http://www.one.org Dixie Peach: Leavings

Cooler than the other side of the pillow.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Leavings

Stuff's going on but nothing earth shaking so let's just sift through the stray stuff.

~ I'm in love with my DVD rental place. This one is a short walk away from my apartment and since it's fully automated it never closes. Things in Germany that never close are rare indeed. You get a magnet strip card that gets you inside, you pick your DVD from a machine where it scans your fingerprint so no one else can use your card and then your DVD is dispensed from another machine that also loads your account with money. Shove in a twenty and you're set for a while. I'm in love with these clever little machines - all that touch screening and magnet stripping and fingerprint scanning. I love playing with them so much that we're now watching DVDs at an alarming rate. Nevermind that I already have DVDs I've never watched. Nevermind that I have movies from my digital TV service saved on my harddrive recorder. Nevermind that I have two episodes of Rome recorded and have yet to watch them. I have more stuff to watch than I have time but until the novelty wears off this place, I'm destined to hike up there each day.

~ I'm worried about my mother. She called late last night - 12:30am, actually - to tell me she'd had a terrible night the night before. She suffers from diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease and now she's got terrible pains and spasms in her legs at night. Neuropathy, she said, although I'm not sure if that's the name of a condition or if it describes the condition. It's bad enough that she's enduring this but when she told me she was hallucinating as well - her Alzheimer's causes that - I got a little alarmed. It's bad enough to try to deal with terrible pain but seeing the ceiling move and roll can't be of much comfort.

She's supposed to be seeing someone today. I can't get her or my sister on the phone so I'll have to wait for news.

~ I am so backed up on laundry it's scary. Down to the grayed, tatty panties again.

~ I was reminded tonight as I was making a chicken sandwich for my supper that I must always cut my sandwiches in half. Diagonal is preferred but vertically is acceptable as well. I do this because growing up my mother never cut our sandwiches in half. My schoolmates? They had nice sandwiches cut in half. Some cut in quarters. Those who really had their mother's number had crustless sandwiches. I once asked my mother to cut the crust off my sandwich and was given a lecture about how crust was nothing but bread that got a little browner than the rest and it was a waste of food to cut off crusts and those mothers who did the crust cutting were nothing but indulgent tools of their children! Cut off your child's crusts and the next thing you know you'll have kids that disregard curfews! Sneak out of the window! Steal from the liquor cabinet!

Hell, we didn't even have a liquor cabinet.

~ Lipstick shopping. I haven't had a new lipstick since before Christmas and this must be corrected.

If they sold lipstick at the DVD rental place I'd set up a cot in there.

13Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear about your mother. I hope you get some reassuring news soon.

And HA! My mother cut the crusts off! And I TOTALLY snuck out of my window after raiding the liquor cabinet in high school ALL THE TIME!

And honey I will send you Hellmann's mayonnaise any time. Every time I go to the store I think "Hmmmm, I bet get some more mayonnaise in case we are running low." I think I have about 8 jumbo jars right now in my pantry.

11:54 PM  
Blogger Dixie said...

Ohdearlord! I cannot tell my mother she was right about the crusts. She will be insufferable! Heh.

Mmmm...mayo...

12:38 AM  
Blogger Libby said...

I'm sorry to hear about your mom, sure hope she feels more like herself soon, this has got to be tough on you being so far away...

..and I'm sorry but DUKE's mayo has it all over Hellman's. DUKES RULES!

2:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

that dvd rental place sounds entirely too cool. i wish i lived in germany -- automated dvd rentals and kinder eggs... sigh.

3:35 AM  
Blogger J said...

We had one of those automated DVD places too, but it only lasted six months. It closed on a Friday, and had been completely emptied out when I went by it the following Monday.

4:50 AM  
Blogger sari said...

I used to cut the crusts off for Jake, but right after Christmas, I just stopped. I was done cutting crusts. And now I'm glad, I've saved myself years of trouble in the future!!

5:01 AM  
Blogger Mimey said...

I hear what you're saying about film back up. I'm guilty too. I'd rather watch a film I've seen thrity times than risk two hours on something new. How old am? 7?

Very sorry about your mother. Hope things ease up and it's not too traumatic being so far away from her. If you're feeling bad about not being with her remember you're essential to the smooth running of Germany and probably couldn't do much if you were over there! You can do more in one focused phone call than you'd probably manage in months of casual contact if you don't realise what's precious. We often take the stuff (loved ones) that are in front of us for granted, until we get some distance on the situation, is what I'm trying to say.

As for crusts. Eurgh. Hate 'em, hate 'em hate 'em, and I can't justify why. I peel them off as I eat and get bucket loads of abuse from my colleagues. Actually had the "starving children in Africa" spiel the other week. I offered to send my crusts and was tutted at. Weird (and childish) given that I love crusty bread.

Jemima x

9:36 AM  
Blogger christina said...

So sorry about your mom, Dixie. It's hard to be so far away at times like this. My husband has some mild numbness in his outerthighs which they haven't been able to find a cause for and they called that "neuropathy" as well. Hope you can get in touch with your family soon and see things are.

That DVD place sounds divine. I love automated touch screen stuff too for things like that. Who needs humans?

I think sandwiches cut in the middle taste SO much better somehow. Sometimes when I'm in an indulgent mood I cut the crusts off our little guy's sandwich, but lately he's been saying that the crust is the best part, so who am I to argue? :-)

2:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dix, sorry to hear about your Mom. Keep us posted, OK?

Ick, ew, blech...I so can't do crusts. And not just for sanwiches either. My Mom used to cut the "crust" off of Pop Tarts too and up until a few years ago, I wouldn't dare eat pizza crust!

hee hee hee. I wouldn't even get into having my OJ strained before they had pulp-free OJ! Blech, OJ pulp.

3:09 PM  
Blogger zoe xx said...

I do love the crusts, in fact, I will even choose the crust end of the loaf over a non-crust piece. If you ate your crusts you got curly hair - which I do have, but did not have as a child, which I think proves a scientific point.

Hope you hear about your Mum soon.

5:07 PM  
Blogger BarefootCajun said...

Sending love to ((((Miss Virginia)))).

My mother was of the same philosophy so we endured all the crusts. The only thing she could not make me do was eat the boot end. Bleh! Way too much crust.

Lorrie, you evil one, I'm with you on OJ pulp. It's oogy.

9:56 PM  
Blogger Marshamlow said...

I am keeping you and your mom in my prayers. My mom cut our sandwiches in half but never cut off the crusts, I do it that way too. I am extremely jealous of your DVD store! For me, once a movie is bought and sitting in my cabinet available to be watch at anytime, that movie looses all apeal to me. I have a cabinet full of movies I used to love and now could care less about. Weird.

10:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kim I am so sorry to hear about your mother..
Keeping you & your family in my prayers.

Queen Crystalbeach

3:51 PM  

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