Quick Takes

I'm keeping M. company while he watches the Packers, sipping a (second) gin and tonic, and trolling the internet to no avail. I WANT to post here - I have the time and the inclination, I just don't have that spark of an idea. My mind is racing through topics and rejecting them - too boring, too short, too introspective, needs photos. What to write? I'll settle for some random quick takes, I suppose.

1. M.'s mom's maiden name is Triplett. I'm pretty sure it means that he was destined to marry a triplet. Just glad I'm that girl. Not the least of which because he just brought me my second G&T with a fresh lime - not everyone would be that considerate ;-).

2. I used to vacation every summer at Cape Cod, and now all of those memories seem to be permanently Instagram'd. Every picture that comes to my mind has the same filters I see popping up in everyone's photos online. Maybe because Instagram was created to make our photos look old, or maybe because I have Instragram envy, not sure which. Because I do not own a smart phone, I cannot use Instragram. But I see it all there in my head, with the same soft faded look. Sparkly diamonds of sunlight dancing on the water. Salty seaweed drying on the sand (I HATED the seaweed!). Sandy paths lined with thorny beach plum bushes. Creaky wooden floors in cottages with greying shingle siding. Outdoor showers, ice cream sundaes, dining al fresco at Thompson's Clam Bar surrounded by squawking seagulls. It's all Instagram'd, baby. And I love it. I wonder which memories of my kids will be the cherished ones they hold forever, that make them smile when they are 30 years older and hundreds of miles away.

3. Not all the memories are super fabulous, of course. I do remember I had a teeny tiny shoplifting incident there once, where my grandmother (I THINK it was my grandmother) caught me after a shopping trip with some purloined candy and made me go back in and return it (Oh! That makes me think of the penny candy shops in Chatham! It was a treat we looked forward to all year! I didn't steal from one of THOSE shops, just a regular old drug store. As if that makes it any better). And also there was the traumatizing trip to see ET on the big screen. An even that will forever live in infamy in my family. Picture three little girls in a movie theatre, screaming their heads off out of terror. That movie was NOT touching, it was awful, and I am so permanently scarred from the experience that nothing will ever convince me otherwise.

Those memories aren't so Instagrammy.

4. I just mistakenly thought that Pitbull's name was Bulldog. Ha? Eh.

5. I think the cat and I are finally starting to get along, nearly 13 years after I adopted her. M. and I picked her out together two months in to our relationship, and she has shown a clear M. preference since then. She sleeps on him, yowls if he's outside, and frequently takes joy in tripping me or attacking me as I try to climb into bed at night. But lately she has taken to settling down between us in the bed (versus curling up next to M. on the outside of the bed), and she has abated in her attacks on me. I hope this doesn't mean she's going to die soon.

I should do seven of these. That's the deal, usually, "Seven Quick Takes." But I need to shower, and take advantage of a free Showtime preview weekend on TV, and maybe have a third G&T. So 5 is all you get, for whatever they were worth. Here's hoping I have some better bloggy inspiration soon!