Odd Ends

Here are a few things floating through my head today that are too long for Twitter and too short for their own blog posts.

* When I was in the fourth grade, my family took a vacation to England.  I distinctly remember being disappointed when we returned to the US and not only did we not get to disembark the plane via staircase to the tarmac, but there was no marching band.  Apparently my only exposure to international travel had been the evening news and seeing the President and/or US Military members returning to much fanfare.  I thought of that today because this morning my friend Margaret floated into Port Canaveral aboard the Disney Fantasy, to a throng of well-wishers waving at the ship, plus media coverage and fireworks!  My inner fourth grader is very jealous indeed!  (the rest of me is jealous of the transatlantic voyage and the stop in NYC)

* Experiences (most) men don't understand:  Forgetting that you're wearing high heels, until the toilet seat is 3" lower than you're expecting it to be.  That might not sound like a great distance, but when you're falling bare-assed through space wondering who moved the toilet and bracing for impact with the ground, it's just enough for a mini adrenaline rush!

* We learned this morning that Robert Sherman died.  Even if you don't know the name, you know his music.  He and his brother Richard worked directly with Walt Disney to create music for movies from Mary Poppins to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, plus the ol' theme park classics "It's a Small World" and the theme to the Tiki Room.  The Disney Parks Blog had a lovely write-up that started with a Mary Poppins reference that made me tear up: "Today, the wind has changed and Disney Legend Robert B. Sherman has had to leave us. But the immeasurable gifts of song he has given — in that magical partnership with his surviving brother, Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman — will stay forever."  It's true - their legacy will outlive all of ours!

Murderer

I killed a bird this morning on my way to work.  Scott and I talked about filming a dramatization, but we're probably going to be too busy for the next few days so you'll just have to rely on your imagination.

There I am driving down the road when a little bird swoops down from the other side of the road and hits the front of my car with an echoing thud that actually resonated a bit like a gong.  I did what I always do in this situation (this is the 3rd bird, and 4th animal, I've hit in my driving career): I immediately craned my neck to get a good look in my rearview mirror to see the damage.

No bird behind me.  Did it bounce off onto the shoulder?  But before I even had a chance to consider that perhaps I had a new hood ornament, the bird must have dislodged from my bumper.  While I was still focused on the view behind the car, the bird rolled up the hood and thud thud thud up and over my windshield.

I actually yelled "oh my GOD!" and in retrospect am shocked I didn't crash the car.  I was stunned and freaked the heck out. The resulting adrenaline dump got me to work, but the mental crash was awful.  I hope that never happens to me (or another bird) again... but if they don't stop swooping in front of me I guess we don't have much of a choice! 

Dead Roach Walking

WHY do they do that?? I empty 3/4 of a can of bug spray in its general direction, it falls from 8 feet up the wall with a satisfying splat into the bathtub below, and then when Scott gets home, it has disappeared.

Why won't someone invent a bug spray that paralyzes roaches until the poison does its job? Then there would be no post-mortem leg twitching AND they would certainly hold the hell still and wait patiently for disposal!

And now, a special feature:

Jamie's eye safety tip of the day: Wash your hands immediately after handling the industrial-size aerosol death-in-a-can. Also, don't stay in the bathroom to do your normal nighttime routine after spraying death-in-a-can. I'm not sure which, but I'm pretty sure one or both of these errors in judgement lead to me waking up this morning with my eyes practically welded shut with green goo. On the bright side, having red eyes really makes the blue stand out!

Vehicular Homocide

I killed a bird yesterday on my way to work. In the air. The damn thing dive-bombed my car. My reflexes worked - sort of - I ducked. Sadly, the top of my car didn't duck with me. The bird hit the top of my windshield. I heard the thunk and looked in my rear view mirror in time to see it drop from the sky and thrash around on the street. I lost sight when the car behind me drove over it.

I suppose it's possible that it was just a glancing blow, and that the bird was stunned for a second and flew away once it was out of my sight. It's more likely that it died. Either right there in the middle of the road (dear God, please don't make me drive over my own victim) or it managed to get out of the road and die some place more peaceful.

Right after I hit the bird, I called Scott. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. No, it's not funny. The bird would have been alive if not for my car occupying that space in the Universe at that time. But seeing it drop out of the sky in the mirror - it was straight out of a bad comedy. But make no mistake, I was upset. Imagine my surprise when my darling husband's first response was, "aww... the poor little bird."

Oh well, I might take the other way to work for a few days, just until my conscience is a little clearer.

Sad Jamie

You know how they say famous people die in threes? I'm hoping that's not true outside of celebrity, because if it is I'm really waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Last week an old security friend of mine, Bob T., died. Back when I was doing bag checks, he was out at one of the entry kiosks. He was just one of those people that was a pleasure to be around - happy, laid-back, and could always make you smile.

And just last night I learned that one of the founding members of the Jamie Fan Club over at the Call Center died back in April. Karen was absolutely the most wonderful person in that room. This was a pretty big shock. Although I guess it was an even bigger shock to everyone at the Call Center. She stayed late on overtime the day before she died. Absolutely no one saw it coming. And you know, of all the people in that room, she's probably one of the few that more than half of the people would miss. She always had a smile and a kind word for those of us she liked (yeah, she was feisty!). She's one of those that I cried over losing when I left the Call Center, and I cried again last night.

She gave me an angel key chain when I left, and I have no idea where it is, but I am all of a sudden driven to find it. When I do, I'll probably attach it to my purse somehow. I'd like to believe that she's still watching over us.

Remember When...?

A while back, I told Scott that if he died first, I was going to have "weird but cute" put on his tombstone. He didn't really like that sentiment... and then he really didn't like it when I said I was going to put "weirder but cuter" on my own. So I had some prototypes made:


I think they are just perfect! You can make your own tombstone here.