Halloween Memories and Recommedations

When I was growing up in Long Beach I used to go trick or treating with my older brother Jon on Halloween. He is 3 1/2 years older than me and as you might expect he couldn't wait to dump me at every turn. I would follow him around lagging behind, calling his name, crying and being just a general pain in the ass.

We lived around the corner from The Laurel movie theater. It was an huge old style movie theater with high ornate ceilings and a balcony where Long Beach's young people would go to makeout. Jon got stuck taking me to The Laural every Saturday morning and of course, he would dump me as soon as we got there.

The Laurel Movies and Luncheonette

The Laurel would show scary movies around Halloween and most of the time my Mom wouldn't let me go when they were playing. I was prone to nightmares and these movies didn't help things. I remember being really mad at her for not letting me see Gorgo. Gorgo was a Godzilla wannabe and Mom knew that it had all the trappings of a movie that would scare the crap out of me. I wonder why she didn't think this stuff when Thirteen Ghosts showed up playing at The Laurel when I was about 9 or so.

Jon and Little Sister PITA(pain in the ass)

Jon took me to the movies that day and when we got there we were given special glasses on the way in. It was filmed in the old style 3-D and you needed the glasses to see the movie without all the blurring. I remember that it didn't take long for me to get a really uncomfortable and funny feeling in my stomach once the movie started. I started whining to Jon who was partying with our neighbor friend Layne. Just like any older brother he more than didn't want to be bothered with me.

As the movie went on I got more and more scared and as a little girl would do, I started to cry. Well, that was more than Jon could take. It was totally uncool to be stuck with your little sister at the movies but even more so when she was crying. Instead of taking me home or doing some other good brotherly thing he got up, told me he was going to get candy and never came back. There I was absolutely scared out of my wits crying up a storm. A friendly stranger talked me down and when the movie was over I ran home hysterical. Jon got into big trouble with Mom for that one and me? I didn't sleep for weeks. Neither did Mom.

Jon, Me and Layne in our 20's

I was angry with Jon for many years over the Thirteen Ghosts incident and have thrown it in his face often over the fourty plus years since it happened. Of course, all these years Jon has called me a wimp. He remembers it as a stupid movie that was unworthy of the stink that I put up. I remembered it as being the scariest movie I ever saw.

Recently I saw that Thirteen Ghosts was going to be on TV and I decided to watch it to prove to myself that I have actually grown up and would be able to watch it with no fear. I also wanted to prove to myself that I was right and Jon was a crappy brother at the time.

I got my drink, settled in and waited for the movie to start. Once it started it didn't take very long for me to start feeling uncomfortable. I felt the same feeling in the pit of my stomach as I had felt 40 years ago. Well, I lasted about 20 minutes and decided that this time I would not sit and cry. This time I would change the channel.

Jon and I still laugh and joke about Thirteen Ghosts even though I know that I was right and he was wrong. The movie was scary and Jon had been a crappy brother. He has since redeemed himself but little sisters don't forget this stuff.

If you are looking for a scary movie to watch for Halloween try the old original Thirteen Ghosts. It's an oldie but a goodie. Another good one is the original movie called The Haunting. I saw that one at The Laural with Jon too. Once again, it scared the crap out of me but this time Jon stayed with me through the whole thing. I guess he felt guilty. Nah....Oh yeah...don't forget The Crawling Eye. It's another great Halloween flick.

Happy Halloween to all and step away from the candy. :)

Early Voting and Happy Birthday Ma

Well, we did it. We waited on line at the North Regional Library in Coral Springs for 2 hours to vote early. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We met some very nice people and the time went really quickly. There was a lot of talk about the wording of the state amendments. It seems that in some cases if you vote yes you are really voting no. We had a real good time with that. One person brought her little 9 week old grey schnauzer puppy to the polls and Kerry was totally taken with the dog. Fawning over the dog took up some time. We were both very happy that we were able to vote and now the deed is done. I've made my choice and that's it. I feel very good about voting early. Of course, after we finished voting we treated ourselves by going to the Town Center Mall. Retail therapy is the best. LOL
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Yesterday was what would have been my mother's 89th birthday. Yep, she was a Halloween baby and she used to complain about it. She told me that her birthday parties always had a Halloween theme to them and that bothered her. She wanted a Happy Birthday theme. That was my Mom though. She was a complainer. It was what she did best. I was the listener. It was what I did best. I am still the listener only the complainer has changed. Now it's Kerry doing the complaining.

