to leave until Tuesday morning. It also means I can only go for a couple of days, since our son is coming in on Friday. Whoopee.


However short an amount of time it will be, I still need it. I need to see my friend, and drink too much, and be serenaded by Mexican Mariachis, and kick my heels up, and stay up late at night giggling. I. Need. This. Badly. I need to remember what it's like to have a good friend to do all of these things with. I also need to go to my favorite fresh seafood dealer and stock up on more goodies from the ocean. Groomer's, here I come! I need to go to Mi Tierra's for margaritas. I need a break from my mundane everyday life more than anything. I don't care if my plants are screaming to be watered. I don't care that the outside (in front & back) is covered with at least a half inch of dirt from the winter months and needs someone (me) to make it all clean again. I need a break.


Okay, now I'm really perturbed. Better yet, make that hurt and pissed off. Mr. Snoots just called me to say he arrived safely and that I would LOVE the place he's staying, then proceeded to tell me all about it and how they were all having a Pool Tournament and having drinks. Oh, that just makes me feel so much fucking better. Now I'm in tears. He did, however, say that if, by chance, he ever has to go back, then I can come. Thanks a lot, honey! Like that's ever going to happen. Take care of bidness and get back home. So, I'm sitting here bawling and feeling sorry for myself... Boo Fucking Hoo.


Is anyone else feeling as cooped up or as whiny as I'm feeling today? What are you all doing to keep that claustrophobic or sad feeling at bay? Why the Hell does Spring always do this to me? When will my post-menopausal hormonal emotions ever go away? Why should I even care?

Stuck in A Whirlwind...

My whirlwind trip to & from San Antonio was not the relaxing trip I had anticipated. The 5-1/2 hour drive down was pleasant enough, but when I arrived, I experienced another major *senior moment*, *brain fart*, *menopausal breakdown*. It was freezing in San Antonio thanks to a cold front, and I had not gone prepared. In addition to not having the right clothing, I also realized with a great deal of annoyance that we leave for Los Angeles in 5 days. From that moment, I couldn't relax until I was home. This was not due to anything my hostess did or didn't do. She was gracious as always. It was like I had arrived in a panic and it wasn't going to go away until I was safely home.

I'm the kind of person who likes to start packing a week or so ahead of time so that I can be leisurely about it and make sure that I have everything. This always seems to allow me the time to pack way too many things, as I invariably do. I'm not certain as to why, exactly, but I seem to hit a panic mode if I don't stick to this repetitious order. There's no telling what I'll wind up taking with me on an adventure, which is why I have to stick to my somewhat odd routine.

At any rate, I guess I've been blogging too much or something, because I had not paid the slightest bit of attention to a calendar and gawd knows I can't see the date on my watch, nor do I ever check the date on my computer. So, when I arrived at my friend's home she mentioned how fun that I was leaving for L.A. in less than a week. I just kind of looked at her like "HUH? I beg your pardon?" Once I realized I'd made a faux pas in my judgement of *Snooty Time* I was ready to hit the road home.

However, we dined on a dinner of succulent Raspberry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin, Fettucini Alfredo, salad and garlic toast. We drank a lovely domestic merlot and visited for a while, but as it turned out, my friend was just starting to get sick when I arrived. She & her hubby went to bed early, as did I. By the time I left the next morning, she had a temperature of 104 degrees, which of course, really threw me in a panic to depart. I CAN'T GET SICK BEFORE WE LEAVE FOR CALIFORNIA (or after, for that matter)!!!!! Being the paranoid *Howard Hughes* type that I am, I retreated to my sitting room to have a 20 minute session with my hand disenfectant.

The next morning, I hastily yelled my thank you's and farewells down the hall towards her room and made my exit as quickly as I possibly could. What are good friends for, right? As I drove away, it proceeded to rain in a very hard, pounding manner, for nearly the entire drive home, which actually wound up being more like 6-1/2 hours instead of the normal 5-1/2. Thankfully, I had "The Last Juror" CD by John Grisham, to listen to, which was not great, but surely a good enough read (or listen). By the time I arrived home I was thoroughly exhausted & had somehow inexplicably been deprived of my friend's humor & company.

So, now I feel as if I'm stuck in a whirlwind until we leave for California. (I'm also popping vitamins & extra Vitamin C like crazy.) I'll never speak to the bitch again if I get sick (just kidding, honest).

I never did see Charles, as it was his day off. Guess I'll have to wait until the next trip. Meanwhile, I'm furiously running about, getting things ready for our trip and trying to get over my recent bad haircut (which I refuse to talk about).