Kerry the complainer with Pat

This is how I remember Ma. This pic was taken by my brother Jon in the 70's. Note the ciggie.


Kerry reminds me of my mother in many ways. It's comforting, really. It's as if my Mom is still with me in some way. They are very much alike in their likes and dislikes and I often tell Kerry that she is just like her Nana. I guess having Kerry makes it a little easier to accept that my Mom is gone. She was my biggest champion and fan. She adored the ground that I walked on and I could always count on her. I totally miss the hell out of her.

Me and Ma at my baby shower...a long time ago

Happy Birthday, Ma. Yeah, I know. "Don't call me Ma".

Kerry's First Election

Kerry is going to be 22 on November 24. I remember the night that she was born in such detail that it seems impossible that it was almost 22 years ago. I think about her life to this point it seems like a blurr. So many wonderful times and so few problems. What a truly lucky mom I am.

Baby Kerry

Now that she is at an adult age there aren't as many "firsts" as there were when she was a kid. Things like first step, first day of school, first boyfriend, first car just kept coming while she was young but now that she is an adult there are not as many of those moments, those "firsts". There is one coming up, though. Kerry is coming home next weekend so that she can cast her very first vote in an election and it's the big one, too. The presidential election. She is very excited at this particular "first". She wants me to vote with her that day so that she can always remember it as another important life moment that we did together.

Kerry all grown up

I remember my first vote and it's a scary thought. I voted for Richard Nixon. Can you believe it? Richard Nixon. I am happy to say the second time I voted I had the brains to vote for someone else. It was George McGovern. I felt strongly about my choice and was very disappointed that we lost. I felt much better after Watergate happened. It proved that I had been right.

Kerry's first election is a pivotal one for our nation and I'm excited about sharing this with "the kid". She's old enough to vote. I guess she's not a kid anymore.

Doing The Best That I Can

I am doing the best that I can just like I tell Kerry when she calls and is all upset about an upcoming test. Just do the best you can. Yep, that's what I'm doing and I guess it's all anyone can do.

I am doing the best I can at work. While I may not be making a crapload of money I realize that I am lucky to have a job at all not to mention one that I enjoy. I love helping "my ladies" enjoy their exercise time and as I've said before in other blog entries, I learn a lot from them so it is a real give and take. I give them encouragement and they share their knowledge and life stories. I worry about them though. The economy is hitting them hard and there is some thought that the money that they spend on Curves could be better spent on bread, milk and gas. There is definitely some truth in that however if they don't exercise they won't be healthy enough to go the the grocery store or be driving their cars. They say that they will go for walks for exercise but as they say that to me we both know that they won't. I hope they make the right decision and stay. For them and for me.

My Curves

I am doing the best that I can with my weight. Well.....maybe not. I'd like to think that I am doing my best but I know I'm not. My food has been pretty horrible lately and I've also been lazy when it comes to my exercise. I'm finding a lot of excuses for not going to the track or getting in my weight lifting. Like right now, today. I pulled my back out (doing what, I don't know) but I can't exercise. It's a great excuse but it is also a fact. The only physical activity that I have been true to is yoga. I still go to my classes and also practice at home. I love it but I realize I need more than that. My waistline continues to expand along with my love of food. Yeah, it's a pretty negative picture but on the brighter side every day is a new start. Yeah, the first day of the rest of my life. Another bright spot is a very long conversation that I had on the phone with my fellow fabbie, Laura, who never fails to bring me back down to earth when we talk about this. She keeps me sane about this by telling me to just do the best that I can.

Practicing yoga...Wheel pose

There is not a hell of a lot that I can do about the ecomony but I can do the best that I can in my little world. I can keep an eye on our money by checking the stock market every day but not get crazy from it. I can keep reading and learning about all things financial and continue making good sound financial decisions such as not crapping my money away at the local casinos and banking as much as possible. I'll be happy when I can fly off to LA for a Fab reunion because I was able to save money by keeping out of the casinos. Yeah, doing the best that I can with my money will pay off big in the end.

Our last Fab Four Reunion

I do the best that I can as a mom. I am ALWAYS there for the kid. If she needs me I am totally there for her no matter what it is that she needs. This one is very easy for me. Kerry means everything to me and doing the best for her brings out the best in me.

"The Kid"

I will also do the best I can do for my county. That means I will be sure to vote. It's the least I can do and the best I can do. I hope you will all do the best you can do too.